How to Restore Files Deleted from the Recycle Bin
Level of difficulty: Intermediate
One of the common misconceptions about computers is that when you delete a file from the Recycle Bin, it is gone forever. Although a file that has been deleted is considered by the computer’s Operating System to be non-existent, large portions of it still remain on the hard drive and can be recovered. With the right tools and a little bit of technical know-how, you can recover any file that has been erased from the system.
Materials Needed:- File recovery program
Step 1
The first step in recovering a deleted file is to install good file recovery software. There are many programs out there that can undelete files. Usually, the best ones are those that are able to deeply search the computer’s local hard drives. A good file recovery program can also give users the option to single out a specific file from thousands of other files in a hard disk.
Step 2
Once the file recovery program is installed, you can now begin recovering your deleted file. Run the program and follow the instructions on the screen. At this point, the program will show a window which lets you search drives and folders to scan. Simply select the drive and folder where the deleted file was originally located and click the confirmation button. You can also choose to select the entire drive if you have forgotten the file’s original location. However, this will take the program a bit longer to finish searching than average.
Step 3
Specify the type of file that you want to recover. If the file you deleted is a movie for example, select the Video files tab. This will help narrow down the files to be searched and make it much faster for the recovery software to process the information.
Step 4
Some file recovery programs also have the ability to search for files using a whole or certain part of a file name. If a window shows up asking for the file name to be recovered, simply type it in. You can also choose to leave it blank if you wish.
Step 5
Once you have set the search parameters, the file recovery program will immediately begin searching for the files in the computer. The amount of time the computer searches for the computer’s hard drive depends on the memory capacity and the search parameters used. Once it has finished searching, a list of deleted files will appear. Simply select the files you want to recover and click on the confirmation button. You can now find the deleted file in its original location before it was deleted, or in a specified folder depending on the file recovery software used.