What happens to the files that uninstall.exe deletes?

Question

A lot of my stuff just got deleted (btw, I executed the uninstall to get rid of an unwanted program on my desktop). I'm trying to recover it (pretty hard when you don't backup anything...) and someone has recommended Handy Recovery.

Anyway, I just wanted to know what happens to the files I lose when uninstall.exe is executed. I know they don't go into the recycle bin... what happens to them???

Answer 1

When you 'delete' something from your drive, you're merely telling the computer that it can write over that spot. The data is still there, unless you use a program that overwrites that space with random data or erases it entirely.

It's like when people mark an area on a chalkboard with Do Not Erase. Once that's no longer there, someone will erase it to make room for their own info.

Answer 2

it's not a big deal..



basically the uninstall.exe is removing every aspect that the program mount in your operating system (ex. file, registry change/add, etc)..



so when you lost it, you can check from the add/remove program in control panel, but if you can't found it, you'll need some more effort to remove the program, you have to manually remove the program, from deleting the software file, and registry(for this one you have to carefull).



but if you want the uninstall.exe recover, i recomended recuva...

this program pretty easy to use, or maybe pc inspector...

the most imporrtant thing is, this software is free... :)

Answer 3

They are just deleted from the disk (like using shift+delete). That means the file allocation table entry is deleted so the file is no longer visible, but the actual data remains on disk until overwritten by some other file. That is why you can sometimes recover it using a tool like the one you mentioned...

Answer 4

The files are still on your hard drive only they are invisible to your OS. As opposed to a file you might see in Windows Explorer, these files do not have a reserved spot in memory. They are in place but able to be overwritten which is why it is so crucial to perform your recovery as soon as possible.