Oh no, you actually did it. You told yourself never to do it, but before you could stop yourself, you went and clicked on the wrong option and… you deleted an important file from your flash drive! Now you feel like crying because it was the only copy you had, and now it’s gone.

There has to be a way to get it back even though everyone tells you, “Forget it. It’s gone. You’re screwed.”

Just to be sure, you check the trash can on your desktop, but of course, it’s not there. Darn, I’m screwed, you think to yourself.

I played out this scenario not very long ago, but the only thing is, I’m a lot more stubborn than most people! I don’t like hearing, “There’s nothing you can do” or “You can’t do that.” It makes me more determined to find a way to prove everybody wrong.

After a lot of internet searching, I did prove them wrong. The common statement that a file is irretrievable when you delete it from a flash drive is completely false! It’s a myth. It should be easily retrievable if you have the right tools. It was actually very easy and completely cost-free!

There are several software tools out there that claim to recover deleted flash drive files, but I had great luck with the first one I tried, so I didn’t need to test out the others. I have absolutely no affiliation with the product or the company, but because the software is easy to use and does exactly what it claims to do, I’m happy to tell the world about it!

Recuva is a Virtual Assistant’s dream come true. Actually, it’s any computer-user’s dream come true! It’s a file-recovery program that allows you to:

• Undelete the files on your computer that you have deleted by mistake

• Recover files from damaged or formatted disks, flash drives (thumb drives/USB sticks), storage cards, etc.

• Recover deleted emails on your computer (of course, this won’t work for web-based email!)

• Recover deleted iPod music

• Restore unsaved Word documents (!)

• Run a deep scan for harder to find files

• Securely delete files and erase any traces of them

• Use a portable version that you can take with you to use anywhere you need it

• Choose different Recuva download options, depending on your needs, ranging from Free to Professional to Business Edition

WHERE TO FIND IT:

http://www.piriform.com/recuva – Even if you don’t currently have a need for this program, you may want to bookmark the website because chances are, you will need it at some point in time.

HOW TO RECOVER LOST OR DELETED FLASH DRIVE FILES:

Download and install the Recuva program, according to the directions. When you open the program, the Recuva wizard will start. It will guide you through the process.

You will choose the location/drive of the file(s) that you want to recover and what type of file(s) you want to recover (photos, documents, music, etc.).

You will see a complete list of files that are of the type you had chosen. Select which file(s) you want to recover, click ‘Restore’ and then select the location you want the file to be recovered to (eg. Desktop). For best results, Recuva says it should be a location other than where the file was lost or deleted (eg. The flash drive).

It really is that easy. Don’t you wish you had come across Recuva years ago?