Depending on how the files were lost, the steps will vary. In some cases, you can recover files using built-in features; in other cases, you’ll need data recovery software.

Recovering Deleted Files

If you’ve deleted the file, you may be able to recover the file using the Recycle Bin’s restore feature. Go into the Recycle Bin and see if the file is listed. If so, right-click the file and choose Restore. This will undelete the file and place it back in its original location.

The drawback to using the Recycle Bin is that it doesn’t always work. For example, if the Recycle Bin has been emptied, then the file is no longer there. Another problem is that extremely large files bypass the Recycle Bin completely, so this isn’t an option for many deleted files.

Recovering System Files

Windows comes with a built-in utility for recovering lost or damaged system files called the System File Checker. You will need your original Windows installation CD to use this utility. It scans your system for damaged or missing system files, replacing them with original files from the CD. To run System File Checker, go to Start> Run and enter: sfc /scannow

Recovery Lost Data Files

If you’ve lost data files and they are not in the Recycle Bin, you can use data recovery software to recover them. Data recovery software can only recover files that haven’t yet been overwritten by new data. When you delete a file, the file’s references are removed yet the file itself remains on your hard drive. Windows considers the deleted file as deleted and the space that it occupies as “free space” where new data can be stored. You have a window of opportunity to recover deleted files between the time of deletion and when new data is written over it.

The first step is to find a data recovery program. We recommend Data Recovery from ParetoLogic Software because it’s easy to use and effective. A free demo version allows you to see if the file you want to recover is still available for recovery. If so, then you can purchase the full version and quickly recover the file.

In this case, you would launch the software and click the Scan or Start button. The data recovery software will then scan your computer for recoverable files. It lists files by type. For example, all recoverable document files will be grouped together, all photos together, all music files together, and so forth. Once you find the file, simply click it and choose Recover. Depending on how you set up the software, the file will be recovered to a specific folder where you can then work with the file or move it to its original location.

If you know the file’s name or other characteristics, you can instruct the software to search for that file in particular, making for a faster recovery and less wading through results. However, it’s kind of fun (and amazing) to see how many files are recoverable on your computer.  

Celeste Stewart | February 16th, 2009
Tags: Recovering lost files
Categories: Data Recovery

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