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Dear PC Doctor,
I accidentally deleted a whole bunch of pictures that were on my computer! I know they should be in the Recycle Bin but I don't have the icon on the desktop like my work computer does. Are my pictures long gone or are they somewhere on my computer still?
Abigail
Dear Abigail,
Yikes! Accidentally deleting something is just as bad as forgetting to save something. It's way too easy to lose digital files unfortunately.
However, you are right in thinking that you can still get your files back. Even when the icon for the Recycle Bin isn't on your desktop, it's still accessible which means your files are still probably kicking around.
Go to the Start Orb and type “Recycle Bin” into the search bar. In the list you should see a folder titled Recycle Bin. Clicking on it will open a new window and you should be able to see all your recently deleted files. Select all the files you wish to recover and click the recover button.
If you wish to add the Recycle Bin icon to your desktop, repeat the above directions up to typing “Recycle Bin” into the search bar. Click on the very first item on the list: “Show or hide common icons on the desktop”. Check the box that's labeled “Recycle Bin” and click OK.
Good luck!
PC Doctor
Until next time… happy computing!
Posted: to Athol Library News on Tue, Feb 14, 2012
Updated: Tue, Feb 14, 2012