DIE THREAD

[CZroe]

Damn MS and their XP curse! I was cataloging a directory with 3,755 files that I've been finding and downloading for months. I had just finished removing duplicates and noting all the missing files from the complete set (Only needed 55 more, I was pretty close). I was maintaing my duplicate list in a file called dupe.txt and when I finished clearing them out. I highlighted dupe.txt, held shift, and hit the delete key to skip the "Are you sure?" crap and delete it without moving to the recycle bin. To my horror, I saw it deleting the entire directory of my thousands of files! I canceled, but a good half or so of them were already deleted. But it wasn't a slip up on my part, it was Microsoft's! After I canceled, I found the "Are you sure?" prompt for the dupe.txt file staring at me. DAMN MS! How could this happen?! I've tried Norton UnErase before, but I remember it having some crazy limitation of only recovering the last few files of something unless it was installed before the "disaster," but that may have been only for NTFS. I've removed the drive to prevent any further filling of the free space where the deleted files are, and I have a second PC bootable for the recovery operation.

What should I use? OnTrack? Norton? I don't really have any experience with this... Thanks!

 

[bozo1]

$45. and has worked for me numerous times. Undelete

They have a free utility there that will look at the disk and tell you what is recoverable before you purchase.

 

[CZroe]

Thnx, but I can't spare $45 right now. Norton UnErase didn't help either

 

[WarCon]

This thread has a link in it to a free download of lost and found. I believe it works in NTFS (not 100% certain though). You could always try it.

 

[bsobel]

> but a good half or so of them were already deleted. But it wasn't a slip up on my part, it was Microsoft's! After I canceled, I found the "Are you sure?" prompt for the dupe.txt file staring at me.

It wasn't MS, it was you. MS isn't and can't be responible if you select the files and accidently delete them. Sheesh.

> DAMN MS! How could this happen?! I've tried Norton UnErase before, but I remember it having some crazy limitation of only recovering the last few files of something unless it was installed before the "disaster," but that may have been only for NTFS. I've removed the drive to prevent any further filling of the free space where the deleted files are, and I have a second PC bootable for the recovery operation.

The 'crazy' limitation is that Nprotect must be installed prior if you want gaurenteed recovery, this is because nprotect saves a copy of the deleted file in a cache and recovers it from there when you need it. If it's not preinstalled, it can only attempt to recover the data but it may well have already been overwritten by the file system.

> What should I use? OnTrack? Norton? I don't really have any experience with this... Thanks!
> Thnx, but I can't spare $45 right now. Norton UnErase didn't help either

Funny, you can't spend $45. Just happened to have both those other tools laying around eh?

Bill

 

[CZroe]

WarCon: Thnx, I'll check out that option tonight

bsobel: I avoid personal confrontation with forum members, but you [sound like a jerk]. Your "It wasn't MS, it was you." comment must either refuse to acknowledge that what I say happened or is accusing me of lying, which is blatantly wrong. Even if I only explained that "I highlighted dupe.txt, held shift, and hit the delete key" you would have to concede that it is Microsoft's fault. But no, I went further and explained that "it wasn't a slip up on my part, it was Microsoft's! After I canceled, I found the 'Are you sure?' prompt for the dupe.txt file staring at me." I DID NOT hold shift before clicking dupe.txt, and dupe.txt really was the only file highlighted. There is simply no other explanation than that Windows Explorer's flaky file handling caused it (You'd be lying if you said you'd never experienced any of it). And just what the [heck] are you trying to insinuate from my legitimate request for a freeware utility [man]!? Am I just supposed to buy whatever is mentioned first without looking for any other options? Or do you honestly think that you are psychic and can assume that you know anyone's intentions? [Be modest]. In all truth, my brother and I ARE planning on buying the software as soon as our cards are reissued (See the link in my signature. Linked HERE in case I edit that) if I do not encounter a freeware utility first that can do the job. I DO own Norton Systemworks 2002 Professional, which includes Norton Utilities which also includes UnErase. I do not believe that anything that I ask for should just be handed to me on a silver platter but you have no right to say that I can't check my options (Much less, say that I can't ask if I even HAVE any other options)... [MAN]! What the hell was the whole point of your thread-crapping? Did you REALLY think I did something wrong? Do you work for Microsoft? In any case, [please] go crap on another thread.

 

[Tripleshot]

CZroe

whats your major mallfunction? He called a spade a spade and you are the one calling him bitch?

You are the dufus that got in a hurry and hit delete without waiting for screen prompt confirmation. How long have you been computing? Do you make a habit of blaming others for your mistakes?

If you are so smart,why didn't you install Norton and use the tools? Oh,you ARE too smart! You don't need advice. You have all the answerts all ready.

But your the loser that hosed his data. We are all laughing our asses off at you now, BITCH!:disgust:

 

[CZroe]

Oh yeah:

<< The 'crazy' limitation is that Nprotect must be installed prior if you want gaurenteed recovery, this is because nprotect saves a copy of the deleted file in a cache and recovers it from there when you need it. If it's not preinstalled, it can only attempt to recover the data but it may well have already been overwritten by the file system. >>

It is crazy. Installing it first means that it isn't truly a recovery utility, it's an "oops I'm a dumb newbie and I need a baby-sitter program" utility that constantly runs and monitors everything. It even replaces your recycle bin with a "Norton Protected Recycle Bin" and makes sure you know it. This is not a recovery application because you cannot recover anything that wasn't protected. It may as well be backup app. Also, it doesn't recover ANYTHING on NTFS drives unless you were running it. Yeah, that's some incentive to use it huh?! It's PERFECTLY possible to recover the files if the free space has not been written over. UnErase is VERY limited, because it can't do this, and therefore isn't what I need. IMO no one should use it.

 

[bsobel]

> It is crazy. Installing it first means that it isn't truly a recovery utility, it's an "oops I'm a dumb newbie and I need a baby-sitter program" utility that constantly runs and

I know exactly what it does. I was explaining why the limitation that you refered to as 'crazy' exists. The purpose of Nprotect is to gaurentee recovery, something you simply can not do with any utility unless it's already installed. Period.

> incentive to use it huh?! It's PERFECTLY possible to recover the files if the free space has not been written over.

I didn't say it wasn't prefectly possible to recover files without it. I said "if it's not preinstalled, it can only attempt to recover the data but it may well have already been overwritten by the file system." Which seems to be exactly what your saying above.

> bsobel: I avoid personal confrontation with forum members, but you are an asshole. Your "It wasn't MS, it was you." comment must either refuse to acknowledge that what I say happened or is accusing me of lying, which is blatantly wrong. Even if I only explained that "I highlighted dupe.txt, held shift, and hit the delete key" you would have to
> concede that it is Microsoft's fault. But no, I went further and explained that "it wasn't a slip up on my part, it was Microsoft's! After I canceled, I found the 'Are you sure?'

CZroe, I realize your probably fairly miffed at losing that data. I wasn't implying your lying, I'm saying I believe your mistaken about what happened. I believe you did have the files highlighted, most definatlely unintenitionally. You then compounded that error by bypassing the recycle bin. I'm sorry you think that was a flame, it wasn't. Just trying to clarify what happened. I know the code your refering to quite well (have the source) and I simply don't know of any (nor believe any) statements that it was 'explorers flakely file handling'.

> I DID NOT hold shift before clicking dupe.txt, and dupe.txt really was the only file highlighted. There is simply no other explanation than that Windows Explorer's flaky file handling caused it

I suspect that, frankly, you were moving fairly quickly and mistakenly had hit the shift key (as you where about to inorder to skip the recycle bin). I certainly don't think you did it intentionally, and yes, it does quiet suck that your having to deal with recover at this point.

> (You'd be lying if you said you'd never experienced any of it).

Im not lying, and I've not experienced it.

> And just what the hell are you trying to insinuate from my legitimate request for a freeware utility BITCH!?

I just thought the fact that you were concerned about the data but wouldn't spend $45 to recover it was quite odd. That and you have two commercial packages which presumably you've already bought there. If unerase won't help try the Ontrack stuff. I guess I should have added a smiley to that line, rereading it didn't come out how I intended.

Bill

 

[CZroe]

Tripleshot:

<< If you are so smart,why didn't you install Norton and use the tools? >>

I think I explained that already.

<< You are the dufus that got in a hurry and hit delete without waiting for screen prompt confirmation. How long have you been computing? Do you make a habit of blaming others for your mistakes? >>

You're NOT reading correctly. There IS not supposed to be a prompt when you hold shift. Something was screwed up: it deleted something TOTALLY DIFFERENT *AND* incorrectly prompted me for the correct file with only one press of the delete key. The prompt, was also never answered and remained on the screen when the multi-file deletion was canceled.

Delete should delete the highlighted file(s) - It didn't
Delete shouldn't delete the unhighlighted file(s) - It did anyway
SHIFT + Delete CAN NOT delete with AND without prompting - It did anyway
When prompted, it can not delete without being answered - It did anyway
How hard is it to see that something is wrong here?

And just because I'M the one on the defensive doesn't mean you have to take sides and make more incorrect assumptions.

Besides, I didn't ask what you thought... [Hmm, just noticed that somehow your post was made before mine about Norton refreshed (My 60GXP chose that moment to die... See HERE)]

bsobel: Sorry I was mad, I will edit my post.

<< You then compounded that error by bypassing the recycle bin >>

Sorry, but if it were that simple, then why did it prompt me for the file that I had highlighted and go ahead and delete everything else with the same keystroke? I bypassed the prompt, and got it anyway. The prompt was for a single highlighted file, and that's all it should have been. I followed and documented each step visually, and I know exactly what happened step-by-step. As fo not ever seeing anything flaky about the Explorer: Does "New>New" come to mind? Or what about "File is in use" when it's not? Or corrupted recycle bins (No thanks to Norton and their crap)? You've surely seen all these while handling Explorer. I'm tired, that's all I can come up with for now... "I can't spare $45 right now" doesn't sound like I'm not willing to pay for the data I'm concerned about. Realy, the data isn't that important to me. It's the time I put into retrieving it and organizing it that I don't think I'll be able to do again (So I am concerned but in a different way). With the inclusion of "right now" in the statement, I believe it represents my current situation quite accurately (I am unable to buy it at the moment). The fact is, I don't have OnTrack EasyRecovery, I have their freeware that tells you what you can recover, but that's it (Just like UnDelete). I never tried the OnTrack tool on an NTFS drive either, and I'm looking here for advice on which to buy/try (See topic: [looking for the] "Best utility for recovering deleted files from NTFS") I'd say I need to kill this thread and start over don't you say? I didn't expect this to turn into a dispute over user error (Which HAS been ruled out).

OK, so this is really mixed up...
I'm starting over HERE
Thnx anyway... No hard feelings?
[forgot the link...]

 

[bsobel]

>No thanks to Norton and their crap

That would be MY crap!

> Thnx anyway... No hard feelings?

I reserve the right to hassle you about the above statement at random times

Bill

 

[pamf]

This doesnt help your problem, but shift apparently toggles the 'delete confirmation dialog' display. I have it off by default (you can turn it off by right clicking on the recycle bin, properties, uncheck 'display delete confirmation dialog') .. when holding shift, i *get* this dialog, whereas i normally dont..

Also, perhaps you had a file selected further up.. holding shift selects multiple files, and you may not have noticed that you'd just selected most of the directory..

I don't have any suggestions for how to recover it though. I'd recommend making use of the recycle bin in the future, its really quite a lifesaver