How to Restore Lost Files in XP
If you accidentally delete an important document, all is not lost. Try to eliminate your panic and stress using a free utility called FreeUndelete. When you delete something, you usually are not actually deleting it. Instead, you delete the item from the computer's table of contents. In other words, you simply tell the computer that the space the file occupied is free and can be written over. FreeUndelete scans your hard drive for deleted files and allows you to restore them.
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Instructions
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Instructions
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1
Download the FreeUndelete software (see resources).
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2
Run the installation file once FreeUndelete has been downloaded.
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3
Open the program by clicking "Start," then the "All Programs" pane, then the FreeUndelete program.
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4
Choose which drive from which your file has been accidentally deleted. In most cases, this will be the "C" drive. You can identify your drives by opening the My Computer window ("Start" > "My Computer") and looking at the drive letters.
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5
Click the "browse" button at the bottom to choose the folder into which you want to copy the recovered document. It is usually best to create a new folder on your desktop or a pre-existing folder in My Documents so you can easily remember where your file is. Once you have selected a folder, click OK.
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6
Press the "Scan" button at the top of the screen. The software will scan your entire hard drive and search for any deleted files. This process can take several minutes to several hours, depending on the size of your hard drive.
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7
Navigate to the folder in which your document was located when FreeUndelete is finished scanning your drive. For example, if your document was located in the My Documents folder, choose "My Documents" from the list of folders presented.
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8
Choose the document you want to recover.
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9
Press "Undelete."
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10
Close FreeUndelete when the program indicates it has finished restoring your file.
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11
Navigate to the folder you chose in step 5.
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12
Open the restored document to ensure it was recovered successfully.
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Tips & Warnings
While not required, it is usually best to install recovery software on a drive other than the one from which you are attempting to recover files because it is possible that the installation can overwrite the deleted document, though this is relatively unlikely.
