How to Recover Lost Files in the Recycle Bin Once Removed
When Windows deletes a file from the Recycle Bin, it removes the references to the file in its index. The physical data remains on disk until it is over-written by another file, and with a specialist software tool it's possible to retrieve a file that has been erased. The more recent the deletion, the better the chances of being able to recover it. A variety of packages are available to tackle the job, but in this guide we'll be using Recuva, one of the most effective and easy-to-use freeware tools.
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Instructions
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Download Recuva from the Pirisoft website (see Resources), and follow the setup instructions to install the software on your system.
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Launch Recuva from the Start menu or desktop. By default, the file recovery wizard will appear, which is the easiest way of undeleting files. Click "Do not show this Wizard on startup" if you would rather open the more advanced view instead.
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Click "Next" and choose the type of file that you need to recover -- available options cover pictures, music and video. Select "Other" to include all file types in the search.
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Click "Next" and select a location on disk where Recuva will search for deleted files that can be recovered. If you don't know the specific location, choose the "I'm not sure" option (which will tell Recuva to look on all local drives).
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Click "Next" again and a summary screen appears. If previous scans have failed to find the deleted file you are after, check the Deep Scan option -- this method is more thorough but can substantially increase the time taken to scan folders and disks.
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Click "Start" to begin scanning the specified locations for deleted files that can be restored using Recuva. Current progress and the remaining scan time are displayed on screen. When the scan has finished, a list of results will be displayed.
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Place a tick by all of the files that you would like to recover. Click "Recover" to restore the file -- you'll be prompted to choose a destination folder, which should be different from the file's original location to prevent over-writing data required for the restore process.
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Click "Switch to advanced mode" for a more detailed look at the list of results. From this alternate screen you can view extra file information and filter files by type. The recovery process is the same as the previous step.
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Select "Options" to configure various aspects of Recuva's behavior, including how it handles hidden and zero byte files.
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Tips & Warnings
If you cannot restore a particular file using Recuva, try using a different program. A couple of alternative freeware tools are listed in Resources. As a last resort, you can try using a professional program or service to recover your data.
Programs such as Recuva can be used to undelete files with relative ease. If you need to put sensitive data beyond recovery (if you are selling a hard drive or your current PC, for example), employ the services of a file shredder tool to securely wipe it from disk.
References
Resources
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