Recover files with no parent directory Topic is solved

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noedig
Posts: 2
Joined: 02 Mar 2012, 08:16
Location: South Africa

Recover files with no parent directory

#1 Post by noedig »

I had a folder on an NTFS drive, with several files in it. The files contain data which is exported by a program. For the program to export data to a file, one has to supply the path for a file to export to. However, the last time I tried to export data, I accidentally only gave the path to the folder, and not to a file inside the folder. Without warning, the program wrote the data to a file with the same name as the folder containing the other files. Thus, the folder is now replaced by a file. There is now no way to access the files that were inside the folder, as the folder is now a file. The files that were in the folder are now thus without a parent folder.

If I am correct, trying to undelete the files will not help, as the files have not been marked as deleted. Is there a way to access the files and copy them to a folder so that I can access them? Perhaps there is a method to manually access the mft and access the files?

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Fiona
Posts: 2835
Joined: 18 Feb 2012, 17:19
Location: Ludwigsburg/Stuttgart - Germany

Re: Recover files with no parent directory

#2 Post by Fiona »

Diagnose your data using TestDisk first.
Don't write anything to your disk anymore.

Start testdisk.
Confirm at Create a log, select your affected disk, confirm throug until you get to Analyse.
Don't confirm at Analyse but Advanced.
Go to List and press enter to proceed.
Your data will be listed.
Please check if they're available.
Also check do you see a folder containing your data?
Directories are listed with "dr" at the left.
Use right arrow to navigate into a folder.

If your data are not listed,press q for Quit to leave the menu.
Next try is, to check Undelete wether your files are listed there?

To copy files in TestDisk, you'll find all commands at the bottom of the screen.

If TestDisk doesn't help, give PhotoRec a try.

noedig
Posts: 2
Joined: 02 Mar 2012, 08:16
Location: South Africa

Re: Recover files with no parent directory

#3 Post by noedig »

Thank you very much.

I managed to 'undelete' the data.

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