You can retrieve or un-erase deleted files if you can find them or restore them before they are over written on your hard drive with fresh data. Once a file is deleted, it is not automatically erased from your hard drive until a series of events happen. First, your file will be sent to the recycle bin where it will stay until you empty out the recycle bin.

Looking in the recycle bin is a good place to start if you need to un-erase deleted files. Once your file is in the bin, you will be able restore it by highlighting it, clicking on it and then choosing the option to restore the file. The file will then be placed where it was before it was deleted. Doing a regular back up of your computer is essential. Performing a regular back up will provide you with an up to date copy of all of your data. Hard drives are not infallible and can fail at the worst times, making back ups a smart choice.

An alternate method to un-erase deleted files is to use System Restore. This function is located in the control panel. You simply need to select this option and then click “OK”. You can then decide on what date you would like to restore back to and this should fix your issues. The files will be accessible again as they were before you deleted them.

It may be that you have tried these methods and were not successful in recovering your deleted files. The next option would be to take your computer to a data recovery specialist. The problem with this is that it can be really expensive and take a lot of time. You will have to decide if the data you need to recover really is worth the expense associated with the recovery of it.

The use of data recovery software is another good option. This software can effectively recover your lost data in record time and with very little expense.

There’s a lot of data recovery software available for instant download on the internet. The best ones also offer a free scan to inform you of which deleted files they’ve found. There’s a website that compares data recovery software side by side in an easy to read format. To find out which software made the top of the list head over to http://www.bestwayrecovery.com.