TutorialsOperating SystemsMicrosoft WindowsWindows XP, Vista, 7 – How to recover lost files

Windows XP, Vista, 7 – How to recover lost files

Written by Marc Roberge | 01 March 2010

How to recover lost, accidentally deleted or formatted files with the free utility from Piriform called Recuva.

It happens to everyone at one point or another. A virus corrupts your system and you lose important data files. Or you may accidentally delete a file, folder or drive partition. A system crash forces you to format your drive and re-install your operating system and applications. And the panic sets in.

You may think that your files and hope are lost. What you may not know is that file deletion on Windows systems never "really" erases your files. In fact, Windows simply renames the files in a way that makes the file invisible to your system - but the data is still sitting there on your drive. Deleted files can remain on your system for days, months and even years. They only ever truly dissappear when they are overwritten by new files.

Even a typical "quick format" may not completely destroy traces of files on your drive. Data file recovery is a hot topic. Unfortunately, it only ever is once disaster has struck. If your hard drive has suffered a severe mechanical failure or head crash, you may require the services of data recovery specialists who are able to rebuild your data on a new drive using sophisticated equipment - but the price of recovery may be daunting. If, on the other hand, your data loss is due to software error or through your own personal fault but the drive is still functional, there are plenty of data file recovery tools available for purchase or for free. I personally use RecoverMyFiles, although there are other equally thorough software available. For a free file recovery solution, I present Recuva by Priform.

Downloading Recuva

1. To download Recuva click this link: http://www.piriform.com/recuva. Once you’ve reached the download page, click the “Download” button.

2. On this next page, click “Alternative Download”.

3. From the Windows dialogue, click “Save File”.

4. Save the file to your Desktop. You can erase it once you’ve completed the installation.

Installating Recuva

5. Double-click on « rcsetup117 » from the Desktop to launch the installation.

6. If prompted, click “Run”.

7. Select your preferred installation language and click “OK”.

8. Click “Next”…

9. Click “I Agree”…

10. Click “Next”…

11. I recommend you uncheck the “Yahoo! Toolbar” option and click “Install”…

12. Click “Finish”…

How to use Recuva

13. When Recuva launches, you can use the Wizard to guide you through the recovery process. To begin, click “Next”.

14. Choose the file type you wish to attempt to recover. If you are looking to recover several types of files, select the “Other” option. Click “Next” to continue.

15. You can indicate a specific area of your drive to scan. Choosing a specific area will reduce the amount of time it takes to scan for recoverable files. If you are unsure, select “I’m not sure”. Click “Next” to continue.

16. Click “Start”…

17. Recuva will attempt a quick scan. If this scan does not return any results, you will be prompted to perform a deep scan. A deep scan takes a long time to complete, however, it is also more likely to yield results. If you would like to proceed with a deep scan, click “yes”, otherwise, click “No”.

18. If your scan produces results, start by clicking the “Switch to Advanced Mode” button in the upper right corner. This will display your results in list format.

19. Items preceded by a green dot are in excellent condition and have not been fully or partially overwritten. These files can be recovered without issue. Files preceded by an orange dot can be recovered but may be corrupted or unreadable as they have been partially overwritten. Files preceded by a red dot are unrecoverable. To recover your files, simply check them off and click the “Recover” button on the bottom right.