You have been working on a very important report for work on a desktop computer that is running Windows XP. You decide to clear some of the files on your system to make room for the important document. But a few minutes after deleting the files, you realize that you have also deleted some really important files from your system, files you really can’t afford to lose. Your initial reaction is complete panic and we can understand that. This is why we are going to provide you with a complete guide on how you can recover deleted files from Windows XP. Keep reading to find out how.
Part 1: How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from Windows XP
If the files are not available on your Recycle bin, you require the services of a powerful and effective data recovery tool to get them back. Fortunately for you, we have just that kind of data recovery program. MacDeed Data Recovery is the ideal solution when you are looking for a highly capable data recovery program that is also easy to use. We are sure that you want to get your file back in the shortest time possible so you can get back to more important things. This program can do that for you and more.
MacDeed Data Recovery – A Life Saver to Solve Your Data Loss Problems!
- The program’s features are highly specialized and all of them work together to help you recover all of your deleted files from Windows XP.
- You can use MacDeed Data Recovery to recover any other type of data including photos, videos, music, etc.
- It is also 100% safe to use.
- The program utilizes read-only technology and will therefore not affect any of your other data.
Step-by-Step Guide to Recover Deleted Files from Windows XP
Begin by installing the program on your computer. It is however very important that you don’t install the program on the same drive as the missing data. Doing this could overwrite the data on the drive unrecoverable.
Step 1. Once the program has been installed correctly. Launch the program and then from the main window, you should see the following window. Click on the drive you want to recover data from and then click on “Start”. You can also check “All-Around Recovery” to allow the program to go deeper if you can not find the target deleted files from the quick scanning result.
Step 2. Once the scan is complete, you will be able to see all of the data on that drive or partition. You can go ahead and select the file type from the list on the left to see the particular files that can be recovered. If a file can be recovered, you will see a green marker next to it and the status will read “Good”.
Step 3. The files with a “Poor” status have a slight chance of recovery and the ones with a “Bad” status cannot be recovered. Once you have made your selection, click on “Recover” to save the recovered files. You can also save the results and recover them later.
Part 2: How to Recover Deleted Files from Windows XP Manually
Once you click recover, you will need to save the files in a separate location. To avoid losing the files again, it is important that you don’t save the files on the same drive. In fact, we recommend that you save the files on an external hard drive.
If you are lucky enough to have the files in the recycle bin, you can easily recover the data following these very simple steps.
Step-by-Step Guide to Recover Deleted Files from Windows XP Manually
Step 1. Locate the Recycle Bin icon and double-click on it. Once open, file the file or folder that you accidentally deleted. If there are very many files in the recycle bin, you can search within it and you can also sort the contents by name, date modified, or size. Once you find the file you are looking for, right-click on it and select “Restore” from the options presented. This will return the file to its original location.
Step 2. If you want to recover multiple files from within the recycle bin, hold down the control key and select each of the files you want to recover and then click on “File” and select “Restore” to restore all of them. You can also click on the “Edit” menu and select “Select All” to highlight all of the files in the recycle bin. Again select “File” and “Restore” to restore all the files.
But when you somehow empty the recycle bin, recovering the data can be a little bit difficult. But with MacDeed Data Recovery, you can get the data back just as easily.
Part 3: Why Is It Possible to Recover Files from Windows XP?
The first question we should answer is whether the files are recoverable at all. Under normal circumstances, you delete a file on Windows XP by either selecting the file and then hitting delete on the keyboard or right-clicking on the file and selecting delete from the options provided. When these files are deleted, they are immediately sent to the recycle bin. In the recycle bin, there is an option to restore the deleted files. So they are available in the recycle bin, you can recover them by simply right-clicking on the file and choosing “Restore”.
But there are times when you empty the recycle bin. It is also likely that you could have been using Cut and Paste commands when a sudden power outage occurred before you could paste the files you had “Cut”. Under these circumstances, you would be forgiven for thinking you can’t recover the data. But you should know that Windows XP has a unique file allocation system in which the files you save on your computer are actually in a file cluster by the Win XP operating system. When you delete a file, whether accidentally or otherwise, Win XP doesn’t remove the file from the cluster. The file continues to exist in the hard drive, only the file’s index information is removed from the system. It is therefore very possible to recover the data if you have a powerful and highly effective data recovery tool.