Oh it most certainly can be done and as thehorse13 mentioned, it is trivial. Not to indicate that I am simple , but I thought I'd go ahead and explain the basic file deletion process.

When someone retrieves a precious file that we may have inadvertently deleted, we are probably going to be impressed or at least thankful. Regardless, Windows file deletion/recovery is not magic, so that doesn't make them 'uber'. Since we are already aware that we can restore files that are placed in the Recycle Bin, this is Post-Recycle Bin.

I believe the first thing we need to know is that after we delete a file and it is placed into the Recycle Bin, if we then empty the Bin or delete the individual file(s) while it is in the Recycle Bin, the Windows OS (95 thru XP) does not have a feature to recover the file. It's probably safe to assume that they have already given us ample opportunities and warnings to prevent non-deliberate file deletion.

In this particular case, to recover the file(s) third party software will be required. There are many out there so I'm not going to specifically list any. However, as a caution I would use one that can be employed from a CD vice downloading one. The reason will be more apparent soon, but obviously we don't want to overwrite a file you are attempting to recover. The exception being if the recovery program was already installed on the hard disk before you deleted the file(s).

Since files can be recovered obviously they are not really deleted. What does happen to them is this. The logical path (the reference) to the file and the file name is changed and the original path and filename is tucked away into another file. With the reference to that particular disk space removed, the operating system may now assign another file or data to that space. Thus the overwriting of the original data may commence. The extent the file is overwritten will determine what file fragments can be recovered. Even with fragments you may (Law Enforcement can) reconstruct the file.

So where is the original reference and file name? There are hidden In the Recycled Directory. To locate the specific folder ("INFO" or "INFO2" for XP), obtain a Command Prompt and change directories to the RECYCLED Directory.


Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt

or

Start > Run > type in "cmd.exe" and hit enter.


At the Command Prompt, type in CD \RECYCLED and then press enter. It should look like:

C:\RECYCLED>


To make the file visible type in: ATTRIB -H INF* and press enter. Then type in: DIR and press enter. The file "INFO" or "INFO2" should now be visible. That's where they are stored! Within that same directory you will also notice any files names that are currently listed in the Recycle Bin but have not been "emptied" or "deleted". Before you exit, to restore the original attributes to the file type: ATTRIB +H INF* and press enter.

That's as far as we can go since the info in that file is only the original path and filename. This is where the third party software takes over. It will restore the path and filename to the specific location of the file data on the hard drive.

cheers