Recovering deleted items.

jimzipjimzip
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
Hey everyone.

I know threads about deleting stubborn files and such have been posted a bit, and after doing a search I found no threads on recovering lost files. i.e, files that you Emptied Trash on and wanted back.

I know there's a way, or the "Secure Delete" function wouldn't be in Panther, so how would I go about it?



Thanks,

Jimzip

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    jimzipjimzip Posts: 446member
    Oh. So you can't use the Terminal?

    I was just wondering since I've had times when I've deleted things I've ended up needing, that's all.

    No biggie. Thanks for the reply!



    Jimzip
  • Reply 2 of 5
    der kopfder kopf Posts: 2,275member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Jimzip

    So you can't use the Terminal?



    I do believe you can use the Terminal, actually. The man page for the rm command is somewhat informative (especially when it mentions the -W flag):



    Quote:

    -W Attempt to undelete the named files. Currently, this option can only be used to recover files covered by whiteouts.



    I'm not sure as to what a 'whiteout' is, though I'd think they are talking about a deletion where the remnants of the file are not overwritten (as they would be using the -P flag). A simple trash-and-empty-trash in the Finder should qualify.



    Of course, you'll have to know the exact path and name of the file you attempt to undelete, and you will be bound by the regular terms of undeleting: if it's overwritten, it's gone, so the sooner you undelete, the better.



    All this said, I really don't know if this'll work. I do think Norton Systemworks has a decent undelete utility.
  • Reply 3 of 5
    merovingianmerovingian Posts: 436member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by der Kopf I'm not sure as to what a 'whiteout' is, though I'd think they are talking about a deletion where the remnants of the file are not overwritten (as they would be using the -P flag). A simple trash-and-empty-trash in the Finder should qualify.



    I believe a white-out is when you delete a file, and not overwrite the data. Basically when you 'delete' a file, it removes all references to the location of the file on your HD. The actual data is left behind, (which Norton's or something could look for), but this HD space is marked as 'unused'. Hence, keeping HD activity to an absolute minimum means you are most likely to be able to retrieve the lost data.



    With the secure delete in Panther if I remember correctly, basically the locations where the deleted file is, are rewritten with random bits, either once, seven times, or 35 times, depending on the level of security you wish to impose. m.
  • Reply 4 of 5
    jimzipjimzip Posts: 446member
    Hey that's weird..

    Anyone seen those white link-boxes at the top of this thread?

    Look what they're talking about?

    Spooky..



    Jimzip



    Oh, that's weird too. They changed. Here's what they said:

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