Reference number: CH000342

How to recover missing, lost, or deleted files.

Issue:

How to recover missing, lost, or deleted files.

Cause:

Lost files can occur because of any of the below possibilities.

1. File was mistakenly deleted.
2. File was corrupt and deleted by scandisk.
3. Another program deleted the file.
4. File is password protected.

Solution:

Recover file from backup

If the file has been backed up to floppy disk or other medium it is recommended that the file be restored from that backup if the file cannot be found.

Restore from Recycling Bin or Trash

If you are running Apple MacOS, Microsoft Windows 95, NT, 98, 2000, ME, XP, Vista, or later operating system and the file has been recently deleted it is possible that the file may still be in the Trash or Recycle Bin. If present within this area it can be recovered.

Additional information and steps to recovering files from the Windows Recycle Bin can be found on document CH000969.

Download freeware program and/or purchase a program

Below is a list of freeware file recovery programs that can be used freely to recover lost data.

1. PC Inspector File Recover
2. Restoration
3. Undelete Plus
4. FreeUndelete

In addition to the above freeware programs there are also several companies who have created programs designed to recover your lost data. For example, PowerQuest makes the utility Drive Image that in some cases can be used to recover data from a hard drive.

Utilize a service from a company that specializes in recovering lost data

Utilize the service of a local data recovery company or an out of state data recovery company. One word of caution is that these services can sometimes be very expensive. It is only recommended they be used if the data is extremely important. Below is a listing of a few major data recovery companies.

1. Action Front Data Recovery
2. CBL Data Recovery Technologies Inc.
3. Doctor Byte
4. DriveSavers Data Recovery
5. Lazarus Data Recovery
6. Ontrack
7. Virtual Data Recovery
8. Stellar Data Recovery

There are also several companies that specialize in the service of recovering files or documents that are password protected. Below is a listing of some of the companies that provide this service.

1. Passwordcrackers
2. Passwordservices.com
3. Password Recovery software