How to Find the Deleted History on a Hard Drive

Windows computers keep an amazing amount of records of everything a person does on them. Though these can be deleted, protecting the user from a casual search, it is possible to uncover hidden histories with a little knowledge and with the help of a small program.

Things You'll Need

• .dat reader program

Instructions

1. Begin the search. Click on "Start," "Search" and "Files and Folders." Limit your search to the hard drive you suspect has hidden histories.

2. Compile the list. Copy the list of files with the ".dat" extension onto notepad or print them using the "Print screen" button. Close the search window.

3. Download a reader. Because ".dat" files are specialized information files, you need a special reader to view them (see Resources, below). Install and run the program, reading the files you have copied or printed.

4. Purchase un-delete software. Some commercially-available software can "un-delete" files and folders on your hard drive, but may not work for all the histories you are looking for.

Resources

• Winmail ".dat" reader