cgsecurity.org

When I delete a file in Windows or Linux from the GUI, be it delete, empty trash, or shift-delete, I can use TestDisk immediately to at least find the file if not outright recover it. But why is it if I delete something from the command-line/DOS prompt, it's likely gone for good?

I ask because I often do a "del *.*", and with a lot of my portable drives (FAT32 flash-drives, or FAT32 USB hard-drives), nothing shows up under recovery software even if I don't re-write over the drive. Is this a "feature" of command-line deletion?

When using "del" to delete a file, TestDisk should be able to list and recover the files when you navigate to its original directory, the filename will be listed in red. If the filename isn't shown, you can always try PhotoRec.