Member Avatar for Star Tech

In the process of trying to update my Win 98 to XP, XP told me that if I proceeded it would erase some 500+ files from my trash bin. My trash bin is empty. So they must have been stored some where after they were deleted from the trash bin over the past 3 years. I always wanted to know if it was possible to find deleted files.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by The Dude

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Short, practical recovery plan and why it works (Win9x / FAT context).

As observed, an upgrade or an empty-looking Recycle Bin does not always mean the data are gone — Windows 9x moves deleted items into a hidden Recycled folder and stores original-path metadata in an INFO/INFO2 file; if that metadata is damaged the renamed files can remain on the disk but be invisible in Explorer. (jeffpar.github.io)

Immediate steps (do these in order):

  1. Stop using the PC and do not install recovery software to the affected drive. Every write decreases recovery chances.
  2. Remove the drive (or boot from rescue media) and make a sector‑by‑sector image of the whole disk — work from the image, never the original. Use an imaging tool that tolerates read errors and keeps a mapfile so you can resume. Example imaging command (Linux): 
    sudo ddrescue -f -n /dev/sdX /path/to/image.img /path/to/image.map

    Create at least one verified copy of the image before scanning. (gnu.org)

Which scan to run on the image:

  • If the Recycled/INFO2 metadata is intact, a file-table/undelete approach can restore names and folders.
  • If metadata is gone, use a signature-based carver that scans for file headers (JPEG, ZIP, DOC, etc.). Carvers recover content but usually lose original names and folder structure; fragmented files are often only partially recovered. PhotoRec (TestDisk suite) documents this behavior and runs read‑only on many filesystems, including Windows 9x media. (en.wikipedia.org)

Caveats and next steps:

  • Overwritten clusters are generally unrecoverable; fragmentation or subsequent OS writes cause corruption. If recovered files are partially damaged, try multiple passes with different tools or turn to professional recovery if the data are critical. Forensic best practice is to image first and preserve the original media for later analysis. (en.wikipedia.org)

Notes tied to the thread: ’s experience (many recoverable items but some corruption, and single‑file recovery being slow) is typical — imaging plus a batch carver lets you run multiple, faster passes and avoids the one‑by‑one slowdown.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for Puckdropper

It is, but you need a special program to do so. You can try looking for it on google.

I found one a long time ago, but it does nothing more than show the files that were deleted.

If you delete a file from floppy disk, you can use Dos 5.0+'s undelete command to rescue it. It doesn't work on Windows anymore, however.

Member Avatar for dlh6213

There are programs out there that are supposed to do this. I haven't tried any yet so I can't make any recommendations. I'm looking for a reputable one myself. A couple I'm aware of are:

Restoration -- Free
Search & Recover -- About $40

If you try one and it actually works, let me know! I'll do the same.

Member Avatar for dlh6213

Okay, I used the Restoration program and it looks like I'll be able to get back just about everything that was missing. A couple of things have been corrupted -- probably from using that drive a bit.

The only thing I don't like about the program is that I can only recover one file at a time, which is very tedious and time consuming as I had literally hundreds of files there. But it's better then losing them!

Member Avatar for HeddaLora

Try Undelete -- it has an emergency undelete feature to recover files already deleted. It runs from the CD-ROM so you don't overwrite the deleted files by installing a file recovery program.

Member Avatar for yutao

Hello,

DataRecoveryWizard utility can help. Speaking about me, it was
easily able to restore lost partition, so I think you will
also find it quite useful. Really recommended tool, give it a try.

http://www.easeus.com/

Member Avatar for The Dude

Welcome to Daniweb Wemaole :)

REST3213 is also a good file recovery progee (RESTORATION.ZIP)

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