Rescue your files

Few things are more alarming than losing valuable data. We’ve all been there.

Sometimes the loss is accidental – maybe you’ve deleted a bunch of holiday snaps in the mistaken belief that you’ve already backed them up.

Sometimes the loss is sheer bad luck – perhaps a system crash has rendered Windows unbootable.

And sometimes, sadly, the loss is malicious – certain viruses can be merciless in their destruction.

In this feature, we show you how to get this missing data back. Hard disks, USB memory sticks, even CDs and DVDs – there’s a good chance you can salvage stuff from all of them.

Where necessary we touch on commercial solutions, but the main focus is on tips and tools that won’t cost you a penny. We’re all feeling the pinch, after all.

Chiefly, this feature is aimed at users of Windows XP and Windows Vista (unless stated otherwise, everything we discuss is suitable for both), but don’t worry if you’re running something else – much of our advice is relevant no matter what your choice of operating system. We even squeeze in a mention for Linux – in these enlightened times, we’d never live it down if we didn’t!

What a load of rubbish
It might seem obvious, but the first thing to do when files go Awol is to look in the Windows recycle bin. This is the holding place on your hard disk where all user-deleted data goes before Windows junks it for good.

By default, the recycle bin in Windows XP uses 10 per cent of each partition, up to a per-partition maximum of 3.99GB. The bin in Vista uses 10 per cent of each partition’s initial 40GB, plus five per cent of any space thereafter. If your disk is one of those new 1.5TB units, it’s possible you could be sitting on more than 75GB of deleted data.

To access the recycle bin, simply select its folder in Windows Explorer (alternatively, you can double-click its icon on the desktop). Restoring a file (or a whole folder) is just a matter of right-clicking it and selecting Restore. Make a note of the file’s original location, however, as that will also be the file’s restore location – you don’t want to find yourself on a hunting expedition.

In Vista, if the original location isn’t shown, right-click one of Explorer’s column headings (Name or Size, for example) and select Original Location.

Files only drop out of the recycle bin – oldest files first – when there’s no more room. It’s therefore possible that every file you’ve deleted is still intact and available for recovery. Even so, if you want to make the bin bigger by expanding the size of your safety net, right-click the recycle bin’s folder in Explorer and select Properties.