Tips to Using Data Recovery Software
The problem lies in wrong approach and lack of understanding of how files are stored. Every file or folder is stored as some data on the disk. This data is further organized into clusters and sectors. There are also tables that list all the files on the disk and also tell where their data is located. When a file is deleted only the flags in the table are changed to mark it as deleted. The locations where the data belonging to the file is stored are released to the system as free locations. But all the data remains there. Because of this it is possible to recover deleted files but only until some application or operating system overwrites these locations. In order to prevent writing over deleted files we need to avoid all activity on the target disk.
If the file we would like to undelete was saved on the system disk (disk where the operating system is located, in Windows this is usually disk C) we need to be particularly careful because system may write to the disk even without our knowledge. Therefore the best approach would be to immediately shut down the computer and do the recovery process on another computer. This approach requires disconnecting the hard drive from our computer and installing it in another one.
If the deleted file was saved to some other disk then we can try to recover it on the same computer but still we need to be careful not to reduce our chances for recovery. We should be aware of the fact that many applications create temporary files and any action could damage deleted files. The ideal approach would be to run undelete software from a removable media (USB flash disk or CD) and scan the target disk for deleted files. This way only minimal action is needed which maximizes the chances of file recovery.
To be prepared when we will need to recover some lost files we should have a rescue CD prepared and stored somewhere close to the place where we work. Preparation of such disk is very simple. Find a suitable recovery software for your file system and put it on a CD or flash disk. You never know when it will save you time and money.
