How Do I Recover Deleted Data

The accidental deletion of any important data, such as documents for work, photos, or other essential files, is always an unpleasant situation, even more so if you have deleted the only copy you have. But all is not lost! Even after deleting a file, you have a chance to recover it. The Microsoft Windows® operating system features a specific function for this: the recycle bin. Most people are familiar with this tool - deleted files are automatically put into the recycle bin and can be restored at any time until the bin is emptied. But while many people believe that once the recycle bin is emptied all deleted data is permanently lost, in actuality this is not true. In reality, after the recycle bin is emptied, the operating system only marks the disk sectors as free for overwriting.

There are some free applications that can locate and at least partially recover data deleted from the recycle bin. One of these is the Any Found Data Recovery application, which should run on Windows XP®, Windows Vista®, and Windows® 7. The instructions below describe how to work with this free software to recover files and deleted data.

Instructions for installation:

Open your Internet browser, find and download AnyFound Data Recovery application, e.g. from cnet download page.
Click on the “Free Download” button on the home page or go to the “Download” section and download the software from there.
Save the file to any location on your computer.
Locate the downloaded file and run the installer by double-clicking the file. If your operating system asks you for confirmation, click on the “Run” button.
In the initial window, click on the “Next” button and read the license agreement on the next page. Then, click on the “Next” button.
In next dialog box you can choose the location where you want to install the application, or leave it set to the default location. Click on the “Next” button twice and then on the “Install” button.
When the installation is finished, click on the “Finish” button.

Instructions for data recovery:

Launch the application and click on the first “File Recovery” icon.
Now, select the drive to scan. Click on it and click on the “Next” button. The scanning process will start, and may take several minutes to complete.
When the process finishes, the application will display a list (tree) of deleted files that have been found.
Choose the files and folders that you want to recover by checking the appropriate checkboxes, then click on the “Recover” button located in the bottom right corner.
Choose the destination where the files will be saved and click the “OK” button to recover your deleted files for free!
Close the application.