Recovering deleted files WinXP

solarwills

Junior Member
Feb 23, 2015
17
0
66
Hello all

I deleted a bunch of .wav files (I thought I had copies of those on an other HD) on an XP PC and I even emptied my recycle bin afterwards.


I used Recuva and Stellar Data Recovery and I've been able to get some back but those 2 aren't able to recover 100% of the files.

What are my options? I know that technically the files aren't lost until they are overwritten by something else in the PC memory.

I guess I should be able to get them back but that it might be a little complicated. Anyone willing to help me a bit there?

Thanks!
 

user1193526

Junior Member
Sep 21, 2014
17
0
0
http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Livecd
http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

for only TestDisk, the lightest/quickest way to liveboot would probably be to just use the GpartedLive disk from there list. It probably contains the fewest apps out of a lot of those in the list, but everything you need to access NTFS Data.

fyi, if the Data was on the OS partition, or you used the partition, or have any Temp/ScratchDisk folders located on the Data Partition, Some of it may already be Overwritten.
 

solarwills

Junior Member
Feb 23, 2015
17
0
66
Hi. Many thanks, testdisk looks to be exactly what I need.

The data that was lost was not on my OS partition, it was on my D drive where I record my music and there's no
temp folder on it AFAIK. Haven't used the partition much.

Now I just hope the software can dig deep enough to recover my things!
 

RecoveryForce

Member
Feb 12, 2015
117
2
46
www.recoveryforce.com
It is always best to recover data from a clone of your drive to a completely different drive all together. If you choose to work directly with the original drive, be sure that absolutely nothing gets written to the drive from which you are recovering from and that you copy the recovered files to a separate drive. If you write them back to the drive from which you are recovering, you will overwrite the files and destroy any future chance of recovery.
 

corkyg

Elite Member | Peripherals
Super Moderator
Mar 4, 2000
27,370
240
106
It is always best to recover data from a clone of your drive to a completely different drive all together...

That is excellent advice. Always make every effort to keep the original drive as pristine as possible.
 

user1193526

Junior Member
Sep 21, 2014
17
0
0
It is always best to recover data from a clone of your drive

Bad idea, unless you wont to explain to the average user how to make a clone(with a proper app/perameters to copy deleted data), assuming they have a compatible spare drive, and the common sense of not possibly breaking there shlt inbetween the process.

I don't have experience with all the different UnDelete applications out there, but IIRC it doesn't allow you to WRITE to the same Disk its trying to READ from anyway.

LiveBooting eliminates OS disk access anyhow.. so unless its mission critical your just introducing more oportunity for accident for the average user. And seriously, Seems like a waist of time if LiveBooting fixes the issue before any further action is considered.