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User profile for user: mmccall168
mmccall168 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

How to recover photos once deleted from trash (software advise)

I accidentailly deleted some photos that I had in a folder on my desktop, then I deleted the trash. I've been reviewing software and downloaded Stellar Phoenix photo recovery. This program did not find the specific pictures I am looking for. So I tried their Data Recovery software and the pictures are there to recover. I just don't know if they are worth $100 (the price of the data). Stellar tech support could not explain to me why the Data recovery software would find the jpegs, but not their photo recovery software. I wanted to purchase the photo recovery for $50.


Is there any other software out there for around $50 that will recover jpegs? Of couse I have 10.5 OS X. I found a couple cheaper ones but require the new OS. I also found a free one (easeus) but they also require the new OS. I'm not advanced enough for TestDisk.


If I download the new OS it will probably overwrite the files that I am looking to recover? Or could I take my chances?


Any help would be appreciated.

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Mar 6, 2014 1:10 PM

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User profile for user: K Shaffer
K Shaffer
User level: Level 7
34,978 points

Mar 6, 2014 1:32 PM in response to mmccall168

Almost any activity on the computer could over-write files targeted as reuseable drive space, as Trashed items are tagged as inconsequential on the hard disk drive.


An OSX upgrade requires a retail Snow Leopard 10.6 DVD, a disc that you order from Apple for about $20. Not a download. The only download is just a Combo Update file, to bring 10.6 up to 10.6.8.


The TestDisk and its unix-based 'photo recovery' application (if you could call it one, lacking a GUI as we know it) goes after the file type and not the strings of system that carried it along in the OS or in deleted folders.


If the recovery software for $100. has any depth of usefulness, and could later be used should you upgrade your MacBook to Snow Leopard 10.6.8, then it may be worth $100. A recovery service where people do it could cost you plenty more, as they also may 'charge by the MB' of recovered data found.


If you had an external hard disk drive, with enclosure that could handle an installation of Mac OS X and run the computer from that outside HDD, then you would not be in as great a risk of over-writing the current data inside the MacBook. A bootable system in an external drive, requires correct formatting, and also may require a correct chipset built into the enclosure for Mac OS X boot capability. This also applies to clones of OS X.


So I don't really have an answer, except the longer the computer runs for any task, the system can overwrite files that were deemed as Trash. Not sure if there is a way outside of TestDisk & its associated application, to go at it without a large change in the system itself.


Where were these images prior to putting them into a folder?


Were they in iPhoto, or another image application? If so,

does the application have a separate library of its own?

iPhoto has a library where original-copies can hide.


Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

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How to recover photos once deleted from trash (software advise)

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