Recover shift-deleted file in Windows

Question

I have deleted a JavaScript file using Shift+Delete. Is there any way to recover the file? I prefer not to use any external software if possible. I have Windows XP.

Answer 1

Recuva is a freeware Windows utility to restore files that have been accidentally deleted from your computer. This includes files emptied from the Recycle bin as well as images and other files that have been deleted from other locations also.

You may also try Undelete360 which is a simple file recovery program that can undelete files that have recently been deleted by accident. There is also a portable version available, in case if you don't want to install any software in your PC.

Answer 2

Do you have Shadow Copy enabled?

If so, you could potentially recover it from the last Shadow Copy snapshot prior to the deletion.

Right click in the folder where the deleted file used to exist, and see if there is a "Restore previous versions" option in the context menu.

Answer 3

No, this is not possible without using external software

I found this interesting website explaining exactly what to do. http://lifehacker.com/393084/how-to-recover-deleted-files-with-free-software

Think about one important thing: don't do anything on the HDD you deleted the files from (they can be overwritten) and install the external software also on another HDD so you don't overwrite the deleted data

Answer 4

If the free-ed up blocks are not overwritten by some new files, then you may be still able to use TestDisk utility to recover files.

Instructions for use can be found here.

Answer 5

If you're lucky, you could use a previous version of the containing folder. Just right-click on the containing folder and choose "Properties". Go to the tab "Previous Versions". If you're lucky, you can copy a previous version of your folder to another place and extract your Javascript file.