How to Recover Deleted FAT32 Files
At some point, everyone will delete or lose a file that they want back. Knowing what steps to take, and in what order, is important to getting your file back, and it will help you be prepared for future deletions. Fat 32 is a common file system that was used by almost everyone using Windows up though Windows XP. NTFS became more popular during XP, and may be used much more on Windows Vista. The major difference is that NTFS has more file security. Recovering files from FAT32 is fairly simple and straightforward.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Make sure your file is deleted. Double-check the folder you thought the file was in. Check your desktop and your "My Documents" folders. Go to the search option in the "Start" menu and type in the name of the files to see if it is anywhere on the hard drive.
-
2
Look in the Recycle Bin. There may be many files there, so click on the header to sort by date and look for files that were deleted most recently. If you find the file, select it and choose "Restore," the file will be returned to the folder it was originally deleted from.
-
-
3
Use free recovery software. There are several programs available for free or for an affordable price (see Resources.) Choose the FAT32 version of the program and not the NTFS version. All of these programs essentially work the same way: After you install and run the software, you direct the program to the hard drive or folder the file was on. You choose "Search" and then look through the recovered files for the one you want. Once you find your file, you can usually just right-click and choose "Save" or "Restore" to any location you choose.
-
4
Go to the program menu and choose "System Restore" in Windows. Windows will allow you to go back to an earlier date. Choose a date that is from before your file was deleted. Try not to go back any farther than you have to, because you will lose changes to your system that you have made since that date.
-
5
Send your hard drive to recovery businesses. If your file is nowhere to be found and is very important, you can send away your hard drive to be recovered by companies that specialize in hard drive restoration (see Resources.) This will likely cost several thousand dollars, so you must determine if the file is actually that important.
-
1
Resources
- Photo Credit www.sxc.hu
