How to restore something that was deleted from recycle bin​？

The Recycle Bin mechanism: In Windows operating systems, when you delete a file or folder, it is usually moved to the Recycle Bin. The Recycle Bin serves as a temporary storage location for deleted items, allowing you to easily restore them if needed. This is because the actual data on the hard drive is not immediately erased but rather marked as “deleted,” and the space it occupies is made available for reuse.

What happens when you empty the Recycle Bin: When you empty the Recycle Bin, the files and folders that were stored in it are permanently deleted from the hard drive. The space they occupied is then marked as free and can be overwritten by new data. However, until the space is actually overwritten, there is a possibility of recovering the deleted data using specialized software.

Methods to Restore Deleted Items from the Recycle Bin

Method 1: Using the “Restore” Option in the Recycle Bin

Steps:

Open the Recycle Bin: Locate the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and double – click on it to open.

Find the deleted item: Scroll through the list of items in the Recycle Bin to find the file or folder you want to restore. You can use the sorting options (such as by name, date deleted, etc.) to make it easier to locate the specific item.

Restore the item: Right – click on the selected item and choose the “Restore” option from the context menu. Alternatively, you can select the item and then click on the “Restore this item” button in the toolbar at the top of the Recycle Bin window. The file or folder will be restored to its original location.

Method 2: Using System Restore Points

Prerequisites: System Restore must be enabled on your computer, and there must be a restore point created before the file was deleted. System Restore is a feature in Windows that allows you to restore your computer’s system files and settings to a previous state. It can also be used to restore some deleted files.

Steps:

Open System Restore: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type “rstrui.exe” and press Enter. This will open the System Restore wizard.

Select a restore point: In the System Restore wizard, you will see a list of available restore points. Select a restore point that was created before the file or folder was deleted from the Recycle Bin. You can click on “Show more restore points” to see additional options.

Initiate the restore: Follow the on – screen instructions to start the restoration process. Your computer will restart, and the system will be restored to the selected restore point. This may also restore the deleted file if it was affected by the changes made in the restore point.

Method 3: Using File History

Prerequisites: File History must be enabled on your computer, and it should have backed up the files you want to restore. File History is a feature in Windows that automatically backs up your files to an external drive or a network location.

Steps:

Open File History: You can access File History through the Control Panel. Go to “Control Panel” > “System and Security” > “File History”.

Restore files: In the File History window, click on the “Restore personal files” button. This will open a window where you can browse through the backed – up versions of your files. Locate the file or folder that you deleted from the Recycle Bin and select the appropriate version to restore. You can use the timeline or the search function to find the specific file.

Complete the restore: Follow the on – screen instructions to restore the file to its original location or a different location of your choice.

Method 4: Using Third – Party Data Recovery Software

Why use third – party software: If the above methods do not work or if you have emptied the Recycle Bin, third – party data recovery software can be a powerful tool. These software programs are designed to scan the hard drive for deleted files and attempt to recover them.

Steps to use data recovery software:

Choose a reliable data recovery software:

Panda Assistant is a versatile data recovery software designed to help users retrieve lost or deleted files from various storage devices, including hard drives, USB drives, and SD cards. It offers an intuitive interface, making the recovery process easy for both beginners and experienced users. Panda Assistant can recover documents, images, videos, and more, even from formatted or corrupted drives. It also provides advanced scanning options to ensure the best recovery results. With its fast processing speed and reliable recovery algorithms, Panda Assistant is an essential tool for anyone looking to recover important data.

Install and run the software: Install the selected data recovery software on your computer. Make sure to install it on a different drive than the one where the deleted files were located to avoid overwriting the data. After installation, run the software.

Select the drive to scan: The software will display a list of drives connected to your computer. Select the drive from which you deleted the files. For example, if the files were on the C drive, select the C drive for scanning.

Initiate the scan: Start the scanning process. This may take some time, depending on the size of the drive and the amount of data on it. The software will search for deleted files and display them in the program interface.

Preview and recover the files: You can usually preview the found files to ensure they are the ones you want to recover. Select the files you want to restore and choose a location to save them. Do not save the recovered files to their original location to avoid overwriting other data.

Precautions and Considerations

Stop using the computer immediately: After realizing that you have deleted something important from the Recycle Bin, it is crucial to stop using the computer as much as possible. This is to prevent new data from being written to the hard drive, which could potentially overwrite the deleted files and make them unrecoverable.

Check for backup copies: Before using any recovery method, check if you have any backup copies of the files. This could include backups on external hard drives, cloud storage, or network drives. Restoring from a backup is often the easiest and most reliable way to get back lost data.

Understand the limitations of recovery: While data recovery is possible in many cases, it is not always 100% successful. The success of recovery depends on various factors, such as how long ago the files were deleted, whether the hard drive has been heavily used since then, and the type of deletion (e.g., a simple deletion vs. a formatted drive).

Keep software and drivers up to date: Make sure your operating system, as well as any relevant software and drivers, are up to date. This can help ensure the proper functioning of the recovery tools and may also improve the overall stability of your system.

Special Cases and Considerations for Different File Types

Documents: For documents such as Word files, Excel spreadsheets, and PDF files, the recovery process is usually straightforward. However, if the document was open and being edited when it was deleted, there may be additional challenges. In some cases, temporary files associated with the open document may also be recoverable, which could help in restoring the document to a more recent state.

Photos and Videos: Photos and videos are often large in size, and their recovery may take longer compared to smaller files. Additionally, if the media was stored on a removable device such as a memory card or a USB drive, make sure to handle the device carefully and avoid any further writes to it. Some data recovery software may offer specific features for recovering media files, such as the ability to preview and selectively recover photos and videos based on their metadata.

Emails: If you deleted emails from the Recycle Bin in an email client such as Microsoft Outlook, the recovery process may depend on the settings and storage method of your email account. For example, if you are using an Exchange – based email account, there may be additional options for recovering deleted emails through the Exchange server. However, if the emails were stored locally on your computer, you can try using the methods mentioned above, such as using System Restore or data recovery software.