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help! unintended deletion!

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
65
behind the viewfinder
so i thought i'd opened a zip file containing both PSD and JPG files, and i wanted to delete the PSD files from it and upload the zip file. i was doing this from a networked computer (ie, i was using my laptop to access the PSD files on my upstairs desktop unit).

turns out there was no zip file, it was just a folder, and now the PSD files are gone. i looked in both computer's recycle bins, but they were not there. can i get these back somehow? the 'undo delete' option was the 1st thing i checked but wasn't available to me.
 

H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
ALSO - install the utility on a drive that is NOT the same drive where the deleted files are. You don't want to overwrite the files with a program used to recover them!
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
65
behind the viewfinder

kingbee

Monkey
Mar 29, 2004
902
0
Ohio
I accidentally deleted a bunch of music files on a back up drive connected through a network. (a co-worker and I share an external drive thats connected to his computer)

So the files deleted aren't in a "Recycle Bin"

Can someone help me get these files back?
 

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
You have to run an undelete utility on the computer the drive is connected to. There are a number of utilities freeware, demoware, etc.

H8R mentioned a few above and good one he mentioned in another thread is this one:

http://www.quetek.com/prod02.htm
 

kingbee

Monkey
Mar 29, 2004
902
0
Ohio
Is there anything that wont cost $50 to recover the files? It looks like most of them will let you preview the files, but wont actually recover them.
 

kingbee

Monkey
Mar 29, 2004
902
0
Ohio
Do I install it on my computer or on the drive the music was on?

I took the drive off the guys computer, its now attached to mine.
 

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
Do I install it on my computer or on the drive the music was on?

I took the drive off the guys computer, its now attached to mine.
You need the program installed on the computer the drive is attached to. Since its now attached to your computer just install it on your own computer...
 

kingbee

Monkey
Mar 29, 2004
902
0
Ohio
All these programs seem to be a swing-and-a-miss. It seems like none of the programs are finding deleted files. They are just showing me everything else.

Scavenger wont let you recover anything more than 64kb. So that wont work for anything I lost.

This sucks...
 

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
You probably haven't configured it correctly. Both of those programs have recovered files for me. The demo one recovered about 98% of lost files on one drive. Make sure you use the thorough/longer recovery option, select the correct HDD, and use search criteria it makes the process much easier.
 

kingbee

Monkey
Mar 29, 2004
902
0
Ohio
Nothing is finding anything. I have tried about 6 different programs. Nothing will find any deleted material.

I have roughly 2,000 songs to find again...
 

$tinkle

Expert on blowing
Feb 12, 2003
14,591
6
i'm just sayin' make sure your browser has the latest search engine fabric to match its firmware
 

kingbee

Monkey
Mar 29, 2004
902
0
Ohio
are they really mp3 or aac files - maybe that is where you went wrong...
Both. Some .mp4 also. Most of the programs I tried today would let you choose multiple file extensions to choose. I lost everything from A-J. I think Ill be able to get back everything I really actually listened too from my CD collection and friends collections.
 

SK6

Turbo Monkey
Jul 10, 2001
7,586
0
Shut up and ride...
There's a sticky in this forum that helps with recovery of IPod stuff if thats what your looking to do.

The key with any data recovery is once you discovered the deletion, it is imperative you attempt to recover as soon as you possibly can. This minimizes the chance of not being able to recover the data your looking for due to it being over-written by another file. Now the file may be a temp file, page file, etc...so the more you use the computer, the less chance you have of getting your data back.

The only way to REALLY get it back once over written is far to costly for what the data is worth. In legal forensics, there is a scale used for the cost v recovery:

If you have to go two layers deep, it better be for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

If you have to go three layers deep, it better be worth millions of dollars.

if you have to go more than three layers, there better be a body.

SK6, CLSP
Certified Litigation Support Professional


:D