Data recovery advice?

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Data recovery advice?

I accidentally deleted a folder of documents on my mother's computer while doing amateur tech support. Nothing should be overwritten, because we shut down the computer and hauled it in to the shop almost immediately after. But the guy there claims he can't recover the files.

So, I need to try.

Does anyone have any advice for methods/software? (Ideally inexpensive, since we already paid for one non-success.) Is there any way to save the entire folder, or do the items have to be retrieved individually? She has a Mac Mini running some version of Snow Leopard. (I have one, too, so can possibly network them, though I have little experience with doing that, either.)

Simon27's picture
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Re: Data recovery advice?

Just checking - did you empty the Trash after deleting? I might still be in there...

Looking online, people seem to have success with Data Rescue (http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php) and you can try it for free first to see if it will recover the files.

I've not had any experience of data recovery before.

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Re: Data recovery advice?

Sadly, yes, I did empty the trash after putting the wrong folder in it. Thanks I will add that website to my list of options.

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Re: Data recovery advice?

Hi,
Data Rescue works rather well. I have used it older version.

http://www.prosofteng.com/

Not cheap. They have some for just pictures also. They also let you try it by letting you recover (one) a small file to see it it can find them and recover it for you. You should have another drive to put the recovered files on. The whole process can take a while.

Hope this helps

Take Care

subliminal67's picture
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Re: Data recovery advice?

Clicky:

Recover Files

Does she have Time Machine setup? If so, you can go back and recover the document(s) in question.

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Re: Data recovery advice?

Thanks guys, once I get my hands on her computer I will try those, and let you know how it went.

Nope, Time Machine isn't configured, darn it. It will be after this, though. Biggrin

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Re: Data recovery advice?

Okay, this is sort of a funny story (and sort of not.)

My mom took her computer to the shop and had to leave it there. A few days later their Mac tech called to warn her that he had very little success with data retrieval (but hadn't even looked at the computer yet.) A few days more, he called and said he had worked on it for an hour without finding her deleted folder. He said he could try another program in a few days, but the bill so far was $120 and he didn't think that would work, either. My mom opted out. The guy gave her a CD full of files he'd recovered, mostly deleted e-mail and stuff, none of it my mom's missing folder or contents thereof. He charged half price ($60) due to his lack of success. (And because my mom pulled the Little Old Lady card on him.)

So. I downloaded the programs you guys recommended, put them on an external drive, drove to my mother's, hooked up her computer, and the first thing I noticed was that the trash bin I had emptied had something in it. I opened the trash, and there were all her trashed files restored, including the deleted folder.

Apparently the tech HAD brought them back from the dead after all, and simply didn't know where to look for them. I feel a little bad for the guy.

So, can't tell you if the programs worked because they weren't necessary. I-m so happy Thanks so much for your advice! I will be shopping for an external drive so that Time Machine can be set to back up her hard drive after this.

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