How to Get Deleted Files Back from USB or Hard Drive

On occasion, you may accidentally delete a file or perhaps someone else deleted files that they didn't think you needed or wanted. What some people don't know is that files are never actually deleted and may still be recoverable.

N.B Visit www.campusflava.com for more updates 

Steps

    1
    Prevent any further modification to the drive that you are trying to recover the deleted information from. That means don't save or delete anything else to or from that drive. This is the only chance you have of getting back what was 'deleted'.
    2
    Find a good file recovery software. You can use Google to find it as well. Type, "cnet file recovery software" into Google search and it should come up with what you need. Then follow the link to cnet. Some software is free but it all depends on how much the information that you are trying to recover is worth to you. 'Recuva' seems to have pretty good reviews.
    3
    Once you've downloaded and installed the file recovery software, follow it's instructions to perform a search on the drive where the information was located before you deleted it. Depending on the size of the drive, this can take a long time. Regardless of how long it takes, you must allow the software to run it's course or it may not find what you're trying to recover.
    4
    After the software is done doing a scan, it should present a list of 'orphaned' files or, files that no longer have the pointer file I mentioned before. This list should contain the files you're looking for. Choose the files that you want to recover and the software will attempt to bring them back.
    5
    Remember, there are no guarantees but this at least gives you a chance of getting back what you've lost. It's either this or you pay some 'computer tech' hundreds of dollars to do exactly the same thing. How do I know? I'm one of those guys.

Tips

    Remember, no changes to the drive as soon as you realize the files are gone.
    Have patience. The initial scan can take a long time depending on the size of the drive.
    Accept that nothing is perfect and you might not recover everything.
    Do regular backups of your computer and you'll be able to 'time travel' on your computer to before you deleted the file. Then you won't have to go through all this again.

Warnings

    Be more careful with your information. Have separate user accounts on your computer for other people that have access to it and don't give them ADMINISTRATIVE RIGHTS. These are permissions to make changes or access information saved by other accounts. Mainly yours.
    When the computer asks if you're sure if you want to delete something, be sure.

Things You'll Need

    File recovery software
    Time