Is it possible to restore files deleted from the Recycle bin?

[mabus]

Is it possible to restore files that have been removed from the recycle bin?
Is it possible to restore files that have been written over, also?

I've always heard this, so much so that it has become accepted by many as fact, even if it isn't. The cops or some computer savvy person can undelete your files even if written over. It had to be written over like, 32 times, to be safe. But on wikipedia, a guy wrote an article that said it wasn't possible to restore deleted files. Who's right?

And more importantly, how do you do it!?
If it is possible, then where's the proof?

I don't care if the cops or anyone can undelete my computer files, all I had/have is tickling pics, music and papers and scripts I wrote. I want to know how I can do it myself! There are things I had that I wouldn't mind recovering, and especially with video files, recently I needed to capture a frame of a video I shot of a wedding to make a case cover. But I had deleted the file already, and the recycle bin doesn't accept huge files, and it deleted it permanently. (I know now how to make the recycle bin accept larger files, but that is beside the point.) I eventually just re-digitized that section of video, and got my picture, but that was very time consuming, and I felt it would have been easier to just use some program to retrieve the file that was deleted and captured the frame that way.

Anyone have enough knowledge of computers to fill us in on this topic?

 

[Italian_Touch]

At the best of my knowledge (and I am not a 100% computer wiz).

At first, putting files in the recycle bin, as we all know, does not compromise the integrity of your files which are trated as if they were simply "moved" from a folder to another one.

When you permanently delete a file the data remain on the hard disk. What happens is that the file allocation table is instructed not to recognize them as a file anymore. Without the physical space on the hard disk being assigned, data will eventually be randomly overwritten based on the fact that PCs have a random access to the hard disk when writing files; i.e. the binary codes, that are the discreet pieces of information making every file, are not forced to be stored in a linear continous sequence but are put in different fragments that can physically be far apart on the surface of the disk (that's why every now and then you want to "defragment" the disk so that the access to the files becomes faster).
When the "leftovers" will be overwritten is difficult to predict: it depends by their original position, the status (used or free space) of nearby tracks and of the cylinder, in which sector it is, etc. and how big is your hard disk.

Based on personal experience I did retrieve lost data from my computer few times. Most of them were in a pre-windows era, when I was very young and dinosaurs were wandering free in the prairies. Honestly I do not remember details enough, and even if, it would be an obsolete procedure.

Much more recently I almost f*cked up the final version of my dissertation a couple of days before the due date when the power supply of my PC suddenly failed while I was typing. When I reestored the PC the word file was damaged and unreadable; and the last backup copy was missing the crtical updates I was writing (my bad...).

There are programs on the market that are able to retrieve the "junk files" and restore them. You can find examples at www.download.com

In any case, if you do not retrieve almost immediately your file (provided that it is not corrupted!) chances are that it has been at least partially overwritten (expecially since windows likes to write and erase swap/temporary files almost continously). In the case of videoclips you might be lucky enough and retrieve a specific frame but it is quite unlikely that you'll get back the overall complete file working as before.

About cops and "being busted" (for tickling files?!?!?). Don't worry: they do not even need to retrieve erased data. A quick glance to the registry will uncover almost everything you have done (dowloaded files, accessed files, etc.) on that machine. Some years ago I did myself busted a moron using work PCs for watching pornos... and he thought he was the smartest erasing the IE history and the temp files HAHAH... that was pretty hilarious!

 

[MrMacphisto]

Get the program: CIA Unerase.

 

[Tickle Country]

anyway to delete the files frm the registry?