No restore point, can I recover my deleted file?

[benperry1999]

Hi,

Like a dolt, I've deleted some important files from the computer and then emptied the recycle bin.

I was in the process of editing a video and once I had the final version completed, deleted all of the items I used in the making.

What I overlooked was that I accidentally selected the final product too!

I've looked online, I've tried looking for backups but.. again.. like a dolt I've not made any.

I've tried to install 'Recuva' and have searched for the files, but it only shows deleted items from nearly a week ago and beyond.

As it's almost 2GBs, I doubt even if the program had found the file it would be in very poor condition.

Last resort, since I'm out of options.. Can you help me recover my file? I don't want the last few days to have been wasted.

If not, please be straight up about it.

Cheers,
Ben

 

[bambiboom]

Hi,

Like a dolt, I've deleted some important files from the computer and then emptied the recycle bin.

I was in the process of editing a video and once I had the final version completed, deleted all of the items I used in the making.

What I overlooked was that I accidentally selected the final product too!

I've looked online, I've tried looking for backups but.. again.. like a dolt I've not made any.

I've tried to install 'Recuva' and have searched for the files, but it only shows deleted items from nearly a week ago and beyond.

As it's almost 2GBs, I doubt even if the program had found the file it would be in very poor condition.

Last resort, since I'm out of options.. Can you help me recover my file? I don't want the last few days to have been wasted.

If not, please be straight up about it.

Cheers,
Ben

Ben,

Sorry you're having the troubles.

The key to any possible recovery is not to use the system as the hard drive retains the data until the space is needed and then it will overwrite. The Recuva software works by finding the "deleted" data which still exists, but is not visible to Windows.

However, if the system was used and new data written to the partition, it may have overwritten some or all of it. The fact that you're seeing deleted files older than the target file is interesting, though it may suggest that some portion has already been overwritten. I have no idea if fragmentary files can lose fundamentally important structure, but I saw an animation (of an aerodynamic simulation) video that was partly corrupted and it did run to the point of the file interruption.

Days of work is painful to lose and you might want to consult a data recovery firm. As the disk is still functioning, they may be able to see the files.

Good luck. Let us know what you discover.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

P.S> [ I"m an obsessive maker of backups and only this morning made three copies of my active files partition -48GB. Normally I make two, one from the main drive an SSD to an internal mech'l drive and the other to an external drive, a 3.5" mech'l drive in an USB enclosure and only run the drive when backing up. The drive lasts forever and it's offline except for a few minutes every couple of days so it's not subject to viruses or hacking. Plus as it's not running as I delete files, those are not accidentally deleted. I also use that drive to keep files in a folder I call "Old [Project name] and this is my junk room where I have multiple versions of images, documents, and 3D models from a year ago that I will keep until the entire project is completely finished. Then I make a DVD of the junk file before it's gone forever and I have used little bits from those files, for example to reuse a drawing template or 3D models as background components. Storage is inexpensive. There are also many automated times backup programs. ]

1. HP z420 (2015) > Xeon E5-1660 v2 (6-core @ 3.7 / 4.0GHz) > 32GB DDR3 1866 ECC RAM > Quadro K4200 (4GB) > Intel 730 480GB (9SSDSC2BP480G4R5) > Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > 600W PSU> > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit > Logitech z2300 speakers > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440)>
[ Passmark Rating = 5064 > CPU= 13989 / 2D= 819 / 3D= 4596 / Mem= 2772 / Disk= 4555] [Cinebench R15 > CPU = 1014 OpenGL= 126.59 FPS] 7.8.15

2. Dell Precision T5500 (2011) (Revised) > 2X Xeon X5680 (6 -core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz), 48GB DDR3 1333 ECC Reg. > Quadro K2200 (4GB ) > PERC H310 / Samsung 840 250GB / WD RE4 Enterprise 1TB > M-Audio 192 sound card > Logitech z313 > 875W PSU > Windows 7 Professional 64> HP 2711x (27", 1920 X 1080)
[ Passmark system rating = 3844 / CPU = 15047 / 2D= 662 / 3D= 3550 / Mem= 1785 / Disk= 2649] (12.30.15)

 

[dg27]

Hi,

Like a dolt, I've deleted some important files from the computer and then emptied the recycle bin.
Last resort, since I'm out of options.. Can you help me recover my file? I don't want the last few days to have been wasted.
If not, please be straight up about it.
Ben

You might want to try zero assumption recovery
I've used it in the past and it did find my files. Note: If I remember correctly it renames the files, which is a bit of hassle, but much better than the alternative. Prices for data recovery services can be mighty steep.

 

[benperry1999]

Thank you both for your suggestions.

I shall attempt the method user 'dg27' recommend before consulting a data recovery firm.

As this is a hobby of mine, I don't plan on spending money on a specialist to recover the file.