Recover nuked files

[GamaRex]

I selected several files within a folder to delete, and used Nuke (intentionally). However, it nuked the entire folder. I believe I managed to do something similar at another time. First, is there any way to recover the nuked folder, unlikely as that is? And second, what have I likely done to delete an entire folder, when I'd selected individual files within it? Thanks.

[Twisten]

Probably the tree item was still in focus but it doesn't feel right.
To recover those deleted files (if they are recoverable) you need some program like 'undelete plus'.

[serendipity]

First, is there any way to recover the nuked folder, unlikely as that is?

I've had decent success with Recuva.

[GamaRex]

Thank you Twisten and serendipity. I saw Twisten's suggestion of UndeletePLUS and decided to give it a try. I followed the instructions and installed it to an external drive, and restored files to the same external drive. I believe it found all the files that I that I nuked, and responded that it restored them successfully. When browsing through the restored files, it looks like the majority of them really were successfully restored. On spot-checking, most document files are readable, though a few were not. Most of the image files were recovered, though several display as "Bad Image" in XYplorer thumbnail view, and can't be opened. Considering what could have been lost, I'm happy with the result.

I've removed the "Nuke" button I'd had on the XYplorer toolbar, and will stick to Recycle from now on. I've tended to Nuke large files like executables and pdfs in the past to get them out of the way, but the risk clearly isn't worth it, even though I've tried to be very cautious when using it.

While I'm not overjoyed at buying more software, the cost will soon be forgotten. The file loss might have been a regret for a long time.

Thank you for the suggestions that were right on point.

[highend]

You really wiped all that files and got such a dialog window?

Unbenannt.png

It should be impossible to recover a wiped file (as long as every
block is overwritten with e.g. 00) otherwise the function is really
flawed...

[PeterH]

It should be impossible to recover a wiped file (as long as every
block is overwritten with e.g. 00) otherwise the function is really
flawed...

That was my first thought, too...
...but then I realized that he said nuked, not wiped
(and then had to take a look in the depth of documentation )

[highend]

I used the "Nuke" toolbar button to get this window...

But I'm currently wiping the free blocks (no, not with XYplorer *g*) on my E:\Drive
to do a few recovery tests to see if it makes a difference if the nuke or wipe
button is used.

[GamaRex]

Yes, I did use the "Nuke" toolbar icon to delete the folder. I don't see Nuke in the menu choices, but it should be equivalent to File, File Special, Delete (No Recycle Bin). The Windows equivalent is Shift-Delete. I expect that to be less drastic than Wipe, and it appears to be, if the files could be recovered. If you do learn the differences between Nuke and Wipe, it should be worth knowing.

[nas8e9]

The help file describes Wipe as follows:

Wipe

Wipe is a method to securely delete files beyond recovery (at least by conventional software-based forensic tools). This sort of deletion is also known as Shred, Erase, Secure Delete, Nuke, etc. XYplorer's Wipe doesn't perform paranoid stuff like multiple passes or random patterns, because instead of increasing security this is just stressing your hardware. The following steps suffice to destroy a file permanently:

1. Reset file attributes.

2. Overwrite file with zeros (single pass).

3. Set file size to zero.

4. Rename file.

5. Reset the three file dates to random dates.

6. Delete file.

The entry for Nuke reads:

Nuke

The Nuke command is only available as toolbar button. It's an alternative Delete command that is highly configurable.

By factory default Nuke pops a confirmation prompt and on OK deletes the selected items to the Recycle Bin. Via the button's right-click menu you can freely configure its behavior.

· With Confirmation: Enable or disable confirmation prompt.

· To Recycler: Recycle or delete permanently.

· Skipping Locked File: Skip any locked files.

· Wiping Beyond Recovery: Wipe files beyond recovery. See also Wipe under menu File | File Special.

In a nutshell, Wipe will not just delete files but make them unrecoverable by conventional/reasonable means. Nuke is best summarised as above: an alternative Delete command that is highly configurable and may be set to Wipe.

[GamaRex]

Thanks for that explanation. I believe I will leave the Nuke button off the toolbar from now on, given that my file selection isn't going well. I can imagine using Wipe only for external drives or when planning to give away a computer. My McAfee antivirus has a similar tool that they call a Shredder.