A user often accidentally deletes a picture, document, or other file. In most cases, the file is still in the user’s Recycle Bin and can be recovered simply by opening the Recycle Bin, right-clicking on the appropriate file, and selecting “Restore.” However, if the file is too large for the Recycle Bin or is deleted through a program that is not run by Windows Explorer, the file will seem to have been completely erased. This is not true, however, as hard drives do not simply delete files. Instead, a hard drive scrambles the file and places its contents wherever there is space. Each piece of the file contains information that tells the computer which file it came from and will only be deleted when it must be rewritten to provide space for other files.

How to Restore Deleted Files

In order to restore deleted files, the user must act quickly and must not save additional files to the hard drive. The user will need to download and install a data recovery software such as Recuva, PhotoRec, or TestDisk. Each of these programs is completely free and allows the user to recover accidentally deleted pictures, audio tracks, videos, documents, boot sectors, and even entire partitions.

How to Repair Deleted Files

Although accidentally deleted files can usually be recovered fairly easily, the files are often fragmented or missing data. This is usually caused by the user saving additional information to the hard drive after one or more files has been accidentally deleted. To repair these files, the user needs an additional software known as a “file defragmenter.” A file defragmenter rearranges fragmented files to reduce unnecessary memory and improve the computer’s speed and performance. A disk defragmenter can be useful in repairing recovered files by reconnecting the fragmented files to each other. However, any data that has not already been recovered may be lost. The disk defragmenter that comes with the Windows Operating System can be found by clicking the Start Menu, selecting “All Programs,” selecting “Accessories,” selecting “System Tools,” and clicking Disk Defragmenter.

How to Backup Restored Files

Once deleted files have been recovered or before they are deleted, a user can ensure that their files are always safe by backing them up on a CD, DVD, flash drive, external hard drive, separate internal hard drive, or online server. If a file is ever deleted, the user can retrieve the file by simply copying or downloading the file from its backup location and moving it back to the user’s computer.