files have gone missin!

[fenners87]

ive lost some files on my external hard drive. now i know iv not deleted them as i always check my waste bin before deleting and i know i didnt see them in there! i dont understand how they have gone missin?

 

i have a laptop that runs Vista and a desktop that runs XP. the last time i used the file was in my Vista machine and when iv gone on too my XP machine they have gone. would the different OS cause the problem?

[Goku]

Hello and Welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help Fenners. :)

 

When data is deleted from an external media, like a flash drive, data is permanently deleted and is not sent to the Recycle Bin. This happens regardless of the Operating System you have. So, if you deleted the files from your external drive, then you will need to use a third-party software like USB External Drive Recovery. Other than that, I know of no other way by which you can recover your files unless you previously made a backup.

 

-- Goku

[Seth]

What type of files are you missing?

 

Hook up the external drive to the XP computer and run a search. Choose the appropriate option for music, videos, or documents. Click on "Advanced Options" and make sure that Hidden Folders and Search Sub-Folders is checked.

 

If that doesn't find the files, then don't save anything else to the drive. Reason being, if you deleted the files, they are actually still there unless they are overwritten by saving more data to the drive. In such a case, third party programs such as Goku suggested can recover the files.

 

My suggestion for a data recovery program is Recover My Files:

 

Data Recovery Software to Undelete Files; Disk recovery; Recover Deleted Files

[SlientX]

Are you sure you didn't drag them to another a folder. I have done that before. Do a search on that drive and look for them. Good luck!

[AdvancedSetup]

If you're unable to locate the files and do need to do a RECOVERY then do not use the External drive to save files until you run the recovery as it can make it more difficult to recover them.

 

IF you need to do the recovery let me know and I'll dig up some links for FREE software to do the recovery.

 

 

 

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