Recovering files erased from memory stick

I accidentally erased some files from a memory stick this week. Normally, when you delete files from your hard drive, they reside in the computer's Trash Can until you finally empty the trash. And before that, if you realise you still want them, you can restore the files from there. But files erased from a memory don't go to the Trash in the same way - they are gone. Well, not exactly. A good recovery utility can still get them back. So I tried the free program Recuva, and it did an excellent job. Some of the files were not recoverable, but 90%-95% were, so I'm, a happy chappy again. Incidentally, you can perform the same rescue operation from a digital camera. In both cases, make sure you save the recovered files to a different disk. The Piriform website is also the home of CCleaner, an indispensable anti-spyware utility, and some other goodies worth investigating.

Wiping confidential data when you sell your PC

If you are selling or otherwise disposing of an old PC, have you removed all the critical/confidential data? Just dumping all the files in the Recycle bin/trash can and deleting them is no where near adequate. The cheapest data recovery program can get those files back. They can even get files off a freshly-formatted hard drive. So if you want to be absolutely certain that your old PC's new owner won't get your private information, you need to wipe the sensitive files by overwriting them with new 1s and 0s. Here's some tips on what to do, courtesy of PC World.

Recover deleted files

It's the stuff to rival your worst nightmares. You send a file to the Recycle/Trash bin, empty the bin, and suddenly realise you have just deleted a vital document. Fortunately, help is at hand. There are numerous programs that can recover these files, and most often they work very well. The reason they can recover files is because a deleted file is not actually wiped from your computer's hard drive immediately. All you have done is give the computer permission to use that space when it runs out of room elsewhere. So if you have not done any work in the meantime, the chances are probably better than 99% you can get the file back. The caveat is that you should attempt recovery as soon as you realise your mistake. Recuva, a free utility, offers to restore files emptied from the Recycle bin as well as images and other files that have been deleted by user error from digital camera memory cards or MP3 players. "It will even bring back files that have been deleted by bugs, crashes and viruses!"
Incidentally, if you have merely sent a file to Recycle/Trash and not emptied the bin, you don't need a recovery utility at all. Open the bin, locate and select the file, then right-click and choose "restore". That will return the file to the place from whence it came.