An excellent example of data retrieval is the process of recovering files from an emptied Windows recycle bin. Here we are trying to access our computer’s hard drive and look through it in order to find files that have been not only deleted from our computer’s hard drive but have been modified to their placement in the Windows recycle bin. Usually, when we speak in terms of data retrieval, we reference finding deleted or damaged files that have been deeply hidden away in standard folders or other virtual folders. The perfect example of a virtual folder is the aforementioned Windows recycle bin.
What makes File Finder such an effective tool for data retrieval is that after File Finder completes an efficient search of your computer’s hard drive, it not only returns a list of recoverable files it also presents attached to that list the relative pathways those files were found on. The pathways also include a day and time date stamp. These two indicators are extremely important when trying to retrieve files that were deleted through an existing folder or virtual folder. For example, when we empty the Windows recycle bin, those files are renamed with a coded hash like number. Knowing that all Windows recycle bin files are temporarily stored in a folder marked recycler allows us to scan through the File Finder recoverable files list and quickly pick out deleted recycle bin files. The use of the time date stamp by File Finder allows us to locate any files such as Microsoft Word documents that were recently created and then deleted.
