PC Pals Forum
Technical Help & Discussion => Windows PCs & Software: Help, News & Discussion => Topic started by: Lindsay on August 10, 2004, 15:34
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Hi.
I had a folder which I kept all my best photographs in which I have been collecting for a few months, and I let my younger brother onto the computer. He was going through photos and somehow has managed to loose the entire folder. I have tried searching for it and checking recycle bins but it is nowhere to be found!
Please tell me there is a way of getting them back!
Thanks :'(
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Hiya Lindsay,
If they're not in your recycle bin, there's still a slim chance that the folder may simply have been moved somewhere else.
I recommend you use the 'Search' facility and enter the name of one of the files that are missing. Then thrash your brother within an inch of his life.
Hope this helps.
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I think you can also use MS-DOS to search for files/folders.
Open DOS (or "Command Prompt" depending on your OS), type cd.. a few times so that it reads:
C:\>
Try typing: dir *(name of the file or folder)* (with the stars on both sides) /s
So it will read something like this:
C:\>dir *my folder* /s
This might be the same as the search option in Windows, but I think MS-DOS finds more stuff usually.
Good Luck! ;D
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Ok I've tried both of those things, the search didn't find anything at first but when I chose to include hidden files and system folders it found 2, one was a shortcut which didn't work because it said the file had been removed or deleted and the other had the icon of a web page and said it was in my computer..but when I tried that, it just opened internet explorer and said it couldn't be found. Waw that was a long sentance.
...Then I tried the command prompt method. I'm not really sure what is supposed to happen though. I typed in everything Hiatus told me to, and a big list of stuff came down. I don't know what it means though. Here I'll paste it:
1 File(s) 12,150 bytes
Directory of C:\Office52\share\gallery
16/11/2001 09:34 <DIR> photos
0 File(s) 0 bytes
Directory of C:\Office52\share\gallery\flags
08/05/2000 06:20 25,036 mexico1.wmf
08/05/2000 06:20 52,664 mexico2.wmf
2 File(s) 77,700 bytes
Directory of C:\Office52\share\gallery\photos
08/05/2000 06:20 42,649 meadow.jpg
1 File(s) 42,649 bytes
Directory of C:\Office52\share\gallery\surface
08/05/2000 06:20 9,618 metal-blue.jpg
1 File(s) 9,618 bytes
Directory of C:\Office52\share\gallery\symbols
08/05/2000 06:20 22,794 medal.wmf
08/05/2000 06:20 33,924 meeting.wmf
2 File(s) 56,718 bytes
Directory of C:\Office52\share\gallery\www-graf
08/05/2000 06:20 1,287 men@work.gif
1 File(s) 1,287 bytes
Directory of C:\Office52\share\samples\english
16/11/2001 09:35 <DIR> menu
0 File(s) 0 bytes
Directory of C:\Office52\share\template\english\layout
08/05/2000 06:20 50,176 metal.vor
1 File(s) 50,176 bytes
Directory of C:\Office52\share\template\english\officorr
08/05/2000 06:20 78,848 memcont.vor
08/05/2000 06:20 61,952 memeleg.vor
08/05/2000 06:20 49,664 memprof.vor
3 File(s) 190,464 bytes
Directory of C:\Office52\share\template\english\presnt
08/05/2000 06:20 91,648 meeting.vor
1 File(s) 91,648 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files
20/03/2004 21:04 <DIR> Messenger
0 File(s) 0 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Reader
07/02/2004 00:17 <DIR> Messages
0 File(s) 0 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Reader\HowTo\ENU\Images
29/03/2003 14:36 76 measure_loop.gif
1 File(s) 76 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Album Starter Edition\2.0\Shared_
Assets\bitmaps
17/07/2004 09:53 <DIR> media_player
0 File(s) 0 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Common Files\Network Associates\VirusScan Engine\
4.0.xx
08/12/2003 05:32 38,154 MESSAGES.DAT
1 File(s) 38,154 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Common Files\Network Associates\VirusScan Engine\
4.0.xx\OldEngine
14/02/2002 18:34 56,378 MESSAGES.DAT
1 File(s) 56,378 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Plugins
01/02/2004 18:45 65,579 memf3260.dll
1 File(s) 65,579 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Freeserve\FSBar
19/01/2004 19:01 <DIR> Menus
0 File(s) 0 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Freeserve\help\swfs
13/08/2003 16:48 459 menu.txt
06/08/2003 01:14 3,668 menu_build.swf
15/08/2003 16:25 464 menu_sasi.txt
3 File(s) 4,591 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Kodak\Kodak EasyShare software\bin
05/05/2003 15:20 622,592 MediaEngine.dll
1 File(s) 622,592 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\LitexMedia\Audio Conversion Wizard
12/08/2001 23:11 211 menu.url
1 File(s) 211 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Maxis\The Sims Creator
18/01/2004 22:08 <DIR> SamplePhotos
0 File(s) 0 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Maxis\The Sims Creator\Scripts\GUIFragment
24/07/2001 19:54 376 MenuFilePaletteHelp.adg
18/12/2001 20:32 3,745 MenuWorldView.adg
21/12/2001 04:51 4,974 MenuWorldViewContext.adg
3 File(s) 9,095 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\McAfee\McAfee VirusScan
30/04/2001 05:51 350,720 Medb632.dll
30/04/2001 05:51 741,376 Mew800.dll
30/04/2001 05:51 751,104 Mew801.dll
3 File(s) 1,843,200 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\McAfee\McAfee VirusScan\Backups\DatBackup
08/12/2003 05:32 38,154 MESSAGES.DAT
1 File(s) 38,154 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Real\RealOne Player
01/02/2004 18:45 15,819 menus.vs
1 File(s) 15,819 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Real\RealOne Player\DataCache\CDBurning
03/09/2002 18:28 575 mediafinalizecd.ini
1 File(s) 575 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Real\RealOne Player\DataCache\GPFeat
25/07/2002 14:43 168 medialibraryshown.ini
1 File(s) 168 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Real\RealOne Player\Firstrun
01/02/2004 18:45 32,973 media.swf
1 File(s) 32,973 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\ScanSoft\PaperPort\LINKSUPP
05/01/2000 13:56 603,648 Meapi32.dll
05/01/2000 13:56 350,720 Medb632.dll
2 File(s) 954,368 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Viewpoint\Viewpoint Media Player
03/06/2002 20:04 170 MetaStreamID.ini
1 File(s) 170 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Wanadoo\Help\images
03/02/2004 11:43 502 menux.gif
1 File(s) 502 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Wanadoo\Help\xml
10/05/2004 16:26 <DIR> menus
0 File(s) 0 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Wanadoo\WSBar
31/05/2004 20:13 <DIR> Menus
0 File(s) 0 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Shared\Graphics\Indigo
07/06/2004 14:04 2,780 menubar.bmp
07/06/2004 14:04 220 menubar_states.bmp
07/06/2004 14:04 172 menuitem.bmp
07/06/2004 14:04 2,620 menu_bg.bmp
07/06/2004 14:04 460 menu_scroll.bmp
07/06/2004 14:04 88 menu_sep.bmp
6 File(s) 6,340 bytes
Directory of C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Shared\Graphics\Maverick
07/06/2004 14:05 2,776 menubar.bmp
07/06/2004 14:05 224 menubar_states.bmp
07/06/2004 14:05 172 menuitem.bmp
07/06/2004 14:05 2,624 menu_bg.bmp
07/06/2004 14:05 460 menu_scroll.bmp
07/06/2004 14:05 92 menu_sep.bmp
6 File(s) 6,348 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS
16/11/2001 09:05 <DIR> Media
0 File(s) 0 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS\Cursors
18/08/2001 13:00 5,674 metronom.ani
1 File(s) 5,674 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS\Downloaded Program Files
29/05/2003 16:00 160,864 messengerstatsclient.dll
1 File(s) 160,864 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS\ehome
29/08/2002 11:41 13,312 medctrro.exe
1 File(s) 13,312 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS\I386
18/08/2001 13:00 24,686 MEM.EX_
18/08/2001 13:00 1,686 MEMCARD.IN_
18/08/2001 13:00 1,047 MEMSTPCI.IN_
18/08/2001 13:00 1,796,045 MERLIN.AC_
18/08/2001 13:00 2,773 MERLIN.GI_
18/08/2001 13:00 85,129 METADATA.DL_
18/08/2001 13:00 66,213 METAL_SS.DL_
18/08/2001 13:00 791 METRONOM.AN_
8 File(s) 1,978,370 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS\I386\COMPDATA
18/08/2001 13:00 1,052 MELCO.HTM
18/08/2001 13:00 411 MELCO.TXT
2 File(s) 1,463 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS\inf
18/08/2001 13:00 13,259 memcard.inf
16/11/2001 09:06 17,180 memcard.PNF
18/08/2001 13:00 2,257 memstpci.inf
16/11/2001 09:05 8,932 memstpci.PNF
4 File(s) 41,628 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS\msagent\chars
18/08/2001 13:00 2,180,663 merlin.acs
1 File(s) 2,180,663 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS\PCHEALTH\HELPCTR\Indices
10/03/2004 13:14 2,369,277 merged.hhk
1 File(s) 2,369,277 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS\PCHEALTH\HELPCTR\Vendors\CN=Microsoft Corporation,L=Red
mond,S=Washington,C=US\Remote Assistance\Escalation\Common
16/11/2001 17:14 1,473 messenger_big.gif
1 File(s) 1,473 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS\Resources\Themes\Luna\Shell
16/11/2001 09:05 <DIR> Metallic
0 File(s) 0 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386
29/08/2002 11:41 13,312 medctrro.exe
29/08/2002 09:28 24,448 memstpci.sys
2 File(s) 37,760 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS\system32
18/08/2001 13:00 39,274 mem.exe
1 File(s) 39,274 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache
18/08/2001 13:00 39,274 mem.exe
18/08/2001 13:00 362,496 metal_ss.dll
2 File(s) 401,770 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS\system32\oobe\images
18/08/2001 13:00 2,700 merlin.gif
1 File(s) 2,700 bytes
Total Files Listed:
126 File(s) 13,713,231 bytes
24 Dir(s) 27,023,294,464 bytes free
C:\>
See! :-\
(oh by the way I searched for the name of the folder)
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Hi Lindsay,
Have I been in your place, I would try to get them back by using one of the recovery programs. You have: "Easy Recovery" and "Recover My Files", and some others which may be suggested by the techies in case they don't find for you another solution.
Here's the link to get a free trial version which - probably will work at least one time for you, (as you don't need it for always):
http://www.ontrack.co.uk/freesoftware/
In fact, you'll be lucky if you have a second HDD connected to your pc. (I forgot if it works by having a second partition on the same HDD). In case you need a second HDD, perhaps you can borrow an external one from a friend. That's necessary to record the result of the recovery on it.
Another thing worthy to be mentioned: The recovered files will not have the same name which you've given to them before they were deleted. The files will be named by numbers starting from 1 to ..., and so on to each kind of file.
Hope that will be helpful for you.
Good luck...
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I need another HDD? Umm, I have one upstairs that I took from an old computer I found but it doesn't have any cables or anythin..
Are we talking about the same thing? Do I really really need one?
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I just had a quick read through the userguide for the ontrack program that Joudi recommended.
The free trial looks like it will show you if the files you are looking for are still on your pc but wont allow you to recover them until you pay for the program.
We can work on that later if it finds the files are there.
It says that it recovers to a floppy or another hard drive or removable media so I think its assuming your drive may be damaged and wants to recovery the files to a different location.
It may be able to recover to a folder on your existing drive though but doesnt actually say that in the part that I read.
What I suggest you do is download the trial, install it and run the program first to see if it can detect the missing files.
If it does we can check out the options available to you.
Do you know how big the missing folder is, roughly ?
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Uh.. it's round about 12MB.
I did try downloading it but something happened as it finished and it said 31.0 MB of 31.0 MB copied but it didn't say it was complete and the only option I had was cancel. I'll try again though.
//Update
I tried the program and I found 2 of the photos.
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Try this software to see if the pictures are still on the disk.
http://www.datarescue.com/photorescue/ (http://www.datarescue.com/photorescue/)
If it finds them then I've written some software which allows you to extract JPGs from the saved disk image it allows you to take :)
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I downloaded that, thanks, and Sandra sent me something as well which I'm hoping will get them back, if it doesn't then I guess there's nothing else I can do.
Thanks very much for all your help :)