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I’m having a problem with a PSD file that I created on a Windows XP with Photoshop CS4.  I made a silly accident by turning off the electricity before the PC closed down (not a laptop). As I turned on the PC again it had lost the profile settlings, but I could find all my programs and all my files. Everything worked fine except for that one PSD file.  When I open a PSD file in PS CS4 I can see a little preview of the PSD file before opening it and I can see the preview of this one file, but the program says I can’t open it with the version I have. It is very strange since I used that same program to make the file. I’ve tried an newer version, but I didn’t work. My wish is to at least open and print it. I hope someone will help me: Is it lost or can it be saved?

PSD File Corruption

It sounds as though the interrupted shutdown "corrupted" the PSD file. When a computer shuts down unexpectedly, this can cause problems with files of all types including system files, Microsoft Word document files, digital photos, PSD files, and so on. It generally affects files that were open at the time of the unexpected shutdown.

Recover PSD Files Option 1

You can try a couple of different options in an attempt to recover your damaged PSD file. The first one involves seeing if a "temporary" copy is available. If so, you can open the temporary copy and then save it as a new PSD file. To do this, go into Windows Explorer (right-click Start and choose Explore) and search for a Photoshop Temporary folder. If you find such a folder, open it and look for a temporary PSD file with the same name as the file you lost. Double click to open it and then save it as a new PSD with a new name.

Recover PSD Files Option 2

If the first option doesn't work or a temporary file matching your original is not longer available, the next option is to use a PSD recovery tool. Many such programs exist. For example, go to CNET Downloads and enter "PSD recovery" into its search tool and you should be able to find several options, some of which may be free. In addition, if the file is 100 MB or less in size, there's a free online PSD recovery tool available over at OfficeRecovery.com. However, you might want to read the terms and conditions to make sure that you'll be able to access the repaired file without charge.

Check Your Backup Software for Prior Versions

A final option, which may or may not be an option, is to check your backup for an earlier version of the file. If you have an online backup service such as Carbonite, you may have a working copy of the damaged PSD file that you can use. Some backup programs backup new and changed files in nearly real time, so if you have such a service, it's worth checking to see if you have a good backup copy available.

Foolishly, I put my SDHC class 6 memory card (which I use with my Canon H100 HD camcorder) into a Mac in a shop and tried to open the files to view the video. I didn't know how to safely remove it and pulled it straight out without exiting properly, damaging the files as a result. My Canon can't read them and neither can my Panasonic TV with its card slot. A technician in the shop did some surgery and discovered the files were still there. We opened them on a Sony VAIO. I need to back them up on my PC but my camera, TV, and my laptop do not recognize the files. Any help out there?

Damaged SDHC Cards

Sounds like you learned a hard lesson about removing media from a computer without properly closing it out. While removing a memory card without first going through the motions of closing it doesn't always result in corruption, it often does. This doesn't mean that the entire contents of the card are damaged. Your card may not be recognizable because its master boot record or file allocation table is damaged. Fortunately, it sounds as though the underlying files, or at least some of them, are still intact. The challenge here is getting to those underlying files.

Data Recovery Software

Data recovery software is designed to bypass typical routes to a storage device's contents and go directly to the data. It doesn't need a "table of contents" so to speak in order to see files. That's why data recovery software is so effective at recover deleted files and files from reformatted drives. After all, the files are not instantly erased when deleted or when the drive has been reformatted; rather, the master indexes referencing those files is altered.

ParetoLogic Data Recovery Trial Software

ParetoLogic Software has a data recovery program, aptly named Data Recovery, that it makes available as a free trial. The trial version won't recover your files, but it should be able to tell you if it sees them. If it does, then you can upgrade to the fully functional commercial version with confidence. The program recognizes portable storage devices that can be read as drive letters and can recover all types of files including video files. Try the trial version and scan your card. If the trial version lists your video files, consider buying the product and recovering the videos once and for all. Note that a "pro" version is also available. For your needs, the standard version will do the trick.

How can I recover items that I deleted out of Yahoo trash?

Fortunately for you, recovering Yahoo email that has been deleted from the trash folder is now easier than ever before. However, there are no guarantees and the faster you move (within 24 hours), the more reliable the following strategy is.

What Yahoo Has to Say about Deleted Yahoo Mail

The bottom line is that recovery of your deleted Yahoo mail is not guaranteed. While Yahoo will make an effort to restore your messages, no promises are made to do so. Of course, the request for deleted emails to be recovered must be made within 24 hours of receiving the email or Yahoo cannot restore it for you.

How to Undelete Yahoo Trash

If your deleted email was received less than 24 hours ago, you can complete a Yahoo form to request its retrieval. The form is available on Yahoo's Help section. Select the appropriate form for the version of Yahoo that you are using (Yahoo! Mail Classic or All New Yahoo! Mail), and fill it in. Yahoo conducts a recovery mission that retrieves all emails that had been sent to you during the time period given. Yahoo may or may not be able to resend the emails.

Recover Yahoo Mail Using Data Recovery Application

If the Yahoo emails that you want to recover were opened on your personal computer, you can obtain a data recovery application such as Data Recovery Pro to see if your messages can be retrieved. I suggest running the free scan first as Yahoo is a web-based email application and the data recovery software might not be able to access the information that you are seeking.

Recover Yahoo Mail Downloaded to Computer

If you forward your Yahoo emails to a different email account via POP3 channels, then you might be able to recover a copy of the email from your computers hard drive. First check the trash folder. Next, check your trash bin for the computer. Finally, run a scan to try and "find" the missing emails. Alternatively, you can try a data recovery application in an attempt to locate the missing emails.

I recently tried to use the recovery disc that came with my laptop to recover files I lost through a software upgrade. All it did was erase the whole disk and nothing was restored. What happened?

The Purpose for Recovery Discs

Recovery discs are often provided by computer manufacturers as a means of resetting your computer to its factory condition. They often contain tools for partial recoveries as well as full recoveries. When using the recovery discs, it's crucial to pay attention to all prompts and understand the consequences of each action.

When using the recovery disc to reset the computer to its factory condition, all of the data and programs as well as all system updates and personal settings currently on your computer will be removed. In their place will be all the original operating system and any preinstalled programs that came with the computer. Your computer will look just as it did when you originally purchased it. However, if you've since changed out any hardware, your new hardware may not be recognized as the drivers for the new equipment is not pre-loaded on the recovery disc.

After Using Recovery Discs

When a recovery goes well, there's still a lot of work to be done. For example, the operating system will need to be updated with the latest updates, security software installed, network configured, email configured, programs installed, data restored from backups (if any), recently added hardware reinstalled with the appropriate drivers, and so on. When a recovery goes bad as yours did, there's even more work involved.

It sounds as though perhaps the hard disc was reformatted which could have been one of the options presented by the recovery disc. However, if you're using a different video card or monitor than the computer originally came with, it's possible that the recovery went well but you can't see that because nothing is appearing on your screen. When you can't see what's on screen, it's hard to troubleshoot or even install the appropriate drivers. If you think that the video card or monitor may be the issue, try inserting the disc for the new hardware and then rebooting the computer. Upon reboot, the computer may search for drivers for the "new hardware discovered" and may find the drivers if the disc is installed.

If you don't think the video card or monitor is to blame and you believe that the disc has been wiped completely clean, you may be able to use the recovery disc to at least install the operating system and original programs. Place the disc in the drive and reboot. You should be prompted with choices for recovering the system to its original state.

Recovering Data

If your computer has been restored to factory condition, your data will no longer be accessible - unless you use data recovery software. Even with data recovery software, some data may have been overwritten. However, for about $50 or so, you can use a data recovery product such as ParetoLogic's Data Recovery to get most of it back. This program has a free scanner that will tell you what data is available for recovery. If you decide recovering that lost data is worthwhile, you'll need to purchase the full version in order to recover it.  

I have a recorded video file on my handy cam and it was accidentally formatted by my wife. Is there a possibility that we can still recover my video file on my handy cam? Maybe my wife formatted the memory of the cam. Please help me with what to do or software that can help me to recover those file. Thanks a lot.

I have been there. It is so devastating when you think that you have lost your files forever. Fortunately, this does not need to be the case. Whether you have lost your data on a USB stick, CD, the hard drive, or an electronic device, you can get it back again.

How to Recover Formatted Video File: the Basics

Fortunately for many of us, certain applications have been created that can help us to retrieve files that we have inadvertently deleted or have lost due to formatting issues. Video recovery is accomplished in much the same way that you would recover other data that has been lost- with a data recovery application.

How Is It Possible to Recover Files After Formatting?

When a disk or drive is formatted, the file is not erased. It is the reference to the file that has been removed. You can no longer see the file when you search for it. However, the file is still there unless it is written over with new data. It is possible to use data recovery software to retrieve the missing file. The software can see the file even though you cannot. The software bypasses the allocation tables and goes directly to the location where files have been stored. It retrieves the files and allows you to select which files you wish to restore.

How to Recover Formatted Video File: Using Data Recovery Pro

One program that I can recommend is Data Recovery Pro. This powerful application can retrieve data from most handy cams in many cases. As long as you haven't written over the file already, you should be able to use Data Recovery Pro to retrieve it. Simply purchase, download, and install the application onto your computer. Attach your handy cam. The software should detect the handy cam.

Data Recovery Pro provides a handy series of steps that you follow in order to retrieve the lost files. You can follow these prompts to recover your data even though it has been formatted.

Using Data Recovery Pro to Retrieve Handy Cam Files

For the best results, make sure that you hook your handy cam up to the computer before launching the software. Additionally, the software needs to be able to access the handy cam as though it is a removable hard drive so make sure that is how it is labeled. It will probably be listed as "E" drive or something similar.

How do I restore e-mails that were sent to my trash folder and deleted? They are important e-mails.

Web-Based or Computer Based Emails?

While it is possible to recover some deleted email messages, even if the Trash folder has been emptied, the first task is to identify whether the email is stored in a Web-based account such as Yahoo Mail or Gmail or locally on your personal computer. If you use an email client such as Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, or Windows Live Mail to download the messages to your computer, you have far more email recovery options than if you simply access your Web-based email messages online.   

Recovering Web-Based Emails

For cases when a message has not yet been emptied out of the Trash folder, recovery is a simple matter of opening the Trash folder, finding the message, and moving it back to the Inbox.

Unfortunately, if you are using a Web-based email account such as Yahoo Mail or Gmail and the Trash folder has been emptied, then the message is gone for good. According to Yahoo Mail's help files, "When messages are emptied from the trash folder, they are permanently deleted from the Yahoo! Mail server and cannot be recovered."

Similarly, Google has this to say about recovering trashed email messages, "If you've deleted a message permanently, by clicking Delete Forever in your Spam or Trash, it isn't possible to recover the message."

Recovering Computer Based Email Messages

If you are using an email client that downloads emails to your computer, email recovery may be possible. Like Web-based emails, if the messages are in the Trash or Deleted Items folder, recovery is a matter of dragging and dropping the messages back into the Inbox. However, this isn't the case so you will need to invest in a software product designed for recovering email messages in order to recover your emails.

Before you run out and buy a data recovery program, it's important to understand how data recovery works. When a file or email message is deleted and then "permanently deleted" by emptying the Recycle Bin or Trash folder, it's not instantly deleted. In fact, the file or message remains intact until a new file is created and occupies the original space on the hard drive. You can no longer view the deleted file because Windows has hidden it and marked the location as "free space." Until new files overwrite the data, deleted files and messages can be recovered with data recovery tools.

Email data recovery is slightly more complex than standard data recovery because email clients like Outlook store email messages in "PST" files. Standard data recovery programs may not be compatible with your email client, so make sure to select a data recovery program that is designed for your email client.

For example, we often recommend ParetoLogic's Data Recovery Pro version because it can recover Outlook and Outlook Express messages. In fact, the demo version will even show you if the emails are recoverable or not. You can download the Data Recovery Pro scanner before you buy the full featured version and find out if the messages are recoverable or not.