Even though Recover My Files is a small program [approx 2Mb] if you install it to a computer on which you have deleted or lost files it is possible that it could overwrite the files you are actually trying to recover! For this reason a downloadable version is available from http://www.recovermyfiles.com/Download_RMF.html.
Reason: When a file is "emptied" from the Windows Recycle Bin, the data which makes up that file is not deleted from your computer"s hard drive. It is only the reference that Microsoft Windows uses to locate the storage position of the file that is removed. This is why Recover My Files can locate the deleted file and successfully recover it.
However, once a file is deleted, Microsoft Windows marks the space that the file originally occupied as "free space" and available for re-use by new files. If a new file is created there is a chance that it will now be allocated the free space which was previously used by the deleted file. If this happens then the deleted file will be overwritten resulting in permanent data loss.
Therefore we recommend that if you have lost important data, you should limit the use of the computer until you can take steps to get your data back. This will maximize your chances of data recovery.
If Recover My Files is not already installed on your computer then you should try one of the following:
Go to another PC in preparation of downloading Recover My Files. DO NOT download anything to the PC where the deleted or lost files are located.
If the computer with the deleted files is running Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 then download the "Floppy Disk" version of Recover My Files. (This will not work on Windows 9x). If the computer with the deleted files is running Windows 95/98/ME then download the "Uncompressed" executable version of Recover My Files. Links to these files can be found at http://www.recovermyfiles.com/Download_RMF.html.
The Floppy Disk version will fit onto an empty floppy disk.
The Uncompressed executable can easily be burnt onto a CD or copied to a USB drive or some other portable storage device.
If you are on a LAN (Local Area Network) then you can also run Recover My Files from a network shared drive
Once your recovery is complete we highly recommend that you download and install the "Installable" version of Recover My Files. That way you will be prepared to recover deleted and lost files in future.
You may also want to keep Recover My Files on CD ready for an emergency. For full details on how to setup an AutoRun CD with Recover My Files please read the Frequently Asked Questions .