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phpnetbeanswindows-7file-recovery

Is there a way to recover a file went dead after a power outage?

I was just developing a website on NetBeans 7.4, using PHP, i have saved the file a dozen times before by CTRL + S.

The millisecond i hit CTRL + S again to save my last changes on the file, a power outage happens, and my computer just went off. (Yeah, i'm so lucky.)

After a while, the power came back on, and i opened my computer to see all the file is gone.

I had hundreds of lines of code and (stupidly) didn't use git or any CVS for the project. The other files are just fine, but my computer went off while it was writing into the file i was working on (home.php).

I took a screenshot because i can't copy and paste the contents, as it's a bunch of NULL's on line 1. home.php :

home.php screenshot

My question is, is there any way i can recover this file, or did i just lose my 3.5 hours of work?

I've tried

  • To look for the file in windows cache
    • 404 : my file wasn't there.
  • To look for the file in netbeans' own cache directory.
    • 404 : my file wasn't there either
  • To look for the output in chrome cache
    • 404 : no chance.
  • System recovery
    • That didn't help because i don't have a restore point for 4 hours ago.
Solution

  • As mentioned, if the file's contents have been overwritten, then there's not much you can do.

    You could try and find an earlier version of your file using data recovery software and performing a deep scan of your drive. This will look for data that is not tied to a file (i.e. an earlier version of your work).

    You could try:

    • Recuva: small and free, feature rich, gets the job done
    • GetDataBack: not free, but highly effective (I've used it in the past, was quite satisfied with the results)
    • There's also a wikipedia article on data recovery software here, where you can check many other options