I just recently deleted a folder that i wasn't supposed to delete inside
my EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE. Inside that folder were 2 other very important sub
folders. It was over 8 gigs so when i deleted it, i unfortunately commited
the same mistake of pressing the "yes" button again when it asked the
files to bypass the recycling bin being permanently deleted from the
computer. In fact it happened so fast it seemed like it vaporized. It was
hard to believe that over 8 gigs of files were eliminated that fast,
whereas usually any big file i would delete would normally take a while
for the computer to process. I seriously doubt the worst here, and i have
tried about 4 data recovery programs that were only able to detect the
very main folder that was deleted but not the more important 2 subfolders
inside of it containing the big chunk of the data. I've even been able to
detect files that were deleted months ago through these programs, but not
the important 8 gigabyte chunk i just deleted an hour ago. By the way i
tried scanning both the C drive(main) and the external hard drive and
browsing through the :/recycle folders, but to no avail.
The programs i used were EasyRecovery pro v 2.45, Final Recovery, Free
Undelete and Win Undelete.
Please help….
Hi,
Sorry to hear of the problem with the deleted data.
You have done some good things, and it's very likely that your data is recoverable. As you know, when you delete a file, the data actually remains but the space that it occupies is flagged as available so your operating system/application can use the space to write new (and unconnected data) to it.
It is vital therefore that you do not attempt to write (or allow your system/applications to write) anything to the external hard drive that contains your deleted folders/files.
Most professional data recovery services start by taking a copy of the Disc (Image) and then restore the Image to a different media. By doing this they have a "fall back position" should data become corrupted or the drive fail (electronically or mechanically)
There are a huge number of data recovery programmes available, and although so far you have tried a few there are still many more to try.
However you must balance the "Do it Yourself" low cost approach against the cost of Recovery programmes or Specialist Data Recovery service providers and the value to you of the data that has been deleted. The risks of corrupting or making matters worse by the DIY approach must also be factored into the equation, and as only you know the value of your data, it is, as always, your call.
I take it you don't have a working back up of the data? (otherwise the solution is clear.)
I have had good results from the following (Free trials available) but can offer no guarantees.
