How to Recover Deleted History for Free on Windows 2000

When you delete your history, it's not really deleted forever. It is actually stored in a hidden file called the index.dat file, which is fortunate if you later want to recover it. Therefore, if you want to recover deleted history for free on Windows 2000, you can do so with the appropriate freeware.

Things You'll Need

• Index.dat reader

Instructions

1. Click "Start." Click "Search." Click "Tools." Click "Folder Options." Click the "View" tab.

2. Select the option to "Show hidden files and folders," and deselect the options to "Hide extensions for known file types" and "Hide important operating system files." Click "Apply," then "OK."

3. Search in "All Files and Folders" in the "C Drive" for the "index.dat" file.

4. Install an index.dat reader on your computer (See Resources). Open the index.dat file within the reader.

5. Click on the deleted history that you want to recover and click the "Restore" button.

Tips & Warnings

• Make multiple selections by holding down the control (CTRL) key while clicking.

• If the index.dat file has been recently cleaned, the history you want to recover might not be there.

References

• PC Tools: What is index.dat?

Resources

• SoftwarePatch: WinSpy
• Acesoft: Index.dat Viewer
• FreeDownloadsCenter: Free dat reader software