Undelete File Saves Files

A Backup Article Contributed by Melissa Larose

Undelete File Saves Files

It would just be your luck to delete a critical file the night before a presentation and need to undelete immediately, wouldn't it? This has happened to all of us, at one time or another. We think we have saved a file by dropping it in the recycle bin only to delete it when we decide to empty the recycle bin. And there it goes, we think, into oblivion and we can never undelete the file. But fear not! The personal computer is a much more friendly environment than we have all been lead to believe. It is just a case of who you know, so to speak, that can get you out of this jamb.

Undelete a File

So you want to undelete a file that has disappeared from the recycle bin. Well here is a little information on where that file goes when it is deleted and why it is possible to retrieve it in the first place.

An operating system never deletes a file in fact, an operating system records everything that happens on the computer. Now you know why computer hackers and thieves can't really get away with most of their antics and why if they do they are either very smart and know how to outwit the computer or the investigating team is not very good at what they are doing. So, the operating system never deletes a file and this is good news for all of us because it means there is a possibility of a file going through undelete when necessary.

Undelete File Locations

The trick to finding the deleted file is locating where the computer put it. When you delete a file the system marks the file as deleted and puts the file somewhere on its hard drive. The marked files stay there until the operating system realizes it needs to find space to install software or store new saved files. At this time the system overrides the marked files and the files truly are gone. To undelete a file at this point is impossible. The file is gone but until that point in time you can undelete the file.

There are two factors playing against the computer user that needs to undelete a file. The first is where did the operating system put the marked file and the second is the timing of the possibility of the override of the marked file. There isn't a timely way to know the answer to these questions especially if you have run a defrag of your hard drive system in the recent past. The defrag moves and consolidates space on the hard drive and this means files get moved around.

There isn't a quick and easy way to know where to look. This is why you buy an undelete file utility. These software programs are designed to locate the tile you want to undelete.

Undelete File Know-How

Undelete file software is created with a particular operating system in mind. Purchase the software that fits your system. Each operating system has a series of system files that a user typically either has no access to or does not know how or where to get access to. It should be this way in order to protect the operation of the computer. These files will hold all the files marked for deletion. And this is where your deleted file will be found.