OK...MAJOR screw up on my part!!!! I recently bought an external hard drive to store all my music stuff on. I thought I had copied ALL my backing tracks to the new external hd but, in fact....all I did was copy the shortcut. Thinking that my backing were safely copied and saved, I then deleted the backers from my C drive and emptied the recycle bin!!!:mad1: Stupid, huh?!?!

My question is....is there any way to retrieve them or are they gone forever???:dunno:

Thanks in advance for any info!!

Robbie

That truely sucks.
Definitely minimize the damage by not saving stuff to your PC starting right now.

Software is available that can recover lost data. Let me dig around.

Hi SG Std(Robbie)

I have a strategy for you, :thumb:
(of course it depends on what windows operating system you are running)

for Windows XP

try this I know it's worked for me in the past,

click on start----All Programs----Accessories-----System tools---

choose System Restore

then choose the choice Restore my computer to an earlier time,

pick a date recently but BEFORE you deleted everything in your recycle bin

good luck, and let me know what operating system you are using so I can help you out better!!

Hi SG Std(Robbie)

I have a strategy for you, :thumb:
(of course it depends on what windows operating system you are running)

for Windows XP

try this I know it's worked for me in the past,

click on start----All Programs----Accessories-----System tools---

choose System Restore

then choose the choice Restore my computer to an earlier time,

pick a date recently but BEFORE you deleted everything in your recycle bin

good luck, and let me know what operating system you are using so I can help you out better!!

A system restore won't bring back these files. It only repairs system files unfortunately. As Serg mentioned, data recovery software is out there. Alot of it is hit and miss with this stuff, but it's worth a shot.

I'm not guaranteeing anything,

I only know MANY TIMES that files I've deleted via recycle bin have been restored via system restore,

try it and see if it works SG STD(Robbie) you have nothing to lose

I'm not guaranteeing anything,

I only know MANY TIMES that files I've deleted via recycle bin have been restored via system restore,

try it and see if it works SG STD(Robbie) you have nothing to lose

Thx vm for the suggestion but, I had already tried that. For some reason I get a message saying something like "a system restore could not be performed...please try another date" but, no matter what date I enter...it doesn't restore.

its unfortunate that system restore strategy didn't work out for you,

as I stated I know it has helped me many times in the past, I have sucessufully restored files for myself and collegues tons of times using this strategy,
and the files were not only system files that were fully restored, fully functional and reusuable, but other files that had no association with the operating system yet were restored after having been deleted,

here's how one expert summed up deleted recycle bin files that are able to be restored
================================================== =
"I think it’s rather important that you understand, if you don’t already, that when you right-click+delete, or drag something into the Recycle Bin (and empty it), it isn’t really erased. Instead, the name/path entry in the file allocation table (the directory used to locate and ‘find’ files) is altered in a way that tells Windows to no longer display the file and that this (physical) area is now available for future storage. The same thing happens when you take the drastic step of formatting your hard drive — it isn’t “wiped” like taking an eraser to a chalkboard: the Master Boot Table and the file directory are similarly altered, and once that occurs the machine can neither find your files nor your operating system — the rest of the 1’s and 0’s are left in place.

It is because of this fact — that files aren’t erased, but their directories and names are altered — that undelete and unformat utilities can perform their miracles. Instead of ignoring or treating these altered entries as writeable space, they (attempt to) deliberately seek them out and rename them back to a recognizable formula, which restores Windows’ ability to ’see’, find, and display them.

So, why couldn’t my undelete restore my file? The most likely reason is: because Windows sees the deleted file as usable space, it has written something new in that location — and now that new 1’s and 0’s are there, your file really and truly is gone. (The more time that elapses since you deleted the file, the more likely it is that it has been written over.)

Tip of the day: Never assume that your data has been erased. In fact, I suggest thinking in an opposite manner: assume that no matter what proactive measures you’ve taken, your data is on that hard drive. Tell yourself that a knowledgeable person with the right tools, if they get their hands on your hard drive, can read it. (There are some people in this industry who insist that your files aren’t really gone until your hard drive has been melted in a blast furnace!) Particularly keep this in mind when the time comes to donate (or otherwise get rid of) your old computer."
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I have never not been able to retrieve files based on this strategy, of proceeding with the theory that files are not erased, and I personally have seen this theory work on TONS of computers,

for SG STD(Robbie) remember this because it is important:
"So, why couldn’t my undelete restore my file? The most likely reason is: because Windows sees the deleted file as usable space, it has written something new in that location — and now that new 1’s and 0’s are there, your file really and truly is gone. (The more time that elapses since you deleted the file, the more likely it is that it has been written over.)"

good luck!!!