Recover Deleted Files And Lost Documents
Freeware data retrieval tools like Smart Recover and Recuva make it very easy to recover deleted files or lost documents. This article takes a look at how these types of applications are technically able to retrieve data you thought was lost.
To start with, it is worth understanding how data is stored on the hard drive memory. Each file is saved to the disk as data clusters on different sectors of the hard drive. The addresses of all these clusters are stored in the file allocation table (a Windows system file) which keeps a list of all the directories on the hard drive and all the documents in those directories. Each file is associated with the addresses of its data clusters in the FAT.
Deleting a file will initially put it in the recycle bin. This does not mean that the data clusters are moved anywhere. In fact, it is only the file allocation table which changes to update the files directory attribute to state that is now located in the recycle bin. Hitting the restore button will revert this directory attribute back to its original value.
Emptying the recycle bin will also not result in the data clusters being harmed. In this case, the directory attribute for your file (in the file allocation table) is updated to state the file is now in the recycled folder. This folder is invisible to Windows Explorer and therefore never seen by users.
Data recovery software is one of the more effective PC computer repair utilities worth having installed at all times. They can recover deleted files by reading the file allocation table and specifically look for documents with the recycled directory attribute. You can then simply copy the associated data clusters over to a second partition or to an external hard drive device. If you don’t have these programs installed prior to the deletion then you should only deleted in a second partition (in order to reduce the chances of overwriting the deleted files).
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