Accidentally deleting c drive files from your computer can be a distressing experience. However, there is hope for recovering those c drive deleted files. When files are deleted from the C drive, they are not immediately erased from the hard drive. Instead, the space they occupied is marked as available for reuse. This means that with the right tools and techniques, it’s possible to recover deleted files from the C drive.
To recover deleted files from the C drive, it is recommended to follow a series of steps. First, stop using the C drive immediately to minimize the risk of overwriting the deleted files. Next, install reputable file recovery software on a different drive or external storage device to avoid overwriting data on the C drive.
What Happens If I Delete Everything in My C Drive?
- Loss of Operating System: Deleting everything on the C drive will remove the operating system files, rendering your computer unable to boot up. Without an operating system, your computer will not function properly, and you won’t be able to use it until you reinstall the operating system.
- Data Loss: Deleting everything on the C drive will also result in the loss of all data stored on that drive. This includes personal files, documents, photos, videos, and any other data that you saved on the C drive. It’s important to note that deleting files from the Recycle Bin or formatting the C drive will make the data harder to recover.
- Program and Application Loss: When you delete everything on the C drive, you will lose all the installed programs and applications stored on that drive. This means you will need to reinstall all of your software, including productivity tools, games, and any other programs you regularly use.
- System Instability: Deleting system files from the C drive can lead to system instability and errors. The operating system relies on specific files and configurations to function correctly. Removing these files can cause crashes, errors, and unpredictable behavior.
- Inoperable Computer: Ultimately, if you delete everything on the C drive without proper backup or recovery options, your computer may become inoperable until you reinstall the operating system and restore your data from backups.
How To Recover Permanently Deleted Files From C Drive?
Method 1: Recover C Drive Deleted Files Using Recycle Bin
Recovering deleted files from the C drive using the Recycle Bin is possible if the files haven’t been permanently deleted or if the Recycle Bin hasn’t been emptied. Here’s how you can recover files using the Recycle Bin:
Step 1: Open the Recycle Bin: Double-click on the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop. This will open a window displaying the deleted files and folders stored in the Recycle Bin.
Step 2: Locate the deleted files: Look for the files or folders you want to recover. You can scroll through the list or use the search bar at the top-right corner to search for specific files.
Step 3: Select the files for recovery: Once you’ve found the files you want to recover, you can either right-click on each file and select “Restore” or select multiple files and click on the “Restore the selected items” option in the toolbar. This action will restore the files to their original location on the C drive.
Step 4: Check the restored files: After the restoration process, navigate to the original location of the files on the C drive to ensure that they have been successfully recovered.
Method 2: Recover C Drive Deleted Files Using Previous Version
Step 1: Right-click on the folder where the deleted files were originally on the C drive.
Step 2: Select “Restore previous versions” from the context menu. This will open the Properties window for that folder.
Step 3: In the Properties window, navigate to the “Previous Versions” tab.
Step 4: Here, you’ll see a list of available previous versions of the folder. Each version represents a snapshot taken by Windows at a specific point in time.
Step 5: Select the most recent version that contains the deleted files or the version closest to the date when the files were present.
Step 6: Click on the “Restore” button to restore the selected previous version of the folder.
Step 7: Windows will prompt you to choose a location to restore the folder. Select a location other than the original location on the C drive to avoid overwriting any existing data.
Step 8: After selecting the restore location, click “Restore” to initiate the restoration process.
Step 9: Once the restoration is complete, navigate to the selected restore location to access the recovered files.
Method 3: Recover C Drive Deleted Files Using One Drive
Step 1: Open the OneDrive website go to the OneDrive website (https://onedrive.live.com) and sign in with your Microsoft account associated with OneDrive.
Step 2: Navigate to the “Recycle Bin” folder on the OneDrive website, and click on the “Recycle bin” option in the left sidebar. This will open the Recycle Bin folder where deleted files from your OneDrive are stored.
Step 3: Search for the deleted files: In the Recycle Bin folder, you can scroll through the list of deleted files or use the search bar at the top-right corner to search for specific files.
Step 4: Select the files for recovery once you find the files you want to recover, you can either right-click on each file and select “Restore” or select multiple files and click on the “Restore” button in the toolbar. This action will restore the files to their original location on OneDrive and, consequently, on your C drive.
Step 5: Check the restored files after the restoration process, and navigate to the original location of the files on your OneDrive or the synced OneDrive folder on your C drive to ensure that they have been successfully recovered.
Method 4: Recover Deleted Files From C Drive Using Hi5 File Recovery
Hi5 File Recovery is an award-winning tool loved by millions of users across the globe, the tool is user-friendly to make recovering deleted files from Windows 10 updates extremely easy. You can restore easily your files without any modification. The tool is built with powerful algorithms that dive deeper into the petition to recover more than 280 types of files lost due to any reason It supports all kinds of brands of windows. The tool is compatible with all versions of Windows and Mac.
Download NowDownload NowSteps To Recover Deleted Files From C Drive
Step 1: Download and install Hi5 File Recovery Tool on your desktop.
Step 2: Then you will get the two main windows, Deleted File Recovery option, and Lost File Recovery.
Step 3: Select the appropriate option based on your situation.
Step 4: The software will ask you to Select the drive from where you want to recover files.
Step 5: Choose the drive and click on the Next option to initiate the file Recovery process.
Step 6: Wait for a while.
Step 7: Once the data recovery process is completed, you can view recovered files using the Preview option.
Step 8: Click on the Save option to save retrieved files on any desired location
Tips To Prevent Recover Deleted Files From C Drive
- Permanent Deletion
- Encryption
- Disable File History and System Restore
- Disk Formatting
- Secure Disposal
Conclusion:
Here we end our discussion on recovering permanently deleted files from C drive. Where we have explained 6 ways to help you get back deleted files from C drive. However, if you are looking for an easy yet quick way to retrieve deleted files from C drive. We suggest you make use of the Hi5 File Recovery Tool. If you have any additional questions, feel free to drop them in the comment section below.
