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How to Recover Deleted Files in Windows

A lot of things can go wrong while using a personal computer. One of the worst things that can happen is losing your files. It feels even worse when you know you’re responsible. This can happen when you accidently delete something from your hard-drive that you didn’t mean to. Fortunately, there are ways to retrieve these files in Windows. Just use the following advice.

The first step should be pretty obvious. Check the recycle bin on your desktop. Often times, files you accidently deleted will simply be stored in the recycle bin. All you have to do is locate the file in the bin, right click, and then choose restore. The file will be restored to its previous position on your hard-drive.

Unfortunately, deleted files may not always be in your recycle bin. If you, for example, chose to clear your recycle bin, you will not be able to simply restore those files using the bin. You may assume they are gone forever, but this is really not the case.

Often times, when a file is deleted on a computer, it is simply moved to another location. It may not actually be trashed for good. The file may be removed from your directory and no longer be viewable in your folders, but it still may in fact be stored on your computer. The file is only likely to be destroyed if all the remaining space on your computer is used up. Deleting the file tells your computer that the space for that file should be made available. It does not mean that file is immediately destroyed.

Due to this fact, many different kinds of files can be retrieved. The key is how long you wait to retrieve the files. If you wait too long, the space that was marked as available from those deleted files may be used up. If that is the case, those files will no longer be retrievable. The kind of file doesn’t really matter most usually. Pretty much every kind of file can be retrieved. However, the larger the file, the more likely the space for that file will be quickly used up.

In previous versions of Windows, looking through your deleted files was very simple. Unfortunately, with the introduction of newer versions of the operating software, this option was removed. Thankfully, though, you can install third party software that will allow you to do the same task.

Some of these programs can be very expensive. Spending good money to fix a simple problem like an accidently deleted file may seem like a waste. Thankfully, there are also many alternatives available for download on the internet that are in fact freeware. Other programs may offer a trial period to test the program. If you only need to recover a few files, using a trial will probably suffice.

Using a data recovery program is actually quite easy. The program will scan your hard-drive. When it finds previously deleted files that still exist on your hard-drive, it will alert you. All you have to do is find the file you wish to restore after the search has been completed and then click to restore it.

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