How to Recover Deleted MDW Files
A file that ends with the "MDW" extension is used by the Microsoft Access Database program to store user names and passwords. Your computer's users may not be able to access any of the password protected databases if the MDW files are accidentally deleted. You can retrieve the deleted files by downloading and using a file recovery program that is able to search for lost database files.
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Instructions
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Open your web browser of choice and navigate to a website that provides data recovery software such as "Recover My Files" or "001 Micron Data Recovery" (see Resources below). Download the installation file from the website and then run the installation wizard. Open the program once it has been installed on your computer's hard drive.
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Exit out of the "Tips" window that will open and then scroll down to the file search buttons located at the center of the screen. Click on the button labeled as "Complete File Search" and then click on the "Next" button at the bottom of the window.
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Look through the list of attached drives and find the specific drive on your computer where the MDW files were originally saved before being deleted. Click on the check box next to the drive. Click on the "All Drives" button at the top of the menu screen if you aren't certain where the MDW files were originally located. Click on the "Next" button once you've made your selection.
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Scroll down through the list of file types that the recovery program will search. Click on the check box next to the entry "Databases and Financials" to set the program to search for any database-related files. Click on the "Start" button to begin the MDW file recovery process.
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Click on the button at the top of the screen labeled as "Save Files" once the deleted MDW files have been located. Choose the folder on your computer's hard drive where you want the deleted files to be sent to. Click on the name of the folder and then click on the "Save" button to recover the deleted MDW files.
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Tips & Warnings
The recovery program will retrieve all of the MDW files that were recently deleted on that drive so you may have more than just the single specific file you are looking for. The files will still have their original file names to identify which file is which. Immediately stop saving any new files or modifying or deleting any old ones as soon as you realize you need to recover a deleted MDW file. If you continue accessing the computer's hard drive, the sector where the MDW files were located may be written over and the recovery program may not be able to retrieve them.
References
Resources
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