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Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site nicmad.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!brown
From: brown@nicmad.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: Norton utilities question
Message-ID: <251@nicmad.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 12-Jul-85 23:18:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: nicmad.251
Posted: Fri Jul 12 23:18:32 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 15-Jul-85 00:36:31 EDT
References: <5507@tekecs.UUCP>
Reply-To: brown@nicmad.UUCP (Mr. Video)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Nicolet Instrument Corp. Madison WI
Lines: 33

In article <5507@tekecs.UUCP> glenm@tekecs.UUCP (Glen McCluskey) writes:
>
>One of the Norton utilities claims to be able to recover
>deleted files.  Does it actually do this?  If so, how?
>Can anyone share experiences with actually recovering files?

When a file is deleted, it isn't actually removed from the diskette.
Basically the link that holds it in the directory is removed.  The information
in the directory that tells where the starting cluster is and how many
bytes it is, is still there.  The first character of the directory name
is replaced with a ?.  So, Norton's job was made easy.  Basically, replace
the first character with one that you give it and add the link back into
the directory.  This is it in a nutshell.  All of the details may not
be perfect, but the idea is there.  I have had to use Norton's Utilities
a few times to recover files.  I have even used other features of NU's
to go into the directory and some some of my own patching, because the
first few sectors got destroyed with other data.

So, the main thing to remember is, if you delete something by mistake,
don't do anything else to change the directory, especially like add new
data.  It may use the directory entry that you deleted by mistake.  Then
it is real difficult to recover the data, since it was written over.

Also if you format a diskette, you can forget about getting anything back.
-- 
              |------------|
              | |-------| o|    JVC HRD725U 
Mr. Video     | |       | o|  |--------------|
              | |       |  |  | |----| o o o |
              | |-------| O|  |--------------|
              |------------|     VHS Hi-Fi (the only way to go)
   seismo!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!brown
   ihnp4!nicmad!brown