Recovering accidentally erased video files is possible with specialized software. Recuva is one such program that assists in retrieving lost data from various storage media. The operation's success hinges on whether the disk space has been overwritten with new information.
Step 1: Launch and Select File Type
Download and install Recuva from the developer's official website. Launch the application.
Upon first launch, the recovery wizard will open. From the list of file types, select Video. This focuses the search on formats like MP4, AVI, MOV, and MKV, streamlining the process and simplifying the subsequent selection. Click Next.
Step 2: Specify the Search Location
Identify the location where the videos were originally stored. For files from a USB flash drive or memory card, the On my media card option is appropriate.
If you remember the exact folder on the hard drive (e.g., "Videos" or "Downloads"), choose In a specific location and specify the path. Providing a precise location reduces scanning time.
Step 3: Pre-Scan Analysis
The wizard may suggest enabling a deeper analysis. The Deep Scan mode is a more time-consuming method that examines the disk sector-by-sector. It is often necessary if the file system was damaged or the data was deleted a long time ago.
For recently deleted files from an intact storage device, a quick scan might be sufficient. Make your decision and click Start.
Step 4: Await Scan Completion
The duration of the process is directly related to the storage capacity and the chosen scan method. A deep scan of a terabyte-sized drive can take several hours. Interrupting the scan is not recommended.
Step 5: Analyze and Select Results
Upon completion, Recuva will display a list of discovered video files.
Pay attention to the color indicators next to each file: green signifies a good state and a high recovery chance, yellow denotes a satisfactory state (the file may be partially overwritten), red means the file is unrecoverable.
Use the Preview function (if available) to visually identify the desired video before recovery. Sort the list by path or date modified for easier navigation.
Step 6: Recovery and the Critical Rule
Check the boxes next to the videos you need to retrieve.
Click the Recover button. A window will appear to select a folder for saving.
The Critical Rule: Always save recovered files to a physical drive different from the one you are recovering from. For instance, if videos were deleted from the C:\ drive, save them to the D:\ drive or an external USB drive. Saving to the same disk risks overwriting the data and its permanent loss.
Step 7: Process Completion
Wait for the data copying to finish. Afterwards, verify the integrity of the recovered videos by opening them in a media player.
Additional Recommendations from User Experience:
Chances of successful recovery increase significantly if you minimize any write operations to the disk immediately after file deletion.
For corrupted or partially overwritten videos, specialized file repair utilities exist that can fix playability.
Recuva has a portable version that can run from a USB flash drive, eliminating the writing of temporary files to the target disk.