What are deleted files and how are they removed from a computer's storage device?

Deleted files are files that have been removed from a computer's storage device. When a file is deleted, it is not immediately erased from the storage device; instead, the space it occupied is marked as available for use by the operating system. This means that the file's contents remain on the storage device until it is overwritten by new data. In order to permanently remove a file from a storage device, it must be securely erased using specialized software or hardware tools.

Can deleted files be recovered, and if so, how?

In some cases, deleted files can be recovered. Depending on the type of file, the method of recovery may vary. For example, if the file was stored on a hard drive, recovery can often be done using data recovery software. If the file was stored on an external device, such as a USB drive or memory card, it may be possible to use specialized hardware and software to recover the file. In some cases, deleted files may also be recovered from cloud storage services.

What is the difference between a file being deleted and a file being overwritten?

When a file is deleted, it is removed from the computer's directory and is no longer accessible. The file's data is still stored on the hard drive, but it can only be recovered with special data recovery software. When a file is overwritten, it is replaced with new data, and the original file is completely erased and cannot be recovered.

Is it possible to recover files that were deleted a long time ago?

Yes, it is possible to recover files that were deleted a long time ago. However, the chances of successful recovery decrease the longer the file has been deleted. Depending on the type of storage device, there are various tools and techniques available to attempt to recover deleted files.

What factors affect the ability to recover deleted files?

The type of storage device used: Different storage devices have different levels of data recovery capabilities. For example, hard drives are more likely to allow for successful data recovery than flash drives. The time since the deletion: The longer the time since the file was deleted, the less likely it is that the file can be recovered. As time passes, the space on the storage device where the file was located is overwritten with new data, making it difficult to retrieve the deleted file. The type of deletion: Depending on how the file was deleted, it may be easier or harder to recover. For example, if the file was permanently deleted (i.e. bypassing the Recycle Bin), it may be more difficult to recover than if it was simply moved to the Recycle Bin. File system used: Different file systems can affect the ability to recover deleted files. For example, some file systems are more resilient to data loss than others, making it easier to recover deleted files.

Lost and Found: Demystifying the Recovery of Deleted Files!

Author: Oleg Afonin
Editor: Vladimir Artiukh
Updated: 9.05.2024 14:58

Have you ever wondered why deleted files can sometimes resurface? In this article, we unravel the mystery behind deleted files, explaining why they can be recovered and how this process works. Whether you’re a curious tech enthusiast or someone concerned about data privacy, understanding the resilience of deleted files is essential in today’s digital age. Uncover the truth behind deleted file recovery!

Lost and Found: Demystifying the Recovery of Deleted Files!

Contents

How Windows Deletes Files

Files are stored as blocks of data on the sectors of a hard drive. Sectors can be placed sequentially or be scattered randomly across the drive’s surface. Sector placement depends on how free blocks were arranged at the time a particular file was being saved. If the system couldn’t find an uninterrupted block of sectors big enough for saving the file as a continuous sequence, it would fragment the file and write its parts into unoccupied blocks.

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How to Recover Files Deleted From Windows Recycle Bin or With Shift + Del 📁🔥⚕️

Windows stores files on your hard disk, and indexes them in the file system. The file system keeps records of file names, sizes, attributes, and, most importantly, the exact location of actual data on the disk. When you delete a file (assuming the Recycle Bin is off), Windows does not actually erase, zero or otherwise alter the actual data. Instead, it just quickly changes the corresponding record in the file system to mark the file as “deleted”. Neither the actual file system record nor original file data are erased at this point.

As you can see, files aren’t really erased when you delete them. Windows makes a change to the file’s record in the file system, advertising the space occupied by the file as available. While the actual data is still there, the disk space it occupies is now marked as available for use. Eventually, when the system needs space to write another file, it may claim that space and store a different file in it. This is the point at which the actual data is lost. Until then, the data still exists on your disk and can be recovered. This very behavior allows various data recovery tools to exist and do their job.

How Tools Undelete Files

If you run a data recovery tool in a timeframe when the file has been deleted but its disk space not yet used by another file, you will be able to get that file back. Of course, many things depend on what kind of a tool you’ll be using.

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Restoring a Deleted Folder from Recycle Bin, Archive or with Specialized Software 📁⚕️👨‍💻

The simplest data recovery tools will look through the file system for all records marked as deleted. They will then analyze these records in an attempt to determine physical disk sectors containing the data belonging to the file. After a cross-check to make sure the disk space has not been used by another (non-deleted) file, the tool will go ahead and retrieve the content from the disk, saving the data to a new file.

Sometimes, however, this very simple approach will not work. Windows reuses file system records, making the reference to the deleted file no longer available. In this case, you won’t be able to undelete the file with a simple tool. Fortunately, there are tools that employ content-aware signature search analysis techniques to analyze the entire disk surface in order to detect the exact location of a file even if there is no record in the file system.

The algorithms essentially searches for a combination of specific bytes on a drive that mark the beginning or end of files. For instance, *.avi, *.docx, *.pdf, *.ppt, *.pst, *.zip files start with “52 49 46 46”, “50 4B 03 04”, “25 50 44 46”, “D0 CF 11 E0”, “21 42 44 4E”, and “50 4B 03 04”, correspondingly. Read the article about signature search for more information about this technique.

Solid-State Drives: The Exception

Things don’t look that rosy with SSD drives. When a file is deleted from an SSD drive, Windows will work the same way, leaving the content well alone and only marking the file system record. However, an extra step will be made: Windows will issue the TRIM command, telling the drive that disk space previously occupied by the file became available. The disk then will perform a physical erase of that space, effectively destroying the content of the file forever. Why does it need to do that? The reasons have to do with the way SSD drives store information. Detailed information is available in a separate article.

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Recovering Data from SSD After File Deletion or Disk Formatting ⚕️📁💥