Restoring cache files with a recovery program

oyoy71 · Post by **oyoy71** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 9:42 am

I did a recording for several months ago. I didn't save it as a project file, I only exported it as a wave file. Before I exported it, I did a bad edit. Is it possible that a cache file with the complete recording still exist on the drive? I'm going to do a scan with Get Data Back or something like that. What file name should I look for?

Has any one tried this?

Post by **kozikowski** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 4:36 pm

...several months ago..
Get Data Back

Sure, if after you made the edit, you carefully wrapped up the computer in plastic and never used it again until now. You ought to be able to get most if not all the work back. If you used the computer between then and now, chances are excellent the work is gone.

Windows doesn't actually delete anything, it marks the place on the drives as "free" or "available" rather like a divorce. The next time Windows needs space for something, Blammo. Gone.

This process also works much better if you keep your drives roomy, error checked and well defragmented. You do that, right?

This is why we advocate exporting raw capture and work files as WAV before you do anything to them and back them up to safety drives. I still have original capture work I did for a television commercial months ago.

Koz

Post by **steve** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:07 pm

Audacity does not store recordings on disk as a single file, it writes to disk as small "blocks" of data. A single recording can have thousands of blocks, all with unique, but essentially random numbered file names. As Koz suggested, the chances of recovering the data blocks after this time are slim, but a further problem is that even if you recover them it is unlikely that you would be able to reassemble them in the correct order. Exporting the original recording as a WAV file as soon as possible is highly recommended as backup insurance against situations like this.

oyoy71 · Post by **oyoy71** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:34 pm

I knew I was grasping for straws. If is spread around in small bits, I'm never gonna be able to put it together. And most of the bits are probably overwritten anyway.

I usually export the complete file before I do anything, but not this time.

Thanks for the reply.

Post by **steve** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:40 pm

oyoy71 wrote:I usually export the complete file before I do anything, but not this time.

Isn't that always the case - the one time that you really need a backup....

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Restoring cache files with a recovery program

Restoring cache files with a recovery program

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