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How do I recover a deleted file?

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by bvt1

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After the recycle bin has been emptied and the compter turned off, is there a way to recover a deleted file? I seem to remember from years ago something in DOS about using the exclamation point
to be able to see the file, but what I've tried so farhasn't worked. Any suggestions?

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by Member 32254067

Some manufacturers make recovering software to find data that went beyond the recycling bin. Norton System works does, and i know wininternals also makes a tool to recover deleted items.. if you need more information on these tools let me know and iwill be happy to point you there...

by tehonea

You will need a third-party software. There are many freeware and shareware products to do what you are asking. Search the internet for data recovery to find some products.

HOW IT WORKS:
MS-based OS does not "really" delete deleted files. It "flips" the first bit to mark it deleted. As long as nothing writes over the location the file is stored, the file should still be there. If you defragment the drive, it will probably overwrite the file. Defragmenting WILL reset the file pointer to the first free space on the drive, so it will be more likely to overwrite the file with normal use. Normally, the file pointer increments until it reaches the end of the drive, then starts over with the first free space.

Good luck!

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