Undeleting files

Undeletion means to take a file that has been erased and restore it.  It is possible because, in simple terms, when a file is deleted it is just removed from the index, but not actually removed.  This is like deleting a library book from the catalogue, but leaving it on the shelf.  Undeletion is one of the common solutions to cryptovirus infection.

There are already plenty of articles about this and not a lot you need to know, so here is a link to a good article on undeletion.

Undeletion programs

I have recently tried a few undeletion programs and have found one that I would recommend for general use: Recuva.  The name same it all, it is for recovery of deleted files.  If all you are trying to do is undelete something that you or a virus deleted then the free version of the program is enough, if you want to do it yourself.  The paid versions of the program are for when you need access the makers technical support team.

How to undelete files

The instructions in the software are fairly strait forward and there are not many extra feature.  You a basic understanding of how your files are organised and particularly which drive they are on so that you can scan the right location.  If you don’t understand this you can tell it to scan everywhere, but it may take a while longer.

Where to restore undeleted files

Once you have found the files you need to undelete, you need to put them somewhere.  If you are able, you should put them on a separate disk, at least temporarily, and particularly if you might need to recover other files from the same disk.

Why you should undelete quickly

The technical explanation for this could get too technical, so I’ll make it as simple as I can.  I have said earlier that when the file is deleted it is actually just removed from the index, but also, the space that the file was in, is now available for the computer to use for other things.  This means that the next file needing to be saved may be put in the space that your deleted file is in.  This will overwrite the file and make it unrecoverable.  The longer you wait the more likely this is to happen.