Lost Image Folders - URGENT! - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

10/04/2006 03:49:54 AM · #1

For some reason today I went to delete 3 folders of images that I had just burnt to disc. But the stupid computer deleted up to 9 folders. It only gave me the warning that it was going to delete 3 but took extra with it. I tried Edit/Undo Delete....but that didn't work. I tried the Recycle Bin...only to find the initial 3 folders I had sent in the first place.

My computer tech has tried to use a Windows File Recovery program....and so far to no avail. He is currently starting to contact companies that I can send my hard drive to so I can recover them. That means sending them out of town....arrrggghhhh!!!

These folders have up to 20gb on images not burnt to disc yet (I was in the throes of doing that when this happened).

Please....what image recovery programs can you recommend...real fast...PUH-LEASE!!

KaDi

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

10/04/2006 03:58:54 AM · #2

I know this may sound stupid, but are you sure they were deleted? They might have just been moved....just a suggestion, you might run a search for them.

MichaelC

Sony Alpha a7R III

Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary

10/04/2006 04:11:15 AM · #3

Originally posted by KaDi:

I know this may sound stupid, but are you sure they were deleted? They might have just been moved....just a suggestion, you might run a search for them.

My clients have done this hundreds of times...call me in to recover files, only to find out they had accidentally been moved into another folder

crayon

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH1

10/04/2006 04:11:48 AM · #4

Originally posted by KaDi:

I know this may sound stupid, but are you sure they were deleted? They might have just been moved....just a suggestion, you might run a search for them.

my guess too. If the computer claims it is deleting 3 folders, then that should be all it is deleting. Try a search as KaDi suggested? Or rather, restore that 3 deleted folders, you might have moved your other 6 folders into one of them before you delete. Hope this helps.

Makka

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

10/04/2006 04:14:19 AM · #5

Ouch!! Been in this situation before but mine was Windows trashing one of my hard drives. I used File Scavenger to get most of it back....but it had more luck finding the JPEGS than the RAW files. But yeah, check whether you accidentally dragged them into another folder or into one of the folders you threw in the trash! Hopefully they are still there somewhere! Best of luck!

roba

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

10/04/2006 04:15:46 AM · #6

Hey Judi... this has received great reviews on several forums:
Stellar Phoenix Deleted File Recovery
//www.stellarinfo.com/deleted-file-recovery.htm

You can purchase it online here for US $39:
//www.stellarinfo.com/disk-recovery-prices-deleted-filerecovery.htm

And it even comes with 24-hr Worldwide technical support.

Good luck...

roba

Message edited by author 2006-10-04 04:18:57.

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

10/04/2006 04:26:37 AM · #7

Okay...here is an update.

We are sure they were deleted as a search found nothing....and we then manually checked where it could possibly move them to and nothing.

Our first recovery run found nothing.

We are in the middle of a second run and it seems it may have found them plus lots (and I mean lots) more of my images. Including all my RAW, JPEG and PSD files. It is still going so I won't know for a few more hours.

I have 2 x 300GB internal hard drives so it takes a fair while. But I am crossing everything that it has found them. Some of the file names look very familiar....

If this doesn't work my next step is to try all the programs you have all recommended. I have to go to a meeting so I will be leaving it in the hands of my techie while I am away...so I am hoping that when I get back I will have it back.

So a big thankyou to everyone as I really needed help and you all came to my rescue....MWAH...to you all!!

FireBird

10/04/2006 04:32:07 AM · #8

Originally posted by Judi:

OUCH!!! That really sucks. However, this has got to be the wierdest thing I've heard of in 23 years of MicroSuck based computing. I really can't see how it deleted 9 folders if you specified only 3. Unless the 9 were subdirectories of the original 3. If so check your garbage bin again.
Hard drives are so cheap, why don't you buy another huge one to augment the one you have. Then NEVER EVER DELETE A FOLDER WITH AN IMPORTANT IMAGE AGAIN.

And...... a note of warning. You said: "burnt to disc." I really wouldn't rely on CdROM or DVD as a sole means of backup Judi. I've had CdROMs less than 2 years old become corrupt. I now use an externai HD as well as DVD to backup. I'm still considering a second HD unit networked at a different location on the property in case of fire. The external HD only runs when written to.

crayon

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH1

10/04/2006 04:46:19 AM · #9

Originally posted by Judi:

I will be leaving it in the hands of my techie while I am away

you mean he has access to all your high-resolution self nudes???

goc

Apple iPhone 4

10/04/2006 05:20:27 AM · #10

try //www.officerecovery.com/freeundelete/
it's free, quick and it saved my photos once ... give it a shot

undieyatch

Olympus E-10

10/04/2006 09:03:21 AM · #11

I had luck with this...... but it costs for full use - (however on a side note - includes a free utility for digital recover from digital camera memory card, which works beautifully.)

Zero Assumption

MAK

Leica M Monochrom

Leica 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 Vario Elmar-T ASPH

10/04/2006 09:16:01 AM · #12

if you do a system restore wont that restore your deleted folders also.. im not sure im a mac user but in the old PC days im sure you can restore them or use a software call EASY RECOVERY PRO it is great on getting JPG's back it workd for me when i deleted all my pics of my baby..

hope you can sort it

Nelzie

Canon EOS-30D

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

10/04/2006 09:18:09 AM · #13

Originally posted by fir3bird:

Tape back-ups are still the longest lasting media for long-term back-up storage of media.

I believe the mean time to failure is something close to 20 years for a tape that has been backed up to, just once. Now, running the same tape over and over for nightly back-ups, while nice, could end up greatly shortening the lifespan of the tape.

My suggestion would be to pick-up a tape backup drive and a handful of tapes for weekly/monthly back-ups. Keep these back-ups off site, in case of fire. (Like in a safety deposit box at a bank or a firesafe in the office and at home.)

For daily back-ups, some of those External Hard Drive back-up devices can work nice. However, you should have more than one in case one back-up drive goes belly up.

Also, one should get into the habit of taking the previous night's back-up drive home every single day. To further save oneself from potential fire/burglarly loss.

marcellieb

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

10/04/2006 09:20:53 AM · #14

Originally posted by crayon:

Originally posted by Judi:
I will be leaving it in the hands of my techie while I am away

you mean he has access to all your high-resolution self nudes???

Judi, what is your techie's contact details - want to speak to him about selling high-resolution nude photos to me:-)

MelTech1

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

10/04/2006 09:30:51 AM · #15

I use a program called Media Recover itâ��s an outstanding program. You can recover the following type files: JPG,EXIF,TIFF,PNG,GIF,BMP,RAW images; Canon CRW, Nikon NEF, Kodak DCR and others also Audio/Video clips-AVI,MOV,MPG/MEG.

//www.mediarecover.com/image_recovery_win.html

Message edited by author 2006-10-04 09:34:33.

violinist123

Canon EOS-6D

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

10/04/2006 09:36:55 AM · #16

Originally posted by Judi:

Do NOT write anything new to that drive.

At work here we have used the recovery app from here //www.easeus.com/. It's cheap as hell and it works.

I just recovered 680 gigs of data off a drive that windoze marked corrupted. It works, and it's about 100x cheaper than Ontrack.

mist

Canon EOS-60D

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

10/04/2006 09:39:41 AM · #17

Actually once you have recovered that data I'd be tempted to bin the drive, because your computer should not just be randomly losing data.

I'd also be tempted to find some kind of ram chip checker to make sure that your computer's memory is ok and it's not that that's causing the effect.

10/04/2006 11:12:16 AM · #18

Ok...I have managed to undelete several files. Some are JPEG and some are RAW...but most of the PSD are not recoverable. It seems to have made stupid changes...saying files (of any format) that were still on my system today were deleted 2 months ago...as if. I don't know what the heck is going on. It is now after 1am and I am tired as. I know my techie is throwing another recovery program through it tomorrow to try and pick up some more of my files.

I know of one whole folder that is there but is saying it has been written over...I don't know how...stupid computer! I haven't done anything except try and save files since this happened.

Anyway...I am going to get some sleep...will check in tomorrow. Those programmes are going to come in handy.

Thanks everyone.