Help!
 

I was deleting files and folders and it looks as if I deleted my entire ART file of finished paintings. The only high-resolution photos I have of all my art work....including paintings that I can never photograph again because they are sold.

I already cleaned my Recycle Bin. Someone please tell me I can recover this somehow....

:exclamati

Take your computer to a real expert. I know the CIA can do it! (Don't you have backups on CD's somewhere? I send a set of CD's to my husband's office in case of fire at home.)

I've already sent some of my stuff to our new house - so I cant check my backups, but I know I havent backed up my images in a longgg time. I have the website and the images there (not all, but a lot) - but they are small and could never be used for prints or whatever.

Im on a different computer now. Im going to take it in today to a tech guy. Wish me luck.

It is hard to imagine I did this. How could I have clicked on that entire folder and not noticed? What an idiot.

Kim,
First thing is do not use that computer for anything until the files are recovered. Any use might overwrite the deleted file data corrupting it beyond recovery.

Second, get a tech support or qualified professional to help you. In older operating systems, Deleted files remain on the hard drive with only the first letter of the file name changed by substituting the question mark character ?. Changing the ? back to the letter character undeleted the file. I don't know if this convention has been retained in the newer operating systems. I suspect it has. In any case get a professional to help or call tech support of the company wwo owns your operating system to get help.

This is not a problem you want to try to solve on your own unless you are really sure of what you are doing.

Wish you success.

Before you take it to a tech person, make sure they are experienced in doing this type of recovery already. If you have Norton on your system, you would have a Norton Protected Recyle Bin and then you could recover them thru that.

Cynthia

Cynthia,

Before I start fiddlin with this and mess it up more - is the Norton Recycle Bin easily found? If I open up my anti-virus icon will I see it around there?

I didnt take it into the only tech guy around for about 500 miles. After talking to him I realized I most likely already overwrote the files. I may have some backups from a couple months ago when I took the computer in for spyware. I dont recall what I backed up, but I MUST have done the paintings.

Kim,

Open up your Norton and go to help and search on "unerase." There should be a reference to Unerase Wizard. Follow the directions.

Unbelievable...my Norton seems to be missing now. I know I didnt uninstall that. The computer guy installed anti-spy programs a few months ago - but he wouldnt take that off.... I dont even know when it disappeared. The kids are on here occasionally. A couple weeks ago one of them messed up my task bar, but to delete a program? How frustrating.

Did you check for Norton anything in your systray? Also, you can do a search of your hard drive for "Norton."

I found a folder named Norton Antivirus, but the only thing in it was a folder with Tasks. There is nothing else there. Just the Live Symtac part that updates... no actual program it looks like.