Accidently Deleted My Documents Folder

[Mama3chick]

Hello, I don't know if I am posting in the right forum. But here goes. I was uploading files to my domain and deleting the files as I went. I thought I was deleting a file within My Documents but after I deleted it, it was My Documents folder and all its contents. I couldn't find it in the recycle bin, it is not on my hard drive under C: and the shortcut folder for My Documents won't open up. Is there anyway that I can get My Documents folder back or is it lost for good? Thank you for your help.

[Andy]

What OS are you using?

[Mama3chick]

Thank you for replying. I am using Windows 98 second edition.

[CERuppel]

Please help Mama3chick, she is a good friend of my wife and I.

I went thru the basics that I could with her, but I was not there, and deemed it better to just send her on to the pros...

Please help!!!

[zeradul]

Well, There are programs out there that can let you browse your empty hard drive space for what you have deleted.... I have one that only works for W2K, and I think someone will be able to help you, BUT if you want the best chance of getting the stuff back, DO NOT USE THE COMPUTER. Browsing the internet will download images and whatnot and these images will be written to the places your DOCUMENTS WERE.

Do not download anything, and if someone here has a program for 98SE, you will want to delete EVERYTHING you can before installing it, in hopes of NOT installing it over your precious documents....

DO not defrag... If you have defragged or download 50 megs or more since, I'd say your documents are history.

[Mama3chick]

Thank you for replying. I haven't been doing anything except trying to figure out how to get the files back. I knew I didn't want to reboot my computer, but didn't know about downloading or defragmenting until I could see if I could get back this folder. I don't have the program that you were talking about but I will most definitely be getting it now.

[Wiggo]

There use to be a few software programs that could search ya drive for deleted files but atm I can't find any. :smokin:
:cheers:

[zeradul]

Ok, let me clarify a bit....

W2K = windows 2000
You can reboot the computer all you want. The hard drive does not require electricity to remember its contents.

If someone here knows of a program to browse for your deleted files, then what I meant in my last post was... You will want to delete old files and uninstall programs you do not use. What this will do is free up physical space on the hard drive, and so when you get the program (that browses for deleted files) it WILL NOT install OVER the stuff you want to keep....

[Albinus]

Sorry, but if you turn off the power chances are very high that Windows will write over the data that has been deleted, making recovery (almost) impossible..... when a file is deleted it doesn't get rid of the data - the "free space" flag on the sector is set to yes, so that anything can overwrite it :cry:

[Andy]

hmm... you would think that windows would put some safety non-delete able thing on the folder