# This is for those that accidentally delete files and want them back



## PreciousDove (Sep 1, 2022)

I've recently brought in both a desktop that wouldn't boot up and a laptop to see
if my hard drive could be saved. The company that had both machines completely ruined my laptop.

So I happened to just run across this article.. I hope it can help others so they don't fret or need to ask someone at a company if it can be saved.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/tech...sedgntp&cvid=edf4e32a22d442c89752e3fbd377d23a 

I hope no one needs this.


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## RadishRose (Sep 1, 2022)

PreciousDove said:


> I've recently brought in both a desktop that wouldn't boot up and a laptop to see
> if my hard drive could be saved. The company that had both machines completely ruined my laptop.
> 
> So I happened to just run across this article.. I hope it can help others so they don't fret or need to ask someone at a company if it can be saved.
> ...


Thanks, @PreciousDove !


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## Mike (Sep 2, 2022)

Excellent information, PreciousDove, very helpful indeed.

Thank you.

Mike.


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## deaver (Sep 2, 2022)

link does not open...but deleting files by accident and recovering is not a problem as there are recovery programs available that can retrieve files from hard drive, usb.


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## Nathan (Sep 2, 2022)

One time when upgrading my [Linux] operating system I inadvertedly ending up blasting my internal storage drive to kingdom-come, 750gb of data zapped.  Using Testdisk following a simple procedure  access was restored to my internal storage drive.  (whew!)


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## ManjaroKDE (Sep 2, 2022)

My experience with inaccessible files involved my wife's ACER Win10 sys.  She had it completely hosed I offered to help but being the wife that I married she wanted me to leave it alone.  She was willing to pay someone to save the day.   Anyway I talked her into a Chromebook (Google's Linux Sys).  She unplugged her laptop, stored it away with a promise to keep my hands off, she wanted the pictures saved (1400+).   It has sat for 2 years now with unbootable problems.

I was needed to help her with the Chromebook recently.  I discovered that when I had set it up I used Google throughout, low and behold there were her pictures both old & new on her Google cloud drive.  Now if I get her permission to install a usable Linux system, that may not happen and we will have a dead laptop paper weight stored in the closet.  The Chromebook is still running strong.  I guess it's not a bad thing Google likes to keep things.


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## Capt Lightning (Sep 6, 2022)

From my days way back in the times of DOS and control line commands,  'deleted' files were simply marked with a '?' and could be overwritten.
If you didn't overwrite them, you could search for marked files and rename them.


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## Nathan (Sep 6, 2022)

ManjaroKDE said:


> My experience with inaccessible files involved my wife's ACER Win10 sys.  She had it completely hosed I offered to help but being the wife that I married she wanted me to leave it alone.  She was willing to pay someone to save the day.   Anyway I talked her into a Chromebook (Google's Linux Sys).  She unplugged her laptop, stored it away with a promise to keep my hands off, she wanted the pictures saved (1400+).   It has sat for 2 years now with unbootable problems.
> 
> I was needed to help her with the Chromebook recently.  I discovered that when I had set it up I used Google throughout, low and behold there were her pictures both old & new on her Google cloud drive.  Now if I get her permission to install a usable Linux system, that may not happen and we will have a dead laptop paper weight stored in the closet.  The Chromebook is still running strong.  I guess it's not a bad thing Google likes to keep things.


What I've done many times when family or friends end up with a hosed operating system is boot the machine to a Linux live session.  Provided that the hard drive is still functional, I can access the file system and simply copy the data to a thumb drive.   Of course, if the hard drive is mechanically dead, there's nothing that can be done.

Re: Google  I use several Google services(Gmail, Google Photos, Doc, Sheets) and just love the handiness of cloud storage.   Both our Android phones are set to automatically upload photos taken.   Photos in text messages or downloaded from the internet have to be manually uploaded.


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## mike4lorie (Sep 6, 2022)

PreciousDove said:


> I've recently brought in both a desktop that wouldn't boot up and a laptop to see
> if my hard drive could be saved. The company that had both machines completely ruined my laptop.
> 
> So I happened to just run across this article.. I hope it can help others so they don't fret or need to ask someone at a company if it can be saved.
> ...


Thank you for that @PreciousDove, I bought an external HD that I can attach by a USB cord... and when I am done with something or downloaded something or anything that is very important to me, I transfer it to this drive before my fingers go anywhere near the delete key... Been doing it for years, and haven't lost anything that is important to me...


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## PamfromTx (Sep 6, 2022)

PreciousDove said:


> I've recently brought in both a desktop that wouldn't boot up and a laptop to see
> if my hard drive could be saved. The company that had both machines completely ruined my laptop.
> 
> So I happened to just run across this article.. I hope it can help others so they don't fret or need to ask someone at a company if it can be saved.
> ...


Thanks, @PreciousDove !


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## deaver (Sep 7, 2022)

nathan said"Of course, if the hard drive is mechanically dead, there's nothing that can be done."
this is not true..data can be recovered from a non functional hard drive so long as it has not be smashed. there are do it yourself software programs or you can invest some money and let a profession service do it....of course if the hard drive will not run then the only recourse is the recovery service.


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## Grampa Don (Sep 7, 2022)

I read somewhere that if a hard drive won't spin up it could be that a head is stuck to the disk.  Sometimes it can be jarred loose by dropping the drive a couple feet.  I've never tried it so I don't know if it really works.


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## deaver (Sep 8, 2022)

a recovery service will take the hard drive apart and read each disk that is inside the drive and rebuild the data. it is not cheap!


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## PreciousDove (Sep 10, 2022)

mike4lorie said:


> Thank you for that @PreciousDove, I bought an external HD that I can attach by a USB cord... and when I am done with something or downloaded something or anything that is very important to me, I transfer it to this drive before my fingers go anywhere near the delete key... Been doing it for years, and haven't lost anything that is important to me...


I'm glad this was around for me also. I had to bring in my desktop to a shop to be fixed. Talk about a nightmare.
They were only supped to transfer the data from the hard drive to a laptop. What was supposed to take a hour took them a week and half. They ended up deleting my whole D drive.  I thought it was all lost until I brought it in to Best Buy and they said it was all there.

My advice that have computer problems and you don't know what to do bring it to Best Buy if you have one to the Geek Squad.


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## PreciousDove (Sep 10, 2022)

deaver said:


> a recovery service will take the hard drive apart and read each disk that is inside the drive and rebuild the data. it is not cheap!


Yes when I brought it to Best side they said to me that it the very last thing you could do to retrieve data.
The cost told to me was starting at $200 - to $500 but the time spend to do the job is depending how much needs to be 
retrieved. That's starts from a week to a month to maybe months.


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