System restore of deleted files. How to recover deleted files? Use cloud storage

Read, how to recover a deleted document at home... What programs can an ordinary PC user do? Files from the category of office documents are among the most valuable. Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and Access databases often contain valuable information that has taken many hours and days of work to create. It is difficult to recreate documents, and they can be lost in an instant.

Content:

Recovering deleted documents

Deleted documents (* .doc, * .docx, * .pdf), digital presentations (* .ppt) and spreadsheets (* .xls, * .xlsx) can be restored. This is due to the fact that when you delete a file, Windows does not overwrite its contents, but only makes a corresponding mark in the file system. At the same time, the content of the file continues to be stored on the hard disk of the computer.

After this preparation, the rest is elementary. We scan the disk in "fast" mode. If the required file does not appear in the list of found ones, we repeat the scan, but already in “full” mode. In the full disk scan mode, the program will analyze the contents of all its sectors, which will take a significant amount of time - sometimes up to several hours.

Formatting disks

The process is not much different from recovering deleted files, only a different tool is required. Download Hetman Partition Recovery and follow the same instructions as in the case of recovering deleted files.

Recovering from SSD drives

Solid state drives are fundamentally different from hard drives. It is often impossible to recover deleted documents from them due to the work of internal garbage collection algorithms and free space optimization. You can of course try, but the result will be much less predictable.

However, there are a number of situations where recovery from SSDs can still be done.

  • Damaged disc. Paradoxical as it may sound, recovering files from a damaged SSD is easier than from a formatted one. Tool - Hetman Partition Recovery.
  • External drives. SSD drives connected via USB or running in a NAS do not use some algorithms (in particular, the TRIM command, which is responsible for cleaning up disk space occupied by deleted files, does not pass). Try it! Instruments - Hetman uneraser or Hetman Partition Recovery depending on the situation.
  • Old version of Windows. Many algorithms used in SSD drives (eg TRIM) Many algorithms used in SSD drives only support newer versions of Windows starting from Windows 7. If your drive is running Windows XP, Vista or older - try it!

Almost every person, at least once, has encountered the problem of accidentally deleted files from a computer. Sometimes, this is not a problem, but there are times when the lost document contained very important information, and its loss can cause loss of work and cause many other problems. Fortunately, modern programs provide an opportunity to solve this problem and recover files in the shortest possible time.

Before despairing and desperately looking for the necessary programs to recover files, you need to look at the contents of the "Recycle Bin" - a special section of the computer where all deleted materials go.

Typically, its icon can be found on the desktop. After reviewing the contents of the basket, you can examine all the files located here and restore the desired document with just one click.

It is worth remembering that the recovered data is displayed in the folder from which it was previously deleted. If the user does not remember where the necessary information was previously located, it can be found using the "Search", which is located in the left corner of the screen in the "Start" menu.

But, there are times when a document is permanently deleted from the computer. It:

  1. Cleaning the basket;
  2. Deleting a document using the Shift + Delete combination.

Recovering files from a computer after the above steps is somewhat more difficult, for this you need to use special programs that can be found on the Internet. Such utilities can be used not only to work with a computer, but also to restore lost information on media.

What programs are the best to use to recover lost files on your computer?

Today, there are a huge number of programs that allow you to resume files that have been deleted from your computer. With their help, you can return not only documents, but also films, as well as data of any other formats.

Among the most common utilities, Recuva is worth noting. This is a special program that is freely available from, and it is quite easy to download it.

It is very easy to work with the program:

  1. After downloading, a window will appear on the computer desktop in which you are asked to click the "OK" button to continue working.
  2. Then another dialog box appears, where the user needs to click the "Next" button, and then "I Accept".
  3. When the conditions for using the program are accepted, a new window appears, where you need to click "Next" again.
  4. In the new dialog box, you need to uncheck the box next to the item, which indicates that the user agrees to install the free Google toolbar with the program. Then you need to click the "Install" button.
  5. You need to wait until the utility is installed on your computer.

If the local disk contains little space for the program, it will inform you about this in a new dialog box, then you need to click the "Cancel" button, clear space and carry out the above actions again. If this problem does not arise, you just need to click "Finish" and get started.

The program icon will appear on the desktop, with which you can enter Recuva. Now you can start recovering files. Having opened the program, you need to click the "Next" button. A window appears in front of the user where he needs to select the type of the remote file. It can be a document, picture, music, etc. This action is provided for convenience, as well as to save time searching for the required material. If the file type is not known, you need to click the "Cancel" button.

The next step will be to select the location from which the file was deleted. That is, if the necessary information has disappeared from the flash drive, you need to select Removable Disk, if from the C drive, you need to select the C drive. After the search location is selected, you need to click "Analyze" - the button that is located right next to the user-selected scan location ...

After the program finishes, a list of files that can be restored will appear. Next to the desired document, you need to check the box on the left and click the "Restore" button in the lower right corner. After recovery, the program will inform you about it.

Now all that remains is to open the place where the file is located and check if everything is in order.

As sad as it sounds, the program can recover not all files. There can be many reasons for this, but the most common are the following:

  • information was deleted from the computer too long ago;
  • the file has been damaged;
  • the location of the file or its format is incorrect.

If such a nuisance happens, you can use another program.

The next most popular program among users is Magic Uneraser. This utility allows you to recover data of any format from a computer or removable media. The Magic Uneraser works practically the same as the Recuva. After analysis, the user is presented with a list of folders that are located in the previously specified location (on removable media, Disk D, etc.).

Having selected this or that folder, the user has the opportunity to view its contents with just one click of the mouse. Both still existing files and those that were previously deleted will be displayed here. The last utility is marked with a red cross, for the convenience of studying the information. After familiarizing yourself with the content, you need to select the desired option and easily restore it.

Now, the recovered files need to be found on the computer. If the user remembered the name of the folder, there will be no problems whatsoever. But it also happens that the storage location of the information "flew" out of my head. In such cases, you cannot do without the "Search" operation, which was mentioned above. Going to the "Start" menu, and using the specified option, you can easily find all the files you need by their name.

The Magic Uneraser program has a number of features, which at the same time are its advantages:

  • Using the utility, you can not only recover files, but also write them to removable media, as well as upload them via FTP.
  • If during the first scan, the program did not find the required document, you can additionally conduct a "Deep analysis". All information found during the search will be saved in the "Deep Analysis" folder.
  • If the user sees that the program has found the desired file before the end of the scan, you can click the "Cancel" button and stop searching. All previously found files will be provided to the user for recovery.

When the required file is found in the list, you just need to click the "Restore" button, which is located on the main panel. Using the save wizard, you can specify the location where the information will be located. This is very convenient, as it will allow you to independently choose the location for storing files and make data search more convenient.

To recover several files from different folders at once, you need to use the "Recovery list panel" and additionally mark several documents, pictures or records.

As you can see, the problem with losing files is not as bad as it might seem from the first try. Using clear and accessible programs, you can easily get rid of the problem.

Let's take a look at how to quickly recover a deleted file on Windows, Mac OS, Android and iOS.

There is always the danger of accidentally deleting an important file on your computer or smartphone.

With proven recovery methods, you can get back your lost data.

Method 1 - Built-in functionsWindows

When you delete a file in any operating system, it may disappear from Explorer, but you can restore it from memory.

If you start trying to return the document before you turn off the device, there is a good chance of error-free recovery.

After the end of the session, bits of previously deleted information may be lost, and even if you manage to recover the document, it may not be displayed correctly or will not open at all.

In any case, it is worth trying to return the information.

Windows has two built-in functions to help you recover a file:

  • Basket;
  • Backup service.

You will need any version of Windows and knowledge of the approximate time to delete the file.

Let's take a look at how each method works.

Basket

By default, in Windows OS, all deleted objects are placed in Shopping cart- the system folder that contains the files you no longer need.

To permanently delete the user needs to empty the trash... Mac and Linux have a similar feature.

Open up Shopping cart on your desktop or use search. Browse the contents of the folder.

It can be sorted by the date it was added. It is much more convenient to find deleted items this way if in Basket there are too many objects.

View content in a window Baskets it is forbidden.

You only have the file name, source folder path and properties available.

To return an object, right-click on it and select the "Restore" field. The file will return to the folder from which it was deleted.

Please note that the system allocates limited space to the Recycle Bin and over time its contents will disappear automatically.

In order not to be faced with automatic deletion in the future, it is necessary expand the space allocated for the Basket:

  • Right click on the icon Baskets and go to the properties window;
  • Check the box "Set size" and manually enter the maximum number of megabytes. It is desirable that the system folder occupy no more than 25% of the total memory of the hard drive C;
  • Save your changes.

Backup

Often users try to recover a file after cleaning it Baskets.

You have a chance to get an important document back with Windows backup service that works on all versions of the OS.

If the creation of backups is enabled on the computer, you can restore the previous state of the OS, in which an important file has not yet been deleted.

Try to remember the last time you used the object.

Then follow these steps:

  • Open the search box and enter "Backup options";
  • Open the found service;
  • In a new window, go to the "Backup Service" tab, and then go to the "Backup and Restore" section;
  • A control panel window will open, showing all available backups with the exact date of their creation.

If the option to create a backup is disabled or you did not find a copy for the time period you need, you will not be able to restore files using this method.

You need to install third-party programs to retrieve deleted objects.

Method 2 - Third-party programs forWindows

With the help of third-party software, there is a high probability of recovering documents, photos, videos, music and other files.

Below is a selection of work programs with a user-friendly interface, which can be downloaded for free.

Hetman Partition Recovery

Hetman Recovery Is a software that can recover data from hard drives, as well as from various flash drives, drives and other types of storage devices.

Open the programs and select the required hard drive from which the file was deleted.

If you are recovering data from external devices, first connect the drive to your computer and then restart the program. It will appear in the list of available devices.

After selecting the drive, you need to press the "Recovery" button.

The advantage of the program is the ability to preview the content.

Even if the utility finds the file you want, its final appearance may not meet your expectations. This is especially true for multimedia.

Ontrack Pro

For those who need a professional recovery program, we recommend working with Ontrack Pro.

It is paid, but users can work with the trial period for free.

A feature of the application is the built-in assistant and recovery wizard. Also, during the scanning process, the utility searches for all compressed, encrypted or damaged objects. If the resulting file is not displayed, Ontrack Pro will start correcting the content.

EaseUS Data Recovery

EaseUS Recovery Is a program that will be useful when you need to recover information on a computer, tablet or phone.

In the main ocean, a quick or full system scan is available, as well as the LastChance mode - for data recovery with a probability of 98%.

EaseUS works well with the Windows file system.

To get started, just select the disk and click on the scan mode in the menu area.

After the process is complete, a list with files available for recovery will appear.

Card recovery

The Card Recovery application can work in all types of file systems, but the program is more efficient in recovering data from flash drives and SD cards that are connected to the computer.

Working with Card Recovery consists in following the instructions shown in the main window.

Among the advantages of the software are free distribution and a small amount of memory occupied.

Tenashare recovery

Tenashare allows you to recover multimedia information from a computer or external media.

If you were unable to recover deleted photos using the programs described above, download Tenashare and start the scanning process.

Method 3 - Solution forMAC OS

There are also several effective programs for Mac OS that can help you get back deleted content.

As you know, in this operating system it is much easier to uninstall files and applications, and at the same time, cases of unintentional deletion of objects become more frequent.

Disk Drill

Disk Drill Is the most popular file recovery software for Mac OS.

Advantages:

  • Work with all file formats;
  • Supports recovery from external devices and media;
  • Russified interface;
  • Ease of use.

To start scanning, find the disk from which the object was deleted. Then click on the Recover button.

Also, using Disk Drill, you can monitor the status of the disk, clear memory of temporary files and other "garbage", search for duplicate files, set up protection against deletion.

Method 4 - Recover files toAndroid

This gives you a greater likelihood of a successful recovery.

If you do not have superuser rights, try working with software that does not require special phone settings.

Dr. Fone

Dr. Fone Is a desktop program designed to recover information from Android-based devices.

The software is paid, but within 30 days you can work with the program for free.

This is enough time to scan and return the files.

Follow the instructions:

  • Install Dr. Fone to your computer;
  • Connect your mobile gadget to your PC and open the program;
  • Wait for Dr. Fone will detect your device;
  • Check the box for the information you want to recover and click "Next";
  • Follow the instructions of the program and, in the final window, save the available files to the phone memory or to the hard drive of the computer.

Have you permanently deleted files from your computer or removable media? Do not despair, there is still a chance to recover data that has been deleted from the drive, for this you should resort to using specialized software. That is why we will take a closer look at the file recovery procedure using the popular Recuva program.

The Recuva program is a proven product from the developers of the CCleaner program, which allows you to recover deleted files from a flash drive and other media. The program has two versions: paid and free. For normal use, it is quite possible to get by with the free one, which will allow not only performing recovery, for example, after formatting a flash drive or after an attack by the Vault virus.

How do I recover files on my computer?

Please note that the use of the disk from which the recovery will be performed should be minimized. If you use a USB flash drive, then you should not write information on it yet in order to increase the chances of correct recovery of all contents.

1. If files are being restored from removable media (flash drive, SD-card, etc.), then connect it to the computer, and then launch the Recuva program window.

2. After starting the program, you will be asked to choose what type of files will be restored. In our case, this is MP3, so we check the box "Music" and move on.

3. Mark the location from where the files were deleted. In our case, this is a flash drive, so we select the item "On a memory card" .

4. There is an item in the new window "Enable in-depth analysis" ... During the first analysis, it can be left off, but if the program could not detect files by simple scanning, then this item must be activated.

5. When scanning is finished, a window with detected files will automatically appear on the screen. Near each item you will see circles of three colors: green, yellow and red.

A green circle means that everything is in order with the file and can be restored, a yellow one means that the file may be damaged and, finally, the third one - the file is overwritten, its integrity has been lost, therefore it is practically pointless to restore such data.

6. Check the boxes that will be restored by the program. When the selection is complete, click on the button "Restore" .

7. A window will appear on the screen. "Browse folders" , in which it is imperative to indicate the destination disk with which the recovery procedure was not performed. Because we restored files from a flash drive, then we freely indicate any folder on the computer.

Done, data restored. You will find them in the folder that you specified in the previous paragraph.

A USB flash drive is not the most suitable device for permanently storing files, but anything can happen in life. And situations when valuable data, which was only on it, were accidentally erased, happen on a regular basis. However, in about half of the cases, grief can be helped by recovering deleted files from a flash drive. Under what circumstances it is possible and how to do it, read on.

I will not give hope in vain: the chances of successful data recovery from USB flash drives are lower than from stationary drives - hard drives of PCs and laptops and permanent memory of mobile devices. The reason is that flash drives are usually used to transfer files from one device to another. And accidentally deleted data is most often simply overwritten, sometimes not even once. And rewriting, unfortunately, destroys information irrevocably.

Full or partial file recovery on your own is possible in the following cases:

  • The user deleted them manually.
  • The drive has been formatted using the operating system.
  • The files became inaccessible after a virus attack.
  • Files disappeared after partitioning the flash drive.
  • There was a logical failure of the file system: it has become defined as RAW - unknown, or Windows and programs consider the entire space of the device unallocated.

The chances of recovery are extremely low or zero if:

  • The flash drive is physically defective - it is not detected by the computer at all or is recognized as an unknown device, access to its memory is either completely absent, or the size of the latter is several KB instead of tens of GB. An exception is relatively simple breakdowns that do not affect the controller and device memory.
  • The files have been deleted using a shredder program.
  • The flash drive was either low-level formatted (in fact, it was repartitioned and overwritten) or flashed (underwent a rewriting of the controller microcode).
  • The files are encrypted, but there is no decryption key. It may be the result of an ransomware attack or user actions (encrypted, but lost the key). In the first case, it is sometimes possible to recover files if there is a suitable decryptor.

In case of physical and complex logical faults, data recovery from flash drives is sometimes possible, but often it is very expensive for the owner - up to several tens of thousands of rubles (this may cost not even the result, but an attempt to restore). Therefore, in such situations, many people prefer to say goodbye to files forever.

How to increase the likelihood of success

Even if your case belongs to the category of simple, in order to increase the chances of a successful recovery, adhere to the following rules:

  • The fewer operations were performed with the file system of the drive, the better the result. Therefore, start recovery as soon as you notice the missing files.
  • Save the recovered data only to another physical medium (computer hard drive, second USB flash drive, etc.).
  • Try to restore everything in one session. Do not interrupt it unless absolutely necessary.
  • If one recovery program does not help, use others. Sometimes simple free utilities are more effective than expensive paid ones. What will help in your case is impossible to know in advance, so try everything that is available.
  • If the recovery program is capable of creating and saving images of the file systems of drives, be sure to use this option. In the event of an unexpected failure of the flash drive or accidental overwriting before the end of reading, you can restore the data from the image.

7 best programs to recover data from flash drives

You may already be familiar with some of the programs for recovering data from mass storage devices. Our site talked about them in an article about. Today our collection will be replenished with seven more applications of the same purpose. Maybe just one of them will be salvation for you.

R.saver

Wise Data Recovery

Wise Data Recovery is another worthy tool for recovering information from stationary and portable drives. Available in Windows version only. Like its predecessors, it works without installing on a hard drive. It features a high scanning speed and displays the ability to restore each found object.

If the file is next to:

  • Red circle - data has been completely overwritten and cannot be restored.
  • Yellow circle - partial rewriting, success is not guaranteed.
  • Green circle - the file is not overwritten and can be restored.

When you click on the "green" files, if it is a picture or a document, the program shows their thumbnails (if saved). It also has a function to search for certain types of data by keywords: images (imagies), audio (audios), video (videos), documents (documents), archives (compressed files) and mail (emails).

Wise Data Recovery is a completely free application and, by the way, supports the Russian language.

How to use Wise Data Recovery:

  • Unpack the archive with the program to any folder and run the WiseDataRecovery.exe executable file.
  • Select the desired media from the list and click “Scan”.
  • Select the files you want to recover in the list. Click the "Recover" button.
  • Specify the location to save the files on your hard disk.

Disk Drill

The Disk Drill utility, familiar to many Mac OS X users, appeared in the Windows version some time ago. More precisely, in two: free - free, and paid - pro. Free allows you to restore up to 1 GB of information, paid - without restrictions.

Unlike the three previous applications, Disk Drill requires mandatory installation on a computer (for which it gets a minus, since this simple operation can overwrite data that the user was just about to recover). But on the other hand, it has a number of usefulness that others do not have.

With constant use, Disk Drill keeps track of deleted files and also creates their backups, which increases the chances of their recovery even after a while. In addition, it supports all types of storage devices and virtually all file systems (it knows over 300 unique file signatures).

Disk Drill does not have Russian-language localization, but it is quite simple to use it.

How to recover deleted files with Disk Drill:

  • Install the application on your PC and run it with administrator rights.
  • Select the USB flash drive with deleted data from the list of media.
  • Open the drop-down list next to the Recover button, which is located opposite the flash drive, and click the desired scan type: Run all recovery methods, Quick scan, Deep scan ) or “Load last scanning session”. Click the "Recover" button (or "Continue" if you have already started working with the media).
  • In the next window that will open after scanning, select the files you need from the list, specify the location to save them and click "Recover" again.

RS File Recovery

RS File Recovery is a paid Russian-language application. In addition to the main one - recovering information from physical drives, it is able to save and subsequently work with their images. After creating the image, the physical device with the data can be turned off, since the program has already "memorized" all its contents. In addition, the application has a built-in HEX editor for manual byte-by-byte correction of files, as well as an FTP client for uploading the recovered files to network resources.

After analyzing the storage device, RS File Recovery displays information about the data on it - when it was created, when it was changed, and whether it can be recovered. This information is displayed in the lower pane of the window.

Unfortunately, the recovery function does not work in the free demo version of the utility, only preview is available. The cost of a license starts at 999 rubles.

Like Disk Drill, RS File Recovery requires installation on a computer.

How to use RS File Recovery:

  • Run the application. Select a USB flash drive from the list of carriers by simply clicking on it. All its contents, including deleted files, will be displayed in the middle of the window.
  • Click on the object you want to restore. Information about him, including the forecast, will be shown in the panel below.
  • Drag the files you need to the recovery list on the right side of the window and click the "Recover" button.
  • Choose the method of saving: to hard disk, to CD / DVD, to the Internet via FTP, or convert to a virtual ISO.

  • Specify the destination folder on your hard drive. If you choose other save methods, follow the instructions in the assistant.

Ontrack EasyRecovery

Ontrack EasyRecovery is one of the most functional and effective data recovery software, the main competitor of the industry leader R-Studio. It successfully extracts data even from heavily damaged media, supports all types of file systems and more than 250 file formats, creates virtual images of physical storage devices, can boot from DVD and USB flash drives, and also has a lot of other usefulness.

EasyRecovery comes in several paid editions with different feature sets. The cheapest one is home, it will cost the user $ 79 per year. Professional, Enterprise, and Specialty (Server) cost from $ 299 to $ 3000 for an annual license.

Despite the enormity of the possibilities, even a novice user can use this program, since each stage of work is accompanied by a built-in assistant. It is also impossible to make a mistake because it has been completely translated into Russian.

How to use Ontrack EasyRecovery:

  • Run the application (it is released in installation, portable and, as already mentioned, bootable versions). Specify the type of media on which the deleted data is located.
  • Select the volume to scan (if it is a USB flash drive, then, as a rule, there is only one volume on it).
  • Select a recovery scenario. Recovering objects after deleting and formatting are different scenarios. First, try the first one - it works faster, and if it doesn't work, the second one.
  • If the data has suffered as a result of a logical failure, specify one or more types of file systems that may be on the media.

  • Check the conditions again and confirm your choice. After that, the program will start scanning the USB flash drive.
  • After scanning is finished, select the required objects in the list (to select several, press and hold the Ctrl key). Click the "Save" button in the upper panel of the main window and specify the destination folder on your hard drive.

To create an image of a storage device and work with it in the future, after starting the program, select the device in the list of media, open the "File" menu and click "Create image file".

Active UNDELETE

Active UNDELETE is another paid utility that successfully copes with recovering individual deleted objects and entire disk partitions. Supports all kinds of media, all file systems and over 200 different file formats. In addition to the basic tasks, it allows you to solve related problems - to correct errors in the partition table and boot records, create, format and delete disk volumes, etc. Like the bulk of its paid counterparts, Active UNDELETE supports the creation of virtual images of drives.

The demo version of the program, available for free download, has a full range of functions, but does not allow recovering files larger than 1 Mb.

The Active UNDELETE interface is exclusively in English, but it is easy to use the utility, since every action is accompanied by a wizard.

Unfortunately, she does not have a portable version. Installation only.

How to work with Active UNDELETE:

  • Run the program. Click on “Recover deleted files” in the first window that opens. This will launch the recovery wizard.
  • The first window of the wizard is a brief information on how the program works in English. Click “Next” to go to the next step.
  • Next, select one or more devices on which the files you want are located. Click "Next" and in the next window - "Scan".
  • After scanning, mark the items you want to recover and proceed to the next step.
  • Set the saving options - folder, file names, renaming in case of matches, etc. You can leave everything as default.

  • The last step is the restoration itself. To launch it, click the "Recover files and folders" button.

If you want to create a virtual image of a flash drive, open the "Disk image management" section in the main window and run the "Create disk image" wizard.