Where does the deleted file go???

Document Name :

Where does the deleted file go???

Prepared By

Radhika Chandrakasan

Supported By

Divya Nair

Where does the deleted file go???

It is the mystery behind a file as on, where does it go once after it has been
deleted? When you delete files from your computer and after you empty it out
of the Recycle Bin, where exactly does it go? Is it possible to recover them
once if we have permanently deleted them? If so, how do I do that?
When Microsoft introduced the Recycle Bin in Windows 95, it immediately
became a failsafe for many users. If you delete a file and realize that you
actually need it, you can recover it easily by doing the following:
1. Open the Recycle Bin by double-clicking on the Recycle Bin icon on your
desktop (or you can go to the Recycle Bin folder in Windows Explorer).
2. Find the file you want to recover and click to highlight it.
3. Go to the File menu and choose the Restore option (or right click over
the filename and select Restore from the context-sensitive menu).
4. The file is now back on your computer in its original place.
Viola! Your file is back in its form now!
While the Recycle Bin is a great utility, there are times that a file is not placed
in the Recycle Bin when you delete it. Now, what happens if you empty the
Recycle Bin? Surely that's the end of the file's existence? To all appearances,
yes. The file will appear to have been completely annihilated.
These include files from removable storage such as floppy disks and Zip disks,
files deleted from within some applications, and files deleted from the
command prompt. Also, there are times that you will empty the Recycle Bin
and then realize that there was a file you wanted to keep.
A common misconception is that the data is actually removed from the hard
drive (erased) when you delete a file. Any time that a file is deleted on a
hard drive, it is not erased. Instead, the tiny bit of information that points
to the location of the file on the hard drive is erased. This pointer, along with
other pointers for every folder and file on the hard drive, is saved in a section
2

near the beginning of the hard drive and is used by the operating system to
compile the directory tree structure. By erasing the pointer file, the actual file
becomes invisible to the operating system. Eventually, the hard drive will write
new data over the area where the old file is located.
Now, its time to get introduced to a 'Compilant' program!
To explain it in simple words, "In any program, if you delete a file from within
one of these programs it will be sent straight to the Recycle Bin, from which
you can restore it if you need to" is called as a Compilant program.
NOTE: One important thing which we need to watch out for is deleting files
via macro languages, such as Microsoft Office's Visual Basic for Applications
(VBA). While recent versions of Office are Recycle Bin compliant, if you create
Office macros which delete files automatically using the kill [file] statement,
those files will bypass the Recycle Bin entirely.'
Now, lets get back to the subject!
So, what's going on? How is it you can delete a file and yet it remains on your
disk?
Let's start by looking at what happens when you delete a file and it's placed in
the Recycle Bin.
In fact, the file is not moved to the Recycle Bin at all. Instead, the file stays in
the same place but its directory entry the complete path and filename of the
file is removed and placed in a hidden folder called Recycled.
Note: If you have more than one drive in your computer, you'll have a Recycled
folder for each drive.
The file is then renamed. The original name and location of the file are stored
in a hidden index file, called INFO2 (or INFO, if you're using Windows 95),
located in the Recycled folder.
When you open the Recycle Bin, click a file and choose Restore, the original
path is read from the INFO file, the file is renamed and its directory entry
restored.

See below: Deleted files are renamed and stored in the Recycled folder, as can
be seen in this folder listing displayed in a DOS window.

The Recycle Bin is a FIFO stack: First In, First Out. That means the files you
delete earliest are emptied from the Bin first. When the Recycle Bin is full,
Windows starts deleting files from the Bin to make room for newly deleted
files. It's only when you right-click the Recycle Bin and select Empty Recycle
Bin from the pop-up menu that all files within the Bin are 'deleted'.
As you can see, files aren't really erased when you delete them, just renamed
and their location hidden from view. So, what about when you empty the
Recycle Bin?
Now, What happens then?
Once again, the file data is not deleted. Instead, Windows changes the file's
directory entry to indicate the space occupied by this file is no longer needed
and is available for use. The data's still there, but at any time if the operating
system needs space for another file, it may be overwritten. Until it is
overwritten, the file still exists on the hard disk and is recoverable. That means
you dramatically increase the chances of being able to recover a deleted file if
you refrain from any subsequent disk activity, such as creating, editing or
copying files.
Unfortunately, at this stage the job of recovering the file is beyond Windows.
But it's not beyond the abilities of numerous third-party unerase/undelete
utilities such as Uneraser, File Recover. Some freewares also available;

You'll also find very good unerase utilities in Ontrack SystemSuite and in Norton
Utilities, which is available separately or as a part of Norton SystemWorks.
Now, lets concentrate on how to fix a damaged Recycle Bin:
"Recycle bin is damaged" in the sense, it may fall under any of the following
categories:

### Category 1 ###

If the Recycle Bin's INFO file is damaged, your Recycle Bin will appear empty
even when it isn't. You can often restore a file in this situation by searching for
the file by name (click Start -> Find -> Files Or Folders, or Start -> Search in
Windows XP) and then renaming it
If you still can't recover your file, try deleting the INFO file. This will cause
Windows to create a new INFO file the next time you restart your system. When
you reboot, you may find the files in the Recycle Bin are now accessible. You'll
need to work from a DOS prompt to fix things up. Remember to press Enter
after typing each of the DOS commands mentioned below:

1. Click Start -> Programs -> MS-DOS Prompt to open a DOS command
window. (In Windows XP use Start -> All Programs -> Accessories ->
Command Prompt.)
2. To make the Recycled folder the current folder type: CD \RECYCLED
3. To unhide the INFO file type: ATTRIB -H INF*
4. To delete the INFO file type: DEL INFO*.
5. To close the DOS window type: EXIT

See below for a the snap shot: [Visual representation has more power than just
reading, you know? :)]

### Category 2 ###

Your Recycle Bin may also appear empty if any of the files within it are
damaged. In this case, you probably won't be able to recover the contents of
the Recycle Bin, but you can make it function correctly again by doing the
following:
1. Click Start -> Programs -> MS-DOS Prompt. (In Windows XP use Start -> All
Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt.)
2. Type: CD \RECYCLED
3. Type: ATTRIB -H DESKTOP.INI
4. To copy the desktop.ini file to your root folder type: COPY DESKTOP.INI \
5. To delete the entire contents of the Recycled folder type: DEL *.*
6. To copy the desktop.ini file back to your Recycled folder type: COPY
\DESKTOP.INI
7. To delete the copy of desktop.ini in the root folder type: DEL
\DESKTOP.INI
8. To close the DOS window type: EXIT
### Category 3 ###

If the Desktop.ini file is damaged or missing, you can get the Recycle Bin back
up and running correctly by creating a new Desktop.ini file within the Recycled
folder:
1. Open the Recycled folder in Windows Explorer (if you can't locate it,
open any folder in Windows Explorer, select Tools Menu -> Folder Options
-> View Tab, enable the Show All Files option and click OK).
2. Right-click in a blank spot and select New -> Text Document to create a
new text file. Name the file desktop.ini.
3. Double-click the file to open it and type the following two lines:
[.ShellClassInfo]
CLSID={645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
and finally close and save the file, then reboot.

See below:

### Category 4 ###

The Recycled folder itself can also become damaged. If this is the case, you
will be able to send files to the Recycle Bin and the Recycle Bin icon on the
desktop will appear full, but you will be unable to view the contents of the Bin
and the Empty Recycle Bin command will be unavailable when you right-click
the Recycle Bin.

To fix this you must delete the Recycled folder. Windows will recreate it when
you reboot:
1. Click Start -> Programs -> MS-DOS Prompt. (In Windows XP use Start -> All
Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt.)
2. Type: ATTRIB -S -H RECYCLED
3. Type: DEL RECYCLED
4. Type: EXIT
5. Reboot your computer.