What to do if you left. The general meaning of the concept of storage process
Today, it is very common to meet users who, either through ignorance or negligence, accidentally delete files and programs without the possibility of recovering them, and then, as they say, start Let's look at how critical this situation is and find out what it can be represent a program that restores remote programs and files.
Basic principles of information recovery
Let's start with the fact that in Windows operating systems there are at least two ways to delete information:
- placement in the "Basket" and its subsequent cleaning;
- deletion bypassing the "Basket".
In addition, formatting completely erases information from the hard drive.
In the first two cases, if the deletion was made without using the Recycle Bin or with its cleaning, data recovery is not such a complicated procedure. The fact is that when a file is deleted from the OS environment on the hard disk, it is not erased. It's just that at the beginning of the name the first letter is changed to an unreadable symbol "$" (or another). Therefore, the system in the usual sense does not see the object. Almost any program is based on this. It searches for objects on the hard disk by name with the “$” symbol at the beginning of the name.
However, this technique only works if the area or sector where the deleted file is located has not been overwritten. In other words, the maximum possible recovery can only be achieved immediately after an accidental deletion of an object. If, after deletion, copying (moving) or saving processes were performed open documents, there is absolutely no guarantee of the safety of information to be restored.
The easiest way to recover data
So, let's continue to analyze the example with the girl who deleted the program on the computer. How to restore its integrity in the simplest way? The answer is banal: use the system restore tool that is available in any modern "OS".
You just need to go to the appropriate section of the "Control Panel", and after starting, specify the restore point prior to deletion software product. If there is none, you can expand the list and select the one that fits best.
But there are some downsides here. The fact is that after restoring the system itself, applications that were installed after the specified point will simply be deleted. On user files this procedure has no effect. But this method is also suitable for cases when the application was deleted in the programs and components section. A program that restores deleted programs will not work here - only a "native" system utility.
But most the best option can be called the presence of a pre-created backup or system image ( hard drive). Restore all content even with built-in Windows tools can be done in just a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, most users do not create such copies, believing that they take up too much space on the hard drive. But in vain.
Programs for working with hard drives and logical partitions
Now another option: the same girl accidentally deleted the program. How to restore it if the deletion was carried out not through the corresponding section of the control panel, but by hard formatting disk? Now let's discuss.
The situation is, of course, unpleasant, but there is a way out. Enough can be found today a large number of applications called something like Unformat. Data Recovery or, as previously stated, Uneraser.
Let's say the user uninstalled the program. How to recover it after formatting a disk or partition using the appropriate application? Yes, very simple. We launch any utility, specify the formatted partition and perform an analysis. Upon completion of the process, the program will offer to save the data to another partition. Accordingly, we select another volume and save the information there. The whole process is automated, and the user is only required to confirm operations and choose a place to move information.
What program recovers deleted files?
As for working with remote files, special utilities enough today. The simplest free program that restores deleted files, is called Recuva.
True, it is designed to work with multimedia content (photos, graphics, video, audio), but if you specify other content in the search conditions, the application will scan absolutely all the data and display the corresponding list. In it, everything that can be recovered without problems is marked in green, yellow indicates files that you can try to recover, but full guarantee no, and the red color corresponds to objects that cannot be restored.
Now it's up to the little things. Celebrating necessary files and start the recovery process. Objects will be restored to the locations or folders they were in before deletion. Almost all utilities of this type work in approximately the same way. The main disadvantage is that they do not allow you to restore deleted folders.
Data recovery in mobile systems
Since mobile Android systems are the most common today, let's see how to restore deleted programs on Android.
In principle, the ideal option, as for desktop PCs, is to create a backup. This is done elementarily in the settings menu with the selection of the appropriate section. After that, you can restore all deleted data by clicking on the button in the same menu.
There is a remarkable auto-recovery feature that allows you to re-installation application to apply to it all the settings and options that were before. Very comfortably.
Alternatively, you can reset the device to the factory state. After the reboot, the system will offer to set up a new device or restore data when logging into an existing account. The only thing that is required here is an active Internet connection, since the process will be carried out not from the device, but from remote server, which stores all user data, including previously installed programs, contact lists, etc. With all this, even a program that restores programs or files is not required. And really, why? All operations can be performed directly on the device without any connection to a computer and use specialized applications. This option is only suitable for working with memory cards (and even then not always).
Conclusion
That's all in a nutshell about the data recovery procedure. However, it seems that the understanding of what any program that restores deleted programs and files is is also clear. Finally, it remains to give only one piece of advice: do not confuse work with individual files and whole software packages. These are completely different things. Accordingly, the methods of their recovery also differ. But, in principle, in all cases there is nothing complicated even for an unprepared user.
Most users personal computers and laptops for hard drives store important information. For some, these are photographs, for others - working documents. But what if all these files were lost or even accidentally deleted for some reason? How to recover lost information?
In what cases can deleted files be recovered?
The first step is to understand how a hard drive works. All its data is stored on clusters - these are small "pieces" of information with a capacity of 1 byte to 4 megabytes. Files are built from clusters. The first bits of each of them are marked with zero or one. Those electronic documents in which "0" is set in the attributes are considered as deleted. In fact, they are, but as soon as necessary, this information will be deleted, and a new one will be written in its place.
What happens when a user deletes a file from the hard drive? It does not disappear anywhere, but the same “zero” is written in its properties. Why is such an algorithm used?
What happens when a user deletes a file from the hard drive?
First, to speed up the hard drive. Otherwise, the process of deleting a file would take ten times longer - it would be overwritten on an empty electronic document (in time it will take the same time as copying given file to another directory on the same hard drive).
Secondly, such an algorithm allows you to increase the operational resource of the hard disk. After all, clusters are damaged over time, and when a critical point is reached (each manufacturer sets its own “critical” indicator), the hard drive can simply fail - the operating system will stop working with it. The same Windows, for example, in this case constantly displays a notification about the need to back up data and transfer it to another computer.
In total, after deleting a file, even bypassing the recycle bin, the data remains on the hard drive. But they will subsequently be overwritten if new data is copied to the hard drive (or rather, to the hard disk partition). Accordingly, it is possible to recover lost files only if the following factors are observed:
- information was lost due to a software failure, not a hard drive failure;
- after data loss no new data on HDD were not recorded (to the same partition where the lost data was previously present).
But there are also exceptions to the rule. In modern editions of Windows(starting from version 2000 and older) a system was introduced automatic creation restore points. That is, Windows backs up data that has changed while working with the operating system. Several "snapshots" of the OS are created, so the user can roll back the changes made and restore the state of the computer to last run. However, this is true only for small electronic documents. By Windows default reserves 5% of the total volume on the hard disk for recovery points. If the lost information takes up more space, then only a part of them can be restored.
It is also quite possible to recover data from a physically damaged hard drive. But such procedures are carried out only in a laboratory, and such a service will be quite expensive. In "home conditions" such manipulations are impossible.
How to recover files from the trash?
AT Windows remote files are previously moved to the trash (if used standard settings). The user can restore them from there at any time. For this you need:
- open the "Basket";
- click on a previously deleted file right click mouse and select Restore.
The file will be moved to the directory from where it was previously deleted to the Recycle Bin.
Recovery via trash
Restoring through the "Previous versions" tab
By default, Windows saves a backup copy for every edited file. This and text documents, and images, and executable files. To restore a previous version of a document:
- click on the desired file with the right mouse button;
- select "Properties";
- then go to the tab " Previous Versions».
There will be a list of more early versions files that can be recovered. It is enough to select the appropriate one and click "Restore". But you should take into account the nuance - if you click exactly "Restore", then the current version of the file will be overwritten. To keep both the previous and current version document, you must select "Copy".
Recovering deleted files through the "Previous Versions" tab
How to get files back using "Restore Point"?
How to recover deleted files via regular utility System Restore in Windows? For this it is enough:
- go to "Start" - "All Programs" - "Accessories" - "System Tools" and run the "System Restore" utility;
In the System Restore window, click the "Next" button
- after a short system scan, the user will be provided with a list of created restore points with an indication of the date of formation for each of them;
We select the point at which Windows worked without errors (be guided by the dates)
- choose the appropriate one (created after when necessary information were still on the hard drive) and click "Restore" or "Finish".
Before restoring the system, save all current files
After a few minutes, Windows will ask you to restart your computer. With a new Windows boot will be brought to the state that was at the time the restore point was created.
It is worth considering that if the user recently installed any programs, then most likely they will be deleted after the system restore, since at the time the restore point was created they were not on the hard drive.
Recovery using special utilities
There is specialized programs, which are able to work with lost data marked with "zero" in the properties. That is, they allow you to scan the hard drive and see those files that were previously on the hard drive, but are no longer displayed through the explorer (since they were deleted or damaged). For example, here are the most popular among them.
Program | Short description | pros | Minuses | Link to download |
PhotoRec | Optimal for image recovery, there is a built-in algorithm for recovering damaged photos | Handles images better than others, the program is free | Practically unsuitable for restoring non-images | https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec_EN |
Recuva | A simple file recovery program from the creators of CCleaner | Simple interface, very detailed hard disk scanning | Does not check documents for integrity, so after recovery they may simply not open | https://www.ccleaner.com/recuva |
DiskDril | A specialized program with support for almost all existing file systems, also able to work with GPT, MBR file tables | Allows you to recover files even from damaged hard disk partitions, there is a version for MacOS | The program is paid free version allows you to recover only 500 MB of data | https://www.cleverfiles.com/ru/disk-drill-windows.html |
Ontrack EasyRecovery | Highly powerful program from a studio with over 10 years of experience in data recovery research and development | Works with encrypted files, archives, files damaged by viruses | Quite high cost, free version has too limited functionality | https://www.ontrack.com/products/data-recovery-software/ |
R-studio | Whole software package to restore files and work with damaged hard drives | Works with archives, supports the creation of quick "casts" hard drives for their subsequent detailed scanning on other equipment | High cost, free version only recovers files up to 64 KB | https://www.r-studio.com/en/ |
Experienced users recommend using Recuva because this program It has small size, free, for most cases has sufficient functionality. We offer for viewing a useful video on the topic, which shows in detail how to Recuva you can recover deleted files:
It is possible to recover lost data, although not in all cases. If the user just accidentally deleted the files or they disappeared, for example, due to an abnormal shutdown, then the most important thing is not to copy any new data after that to the hard disk. You should try to restore files using the built-in windows tools, and if this does not help, use the above utilities.
If you accidentally deleted a vital important files or formatted the hard drive, which contained valuable information, then you have come to the right place. In this article, we will talk about how to recover deleted files on a computer or flash drive. We admit that the situation is unpleasant, but you should not panic either. We will tell you right away, we will restore everything! Let's not philosophize much, it's better to get down to business right away. Reestablish remote information you can use the completely free DMDE program , which you can download from the link.
Picture 1
Oh yes, I completely forgot, this program is portable and can be run on any computer without installation. It can be written to a USB flash drive and carried everywhere with you - thereby being sure that at any time you can recover any deleted files. After unzipping, run "dmde.exe".
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Then we will permanently delete this folder.
Figure 5
Let's assume that these files were very important to us and we want to restore them. What to do? Now back to the program itself. After launching it, it will automatically detect all physical and logical devices on your computer. Then:
- The program explicitly needs to indicate that the information was on the logical drive
- You have to choose one logical drive, which contained the files that we are trying to recover. You can check whether we have chosen the right disk by size.
- Press the "OK" button
Figure 6
After that, the check of all directories and folders that were and are on the disk begins. When finished, you will see the following window. Double click on our disk.
Figure 7
Then we choose .
Figure 8
After selection, the virtual reconstruction of all disk files begins. Click "OK" and wait for the process to finish.
Figure 9
After reconstruction in the window, we can find the folder "FILES", which was deleted (it is indicated by a red cross).
Figure 10
Restoring the entire folder right away will not work, since our program is free, but we don’t care, because the information in this folder is very important (instead of music, there may be valuable work documents or something else). To restore files, go inside the folder and restore everything individually. To do this, check the box next to the object to be restored and right click for this object, in the drop-down menu, select "Restore Object".
Figure 11
After that, a menu opens in front of you, where you will be asked to select a place where you want to restore the object. We strongly recommend that you DO NOT restore to the place where this object was before. There is a possibility that this sector could be overwritten or bad.
Figure 12
After recovery, this file was normally reproduced in the player.
Figure 13
The second case of critical complexity
The case discussed above is the simplest. Let's analyze the situation when you need to restore deleted information from formatted hard drive or flash drive. I will show you how this can be done using a flash drive as an example. I will tell you right away that the actions here are performed in the same way as in the previous case (Starting with FIGURE 6 and ending with FIGURE 9). However, there are still differences here. After selecting an item "All Found + Reconstruction" search for deleted files did not give results.
Figure 14
But we will still try to conduct an in-depth search. For this we go:
- To the "Disk Partitions" tab
- We select our disk (flash drive)
- Click "Search by NTFS"
Figure 15
After that, we are prompted to select a search area. We do not change anything here so that the program would completely scan the USB flash drive and find all kinds of information on it.
Figure 16
After that, click the "OK" button and the scanning process starts. Its duration depends on the size of the hard drive or flash drive.
Figure 17
After the scan is completed, we are prompted to save the logo. We agree.
Figure 18
Then we press "All Found + Reconstruction", as in FIGURE 8, and we get a list of files to be restored. Oh yes, I completely forgot, here we will try to restore the archive with photos that were previously on a formatted flash drive.
Figure 19
After that, right-click on the archive and click "Restore Object"
Figure 20
After you have chosen "Restore Object" in the same way as in the previous case (FIGURE 12), you will be asked to choose a place where this object will be restored. Then the recovery process begins.
Figure 21
After all that has been done, recovering deleted information will not be difficult for you.
Important note:In fact, the amount of deleted information and the time of its removal do not play any role. After all, even when formatting the hard drive, it is erased top level addresses, that is, in a simple familiar way, you will not get to this information. But if the hard drive or flash drive is overwritten (and even repeatedly), then recovering the files will be much more difficult. However, all this is done in exactly the same way as we discussed above. With repeated overwriting, there is no 100% guarantee. therefore REMEMBER: if you accidentally erased the files you need, then nothing do not write to a flash drive or hard drive, otherwise the newly recorded files may occupy the sector of the media where your files are located.
Summing up: Having considered this article, we have learned how to recover deleted files from a flash drive or hard drive. The DMDE program is a very convenient (and most importantly, free) assistant in information and data recovery.
Article authors: Gvindzhilia Grigory and Pashchenko Sergey |