There are probably some who have been away from accidentally deleting files. The best way to protect your files is, of course, with backups, but the rest of this page is about options that can be used to save files that for some reason have not been backed up. There comes the best of google as per your choice.
Can all deleted files be saved?
In theory, surprisingly much can be restored, even in case the hard drive has been formatted, but the longer you wait, the more expensive the solution becomes. Data that is deleted is overwritten when you continue working on the computer.
Trash
If you have not emptied the trash, the case is quite simple. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop, right-click the deleted file and select restore.
Third-party applications
A good tip before starting any recovery is that it may be worth not installing a recovery program on the same PC, hard drive partition where the recovery will take place. If possible, install the program on another PC. Installation on the same device reduces the possibility of deleted files being saved.
Free Programs
There are quite a few freeware programs that can be used to recover files that have been deleted. You can start by trying out some of the free apps:
PC Inspector File Recovery: a free program that finds partitions automatically and can be used to save deleted files. The program supports both FAT and NTFS file systems.
Recuva: a free application that can recover files from a hard drive, pictures from a memory card in a digital camera, and files in MP3 players. The program supports Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and Windows 7.
Pandora Recovery can be used to recover files that have been deleted, even from formatted disks. It supports NTFS, FAT16, and FAT32 file systems and memory cards.
Disk Investigator: a small freeware application that can be used to find hidden files on your hard drive and save any files you have deleted. It supports Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000 and XP.
Free undelete: can be used to recover deleted files. It supports Windows NT, 2000, Vista, and XP. Supports the NTFS, FAT32, and FAT16 file systems.
Easeus Data Recovery Wizard Free Edition: recovers files that have been deleted from hard drives, USB flash drives, memory cards, and other storage media. Supports Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Server 2003, and Server 2008 and Windows 7.
CD Recovery Toolbox: According to the developers, can be used to save files from damaged CDs, DVDs, HD DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs.
Shareware programs
These are programs that are initially not free, but can be tested for free before they can be purchased:
Getdataback is an easy-to-use program that can be used to recover deleted data, even from a formatted hard drive. GetFSack for NTFS costs $ 79 and Getdataback for FAT costs $ 69. The programs are also available in free demo versions.
File Scavenger is a program for saving files you accidentally deleted also from a formatted hard drive. Supports both FAT and NTFS file systems. The program costs $ 49 for a single PC, but you can download a demo version.
