How to Use UndeletePlus

To launch UndeletePlus:

Select: Start > Programs > TouchStoneSoftware > UndeletePlus > UndeletePlus to activate the following screen:

Figure 1: The Undelete Plus main screen

2.1 How to Recover Deleted Files

Undelete Plus lets you scan your hard drive and removable devices to find all recoverable files.

Step 1. Select the drives you want scanned from the left pane. For example, the C:\ drive usually refers to your main computer hard disk.

Figure 2: The Drives list displaying system drives

Step 2. Click the Start Scan button and Undelete Plus will begin scanning your computer hard disk for recoverable files.

Note: Scanning may take some time to complete.

After the scan is complete, all the recoverable files will be displayed in the right pane of the Undelete PLUS main screen as follows:

Figure 3: The Undelete PLUS main screen displaying recoverable files

There are several options available to help you filter and locate the desired recoverable files. After the scan is complete, the left pane displays the different types of recoverable files.

Step 3. Select the file type you would like to recover from the Types list of file types.

Figure 4: The Types list displaying different types of recoverable files

If UndeletePlus locates potentially recoverable Excel or Word files, you will see the relevant option on this menu.

Step 4. Double-click the file type to display its associated files in the right pane as follows:

Figure 5: The Undelete PLUS main screen displaying recovered files according to type

Note: As in the example above, you may find that the files have lost their original names and now appear as Dc13.doc and so on. This is because it is sometimes not possible to recover the original file name from the Windows operating system, even though the file itself can be recovered. Look at the file size, creation and modification dates and the path (folder) it was originally deleted from to help you to identify which one it is.

To sort the search results by the original location of these deleted files:

Step 5. Click Folders in the left pane to activate the following screen:

Figure 6: The Folders list displaying the original locations of deleted files

Step 6: Click the + next to the C:\ drive option to expand the list of folders from which your files were deleted.

2.2 How to Create a Filter for the Scan

Wading through thousands of recoverable files can be a daunting task. However, you can use the Filter option if you know which file you want to undelete. This will drastically reduce the time needed to look through the search results. For example, if you want to search the results only for recoverable Word documents (files with a .doc extension), then you should specify this in the Filter.

Step 1. Click the Filter button beneath the Undelete PLUS - Main screen title bar to activate the following window:

Figure 7: The Undelete PLUS Filter screen

A common filtering method is to use the original name of the file. However, as we have seen before, the file name may be distorted in its current state.
Step 2. Check the All or part of the file name: check box.

Step 3. Type all or part of the name of the file you want to recover into the text field. You can also use the '*' wildcard character here, to search for every possible file with a particular extension. For instance, if you are looking for all Word documents you can type *.doc.

If you don't know the file name but have a good idea when you created or last saved the file, use the second option.

Step 4. Check the When was it modified? check box.

Step 5. Select either Modified Date (when you last saved the file) or Created Date.

Step 6. Enter a date range in the next two scroll lists.

If you can remember the file size, perform the following step. Otherwise, simply proceed to Step 8.

Step 7. Check the What size is it? check box, then enter a file size.

Step 8. Check both Hide Overwritten Files and Hide Temporary Internet Files options because it is highly unlikely that you will be looking for system generated files, or files that cannot be restored.

Step 9. Click the Set Filter button.

The list of the files in the right pane will now be reduced to those containing the criteria set in the filter.

Step 10. Click the Start Scan button.

2.3 How to Undelete Files

Step 1. Select a location in which to restore your files. Note: By default, the program will restore the files to the My Documents folder. If this location is convenient for you, skip the next step.

Step 2. Locate the Undelete selected file(s) to: option on your screen

Step 3. Click: next to the Undelete selected file(s) to: next to the folder name to change it.

Step 4. Browse to locate the folder to which you want to restore your files. You may at this point want to create a folder to store the recovered files. This way you will be able to find the recovered files easily. The program will remember this location every time you run it.

Step 5. Click the entry in the right pane of the main screen to select the file to be recovered. When selected, the file will have a check mark beside it as in the example below:

Figure 8: The Undelete PLUS main screen displaying files selected for recovery

Step 6. Click the Start Undelete button.

The file(s) will then be undeleted into the folder you specified earlier. There is a handy short cut to this folder.

Step 7. Click Open in the bottom right corner of the window.

A Windows Explorer window will open with your restored file.

Note: It is recommended that you restore files to another disk on your computer or a USB memory stick. This is a precaution to ensure that you do not accidentally overwrite other as yet undeleted files on your computer.

Tip: If you have just wrongly deleted a document or a number of files, it is recommended that you immediately run Undelete Plus. Do not reboot the computer or start any new programs. This will minimise the risk of Windows writing over the deleted files with new information.