Windows file systems, FAT or NTFS, don't immediately destroy the contents of your file when you delete it. Windows marks the corresponding hard drive space as free by simply deleting its entry from the file system table. Due to this, the file is no more accessible and its entry is not displayed in command line or My Computer. So, if you have deleted a file mistakenly using Shift+Delete or emptied the Recycle Bin, there is always a fair chance that you can recover it. Windows data recovery tools allow this functionality by scanning the storage media and restoring the lost files at a safe location.

Recovery Chances

As mentioned, for Windows, file deletion implies deleting the file entry and not its data, while making the acquired space available to be overwritten. If you manage to start the file recovery process before Windows could use that space for a new file, you can recover the file. The chances of recovery are the highest right after the file has been deleted and goes down with the time you continue to use the system. It also depends on the extent to which the hard drive is full. More the hard drive is full, more the odds are that the free space will be used by Windows to store new files. To secure data, you need to consider these tips:

If possible, stop working with the system Avoid running utilities like Disk Defragmenter, CHKDSK etc. Do not install any new application Do not save any new data on the hard drive

How to Recover?

Irrespective of Windows version in use, deleted files can be successfully recovered by using data recovery software. The best way to use these utilities is to follow the above recommended steps and install them on a different drive that might allow accessing the affected hard drive. Windows data recovery tools employ some scanning algorithms that powerfully search for the files whose entries don't exist in file system table. Once such files are found, these applications enlist them thereby allowing you to restore the desired ones at a safe location. Since they are quite interactive in nature, you don't face any technical difficulty running them.

Windows Data Recovery is a fully featured recovery utility for recovering lost and deleted data from FAT32, VFAT, NTFS and NTFS based drives. It is a comprehensive data recovery software that provides you advanced features including Drive Status, Disk Imaging, Drive Cloning and more. The software is compatible with Windows 7 RC1, Vista, XP, 2003 and 2000.