Computer file recovery should be viewed and attempted based on two possible scenarios. The first is when you have simply accidentally deleted files from your computer. This happens in several ways. One example would be the common practice of emptying your Windows recycle bin. If you empty the Windows recycle bin and a file you had meant to keep was inside of it is permanently deleted. You can of course restore emptied recycle bin files with a data recovery program. We also accidentally delete files when we’re working within applications. We also accidentally delete files when those files are stored on an external drive such as a flash drive or memory card. Externally stored files are extremely simple to recover.
The second scenario under which files are lost or more accurately described as inaccessible occurs when files needed to start up Windows and therefore access our computer hard drive have been damaged during startup or shutdown. When this happens, we face a double dilemma as the files that run Windows are locked away in a frozen hard drive that requires those same files to open it with. It’s a bit confusing, but the main thing to understand in dealing with files lost in a crashed hard drive is that you must access files using a third party data recovery tool, copy any files you wish to save out of the crashed hard drive and then entirely reload Windows.