Gah - tech help for deleted network folder

[Ridetsu]

My friend and i live in the same house, and have a shared file between the two computers that we use to pass each other information through. We put our video game folder (a game we are developing) in that folder. Well, my stupid friend deleted the folder as a joke to scare me - which it did. He went to his trash bin (we both use Windows XP ) and told me he was joking. However, when he looked for the file - there was nothing there.

I checked my computer, and even tried recent documents... we can't find it anywhere.

I'v got a CD i back it up on every few weeks, so i'm not fully unprepared, and i haven't lost a lot of data - but the data i did lose with his dumb stunt could cost me unfathomable hours of not only trying to re-write and code things, but also in remembering and wasting the time initially.


Please, if ANYBODY knows how to recover a folder deleted from a shared files folder between two networked computers, PLEASE help.

 

[Not a Number]

1) Stop using the drive that the deleted files are on.

2) Get a file recovery utility. Google "file recovery tool windows" "file recovery utilities windows". There are several free ones out there but I have no idea how good they are. Try search PC Mag or PC World for reviews or in their download sections.

Here's one on PC World (no idea if it's any good):

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/userreviews/fid,23069/userreviews.html#


Be sure not to download or install this to the same drive as the "lost" files. Good luck. Your chances of recovery lessen with each disk write that takes place on the drive in question since the files were deleted.

 

[Ridetsu]

its on my C Drive, so its not like i can take that out, sadly. We've been trying to find recvery utilities all night, but none of them are working.

 

[Not a Number]

Well, as I wished you earlier, good luck.

Looking at the user comments on the one I linked above it appears that it's not all that easy to use. It lacks the search filters and tools that the store bought utilities have so it takes forever to recover files (search, recover, search again for each file).

Networked files don't normally go into the recycle bin unless deleted directly from the "server". Deleting the folder and contents as opposed to just the contents is usually more difficult to recover also.

 

[Ridetsu]

yeah i searched until about 3:30 in the morning using about 6 different programs... they found shortcuts and folders, but nothing within the folders, and hthe shortcuts were broken.

sigh...