Deleted files
Deleted data recovery
Shift+Delete, empty recycle bin, format, “the folder is gone”. Stop using the media. The less you overwrite, the more is left.
If recovery is not possible, you pay nothing. After diagnostics we tell you what is still there and the scale of the work. +372 56 766 733 · info@taastaandmed.ee
Delete is not immediately zero
On most disks, delete means “this space is free”. The bits stay until someone writes a new file, a browser cache or a Windows update in the same place. So the first order is: unplug the media, do not reboot for fun, do not “clean” the disk.
HDD and USB forgive more than SSD. An SSD may TRIM the blocks within hours. If you do not know which disk it is, bring it - we will not ask you to tell NTFS from APFS at home.
Typical hunt list: wedding photos, a thesis, bookkeeping, client contracts, a WhatsApp backup on a stick, videos from a card. Tell us the file types. That speeds the search and avoids a wrong list.
After a fresh Windows install on the same disk, hope is lower. After a secure wipe (sdelete, “secure erase”) hope is often zero. We say that before an invoice.
Deleted files
Can recycle bin always restore it?
If the file is still in the bin, restore it yourself. If the bin is empty, do not write to the disk - bring it to us.
Deleted by a virus?
Often yes, if the malware only hid or logically deleted, not encrypted. Ransomware is another case: without the key we do not decrypt the file.