Backup and Restore: restore files in Recycler (Win7 Enterprise x64)

[MonkeyMan123]

Hi:

I have a Win 7 Enterprise Pro x64 laptop. Most of the files in my recycler/recycle bin mysteriously disappeared a few days back (I am guessing some OS quirk since desktop.ini also seems to have been modified then, though everything is still running smoothly).

So I want to get those files back. In my weekly backup to an external HDD using Win 7's built-in Backup and Restore I thought I have the recycler backed up:
Control Panel > Backup and Restore > Options > Change Backup Settings > Select where you want to save your backup > Where do you want to back up?: Let me choose > What do you want to back up?: Computer, Local Disk (C:, $RecycleBin is checked (my HD is partitioned and I also have the D: $RecycleBin selected here)

But when I select
Control Panel > Backup and Restore > Restore my files > Browse for files (or Browse for folders)
I get a explorer like screen which lists in the title bar,
Backup on <location> > Backup of C:
and lists all other folders I checked off in the Backup in the last paragraph but not the $RecycleBin folder.

Note that I have "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" selected and "Hide protected operating system files" unchecked in folder options (so for example ProgramData is listed in the folders in the last paragraph). I also am able to restore other files from my backup so I am rather sure the backup is not corrupted.

Is there someway to find and restore the recycler files or is this just not something which is possible? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!

PS I have tried directly recovering using the file recovery program Recuva. Most of the files I want are listed a too damaged to be restored.

 

[MonkeyMan123]

Sorry to bump this but hoping someone might have a suggestion on this (or even to tell me that it is not possible to restore files from the recycler)

 

[Brink]

Hello MonkeyMan,

One possibility for what happened is if the Recycle Bin has reached it's max storage size, it will automatically permanently delete the oldest deleted files to make room for new deleted files.

Recycle Bin storage size
​

Since you have backups, do you have a backup available before the files were deleted that you may be able to recover them from?

Hope this may help some,
Shawn

 

[MonkeyMan123]

Thanks for the response Brink!

Yes I am guessing you are right that I hit the recycler cap (which I had never known about). I upped it so going forward I will hopefully not encounter this again.

And my question was exactly about what you mentioned. When I did the backup, I had the recycler folder checked off. But when I try to restore those files, that folder is not listed (see my original post). Do you know how to make it appear or if they are somehow hidden away somewhere?

 

[Kaktussoft]

Are you talking about $RECLYCLED on C or D or?? Is system restore enabled on all disks you're talking about? If so... do you have restore points prior to start of problem? Don't do a system restore... just answer

Right click on C:\$RECYCLED ->previous versions, and go back in time for that folder. Eventually on D and E... as well.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/85679-previous-versions-restore-files-folders.html

 

[Brink]

Even if checked to be included in the backup, I've never seen the $Recycle.Bin folder listed in a backup.

Instead, you might look in your backups for the files in the folders (if available) they were in before being deleted to the Recycle Bin to see if you may be able to restore them that way.

 

[MonkeyMan123]

Brink: Thanks! Unfortunately I do not even have a list of all files that there were in the recycler so that may be hard to do. Strange that it even allows you to check it off when you select which files to backup and then it does not back them up! Ugh wish there was a way to get it from those backups.

Kaktussoft: Thanks for the suggestion but I unfortunately do not have restore points enabled

 

[Brink]

Well, I suppose that if you know what folder(s) the files were in before you deleted them, and if the folder(s) were included in the backup, then you could go through Windows Backup to flip through the files in those backed up folders to see if you may spot them.

 

[Kaktussoft]

Brink: Thanks! Unfortunately I do not even have a list of all files that there were in the recycler so that may be hard to do. Strange that it even allows you to check it off when you select which files to backup and then it does not back them up! Ugh wish there was a way to get it from those backups.

Kaktussoft: Thanks for the suggestion but I unfortunately do not have restore points enabled

So you deleted files... and now you want them back... why did you delete them? Why are restore points not enabled? It can save you a lot of problems in case of bad installers or bad patches!

 

[Layback Bear]

Just a question if I may.
Does Indexing have to be activated in order to find the files/folder?

 

[Kaktussoft]

Just a question if I may.
Does Indexing have to be activated in order to find the files/folder?

No! Only used for contents of the files

 

[Layback Bear]

Thank you Kaktussoft.

 

[MonkeyMan123]

Brink:
These were primarily files on my desktop or my browser temp folder (I use these a bit like a cache sometimes). The files are not there for long so it will be hard to get them from the (weekly) backups. Really my only hope is if the Recycler is in fact backed up: it seems a bit weird that this is not possible.

Kaktussoft:
Yes in restrospect having restore points on would have been nice! A guru at work told me that they were not really needed if one was backing up along with a system image of c:\ in the backup (which I also do).

So it seems I may be SOL. Before I give up can anyone definitively state that even if the recycler is checked off to be backed up in Backup and Restore that this does not in fact happen?

 

[Kaktussoft]

Brink:
These were primarily files on my desktop or my browser temp folder (I use these a bit like a cache sometimes). The files are not there for long so it will be hard to get them from the (weekly) backups. Really my only hope is if the Recycler is in fact backed up: it seems a bit weird that this is not possible.

Kaktussoft:
Yes in restrospect having restore points on would have been nice! A guru at work told me that they were not really needed if one was backing up along with a system image of c:\ in the backup (which I also do).

So it seems I may be SOL. Before I give up can anyone definitively state that even if the recycler is checked off to be backed up in Backup and Restore that this does not in fact happen?

You also have an image of C with most likely the files in recycle bin?

 

[Brink]

Brink:
These were primarily files on my desktop or my browser temp folder (I use these a bit like a cache sometimes). The files are not there for long so it will be hard to get them from the (weekly) backups. Really my only hope is if the Recycler is in fact backed up: it seems a bit weird that this is not possible.

Kaktussoft:
Yes in restrospect having restore points on would have been nice! A guru at work told me that they were not really needed if one was backing up along with a system image of c:\ in the backup (which I also do).

So it seems I may be SOL. Before I give up can anyone definitively state that even if the recycler is checked off to be backed up in Backup and Restore that this does not in fact happen?

You are able to open the $Recycle.Bin folder, and that's why it lets you check the $Recycle.Bin folder to be included in the backup.

Unfortunately, since users do not have permission rights to access the subfolders by default in the $Recycle.Bin folder, the subfolders will not be included in a Windows Backup.

It's a catch 22.


They will be included in a system image since it's for the whole drive.


http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/24771-system-image-extract-files-using-disk-management.html

 

[MonkeyMan123]

OK got it thanks Kaktussoft and Brink!

Sorry for being such a dummy, but how then do I access the system image which BandR made for me? I do not want to write over any files currently on my C:\ drive but would like to get just the recycler files back. Is there a way to do that?

 

[Brink]

Sure thing. You could use the method in the tutorial below to manually extract (copy and paste) any found needed files without harming the system image.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/24771-system-image-extract-files-using-disk-management.html

 

[MonkeyMan123]

Brink:
Thanks again!
After I attach the VHD and navigate the to recycler folder (C>$Recyle.Bin>Recycle Bin) in the Virtual Drive it is for some reason showing something that is very close to the current contents of the recyle bin. Strange thing is the modified date of the folder on the virtual drive is when I made the backup.
Can you let me know what I am doing wrong?

PS I see now that the *.vhd file got a new time stamp after I exited. I had not selected the read-only option but did not delete or do anything to any of the files

 

[Kaktussoft]

Brink:
Thanks again!
After I attach the VHD and navigate the to recycler folder (C>$Recyle.Bin>Recycle Bin) in the Virtual Drive it is for some reason showing something that is very close to the current contents of the recyle bin. Strange thing is the modified date of the folder on the virtual drive is when I made the backup.
Can you let me know what I am doing wrong?

PS I see now that the *.vhd file got a new time stamp after I exited. I had not selected the read-only option but did not delete or do anything to any of the files

What is the drive letter of attached VHD? In my sample I use Q
Browse to Q:\$RECYCLE.BIN
Be sure to enable showing system files and hidden files! http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/394-hidden-files-folders-show-hide.html (2 and 4)
Now you see the recycle bin of you and of other users. But "recycle bin" is just a collection of files deleted on currently connected disks!!

So: C>$Recyle.Bin>Recycle Bin shows exactly the same as D>$Recyle.Bin>Recycle Bin

 

[Kaktussoft]

Best thing to do is:

1. Detach the vhd, so you can't access it. To be 100% sure detach the external disk completely.
2. Restore files you want to keep from recycle bin.
3. Empty the recycle bin.
4. Attach the vhd. (read only)
5. Look in recycle bin as you do normally. You can restore whatever you want

when done: Close all applications accessing the vhd so all explorer windows. Detach vhd. A simple reboot is fine as well.