Recover lost files using Recuva Portable

Q I use Windows XP Home edition. I deleted a folder in the ‘My Documents’ section and expected I’d be able to rescue the contents from the Recycle Bin in the usual way.

When I click on the Recycle Bin it is empty. Is there any other way to recover my files?

Norman Fitch

A The first, and most important thing to do is stop using the computer. Documents emptied from the Recycle Bin are not deleted at once, merely removed from the index of files kept on the hard disk. This marks the space as available for new files so the more you do with the computer, the greater the chance the information gets overwritten.

There are programs that can scan hard disks and USB memory keys for the traces of these files and return them to their previous location. Download and install Recuva Portable onto a USB key, using a different computer if possible.

Start Windows on the computer with the deleted files, insert the USB key and start Recuva. Click on Next in the Recuva Wizard.

Select Other for Recuva to search the hard disk for all files. This will take longer but it is more thorough. Click Next. Select the location of the deleted files.

The top option ‘I’m not sure’ is best as it will search everywhere on the computer. Click on Next and then on Start to search for the deleted files. Click in the box on the left of the row to mark a file for recovery.

A green dot means that the file can be recovered. Files marked with an orange or red dot may have been overwritten. Scroll to the right to see more details.

Click on the Recover button when all the files you want have been marked. Select a folder to recover them to and click on OK. The files will be restored to that folder.

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