UNDO DELETE TRASH

Pull the power plug to the computer. As inconceivable as it sounds, I just tested this with 10.4.2 immediately after doing a straight empty trash. The files magically reappeared in the trash. Note, I don't know under what conditions it does or doesn't work, but it is worth at least a try.

I might add to make this absolutely clear, you do NOT want to shut down. Just pull the plug. Put it back in, and power up the machine, and the files may be there.

We just deleted our trash and are freaking out too. We were using a program called Tidy Up to view duplicate files. That program was running and I emptied the trash. I tried the unplugging trick but it doesn't look like that's going to work. Is there a recovery software that you know of and how much is it? I'm mainly wanting to recovery the 3000 pictures!

You can try the free demo of Data Rescue:

http://www.prosofteng.com/

It can't recover all instances, but it is worth at least a try. Same is true of the latest version of Micromat Techtools Pro from http://www.micromat.com/ If neither can recover it probably is a trip to the data recovery firm such as http://www.drivesavers.com/

My suggestion is to always backup your data to prevent this from happening again.

Good luck!

Bruce,

I'm sorry for your lost data.

Although it won't help recover the data that you've lost, I have something that would prevent such a loss from ever occurring again. I have an extra, unused external USB 2.0 60GB hard disk, which I would like to give you, if you would like to have it. Please let me know.

Jim Chumbley

Data Rescue requires a "Working Drive" (a place to store its own temporary operating files while performing the recovery). This MUST NOT be the same drive as that on which you are attempting to recover missing files. The reason for this is that Data Rescue can/will write its own data right over the locations of the very files it is attempting to recover.

I have an extra, unused external USB 2.0 60GB hard disk, which I would like to give you, if you would like to have it.

You know Jim, if Bruce turns you down, I wouldn't have any qualms about taking that HD off your hands 😉

All joking aside though I am sorry to hear about your data loss Bruce. It can be a gut wrenching feeling knowing you've just emptied trash containing valuable information. Almost feels like a funeral is in order here.

TIP:
One thing that I do to "help" prevent this sort of thing from happening is to make sure that I have "Show warning before emptying the Trash" checked in the "Advanced" section of the Finder preferences. This has saved me from accidentally trashing stuff.

Hi, Annie,

This is a very, very scary situation, I know, but YES! There is a data recovery program. I just bought it and am running a test of it now. It seems to be
b wonderful!
It is called, logically enough, "Data Recovery II," and you can read about and buy it at this location: http://www.prosofteng.com/products/datarescueinfo.php . It costs $99.

If you buy it, I would like to point out a couple of what seem to me to be inconveniences:

1. I think the program almost certainly requires TWO separate hard disks in the computer. The first is the one containing the accidentally erased files. The second is necessary for the program to have as a place to write its working files and the recovered files. Otherwise, I'm almost certain that the program will probably write over the very files it is trying to recover. In fact, it warns you of this very thing if you try to do it wrong (with a single disk, the one containing the erased files.)

2. It seems that you can't just tell the program to go away and recover all the files that have been accidentally erased on the disk. Instead, it scans the disk to find the erased files that it thinks it can recover, and then from its report you have to tell it which files (or all of them) that you want to have it recover. And then it seems to want to, or insist on, putting the files it recovers on a second drive.

These are wonderful, highly professional, precautions for the program to take, but I don't believe that you can just stick the CD in and tell the program to fix the problems by itself.

If you do decide to get the program, and I certainly recommend it, please tell me about your computer's configuration first before you attempt to use it again or to recover the accidentally erased pictures. I believe that it is a
b certainty
that you
b can
recover the pictures that you lost but that it will take two things:

1. You will certainly want to have a second disk besides the one that contains the accidentally erased files. This can be, as mine is, an external drive, preferably a FireWire drive. I made one out of an old 160GB drive I had and a new external case that cost $50. These don't have to cost a fortune. If you don't have an extra disk already, you can buy them at reasonable prices. All it takes to put it into the external case is a couple of screws, two plug-in connectors, and the little, simple, snap-together case.

2. You will have the best chance of recovering the missing pictures if you turn off the computer and don't use it again until you have done everything you can to recover the pictures. This is because you don't want to give the computer an opportunity to write new data over the pictures that have been erased.

Wishing you the very best, as do all the other people who have read your posting,
Jim Chumbley

(follow-up)

I have an extra external hard disk that I already offered to Bruce in message number 3.1.1.1 below, but if Bruce doesn't want it, I would be glad for you to have it if you would like to. It is only a 60GB drive and is a USB 2.0, but it works perfectly for a situation like this.

Jim

I think that this information from the Data RESCUE II User Manual might be very useful:

Prosoft Data Rescue – User Guide
10.8 Can I recover files that I deleted accidentally?
In OS X, when a file is deleted, for example by dragging it to the trash and emptying the trash, the file’s name and folder information is usually erased by the system, and is therefore irretrievably lost. However in most cases, the most important part of the file – its contents – are still present on the disk. Finding the file by its contents alone is in general a difficult task, requiring algorithms to recognize those contents among all the billions of bytes of data on the disk. This task requires algorithms that are tailored to each specific file type. Data Rescue X made a start at this by providing support for about ten important file types that can be recovered by content. Data Rescue II increases this content scan capability by an order of magnitude, supporting more than one hundred separate file types. (See the following questions.) If the file types you are looking for are among the supported types, there is a good chance that Data Rescue will be able to find it.

Beyond the ten-fold increase in number of content scan file types supported, Data Rescue II enhances your ability to find deleted files in another way: the Deleted Files Scan scans only the free space portion of your drive, greatly reducing the number of files that you must look for to find particular ones.

[snip]
An additional requirement for a successful recovery by content is that the file’s data not be fragmented. In other words, it must be stored from beginning to end in consecutive media locations. Fortunately, most files get stored on disk that way. OS X tries to store files in a non-fragmented way when it can. Still it is typical for a small percentage of files to be fragmented, and these will not recover properly when found by content.

b Important: Do not mistakenly use a defragmentation utility (or any other program which will alter your disk) after losing your files, and prior to scanning with Data Rescue.

Doing so will only make it less likely that you will be able recover your files.
Note: The above limitations apply only to the files found by content. For files that are found by their catalog entries, the original bundles and forks may be properly recovered, and fragmentation is not an issue.

10.10 Specifically what types of files can Data Rescue II find by content?
[snip]
• Images, generic
FreeHand EPS, Adobe Illustrator image (versions 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 9, 10), Illustrator EPS (versions 5, 6, 7, 9), Photoshop TIFF (versions 6, 7, CS), Photoshop BMP (version 6), Photoshop PCX (version 6), Photoshop JPEG (versions 3, 6, 7, CS), Photoshop PSD (versions 2, 3, 6, 7, CS), Photoshop EPS (versions 3, 6, 7, CS), CRW, ORF, generic TIFF, CR2, generic JPEG, generic GIF, PNG

Jim

I'm an idiot.

The NAME of the program is
b "Data RESCUE II"
not "Data RECOVERY II," as I have been typing all night.

The URL to review/buy it is correct as posted, but please overlook the typing errors I've made.

Very sorry,
Jim

OK, Bruce. Thanks for letting me know.

Maybe Annie will have a use for it, or if not, maybe I should just offer it as a loaner for people who need to run Disk Rescue and also need an external drive for the working files.

Jim