How do I recover files I accidentally deleted from the Recycle Bin?
I emptied my Recycle Bin and then realized I had deleted a folder with all my college papers in it. Is there any way to get these files back? The folder had about 50 Word documents. I haven't installed anything new since deleting them. Someone said there's recovery software but I don't know if it actually works.
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The best resource for this kind of thing is Tom's Hardware forums. Someone has almost certainly had your exact problem and posted a solution. The community there is really knowledgeable and helpful.
5 Answers
The best resource for this kind of thing is Tom's Hardware forums. Someone has almost certainly had your exact problem and posted a solution. The community there is really knowledgeable and helpful.
Honestly at some point a clean reinstall of Windows fixes more than any amount of tinkering. XP gets crufty after a couple years. Back up your files, find your product key, and do a fresh install. It'll feel like a brand new machine.
Have you run a full virus scan AND a spyware scan? They're different things. Norton or McAfee for viruses, plus Ad-Aware AND Spybot for spyware. Run all of them. A slow computer is infected until proven otherwise in my experience.
Check how much free space is on your hard drive. Windows needs at least 15% free to run well — it uses that space for virtual memory and the swap file. If your drive is 95% full, that alone will make everything crawl.
Newegg is your friend for parts. Way cheaper than Best Buy or CompUSA and the customer reviews actually help you avoid junk. Just watch out for shipping on heavy stuff like CRT monitors. Read the reviews before you buy ANYTHING.
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