How to undelete file?

[Clay Clear]

I wish to write a 32-bit program that undeletes deleted files,
including reinstating their LFN's, if any.

I am a licensed user of the McAfee Office 2000 software.
However, I wish to be able to uninstall it and use my own
programs. The only two functions I use from it are QuickCopy
and Undelete. I've already written my own version of QuickCopy,
and have it installed in my Windows Explorer's rightclick
context menu and File Menu. Now, if I can only get the info
I require to write my own version of Undelete, I can dump
the McAfee stuff. While the McAfee stuff does those things, already,
their software setup is EXTREMELY sloppy, and makes additions/changes
to my Win98 SE that I have NO desire to put up with. It does that
even if I tell the setup program to NOT install those options.
Besides, I see no sense in having to install a full suite just to use
two of its functions.

So, if somebody can point me to the API calls I'd need to use to write
my own Undelete program, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

P.S. I've already checked my win32.hlp file, and couldn't find any
applicable API information.


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Clay C. Clear

Clay Clear's Software
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[This message has been edited by Clay Clear (edited October 24, 2001).]

[Lance Edmonds]

the system recycle bin seems to be the way to go unless you want to implement your own version.

check out http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pb...ad.php?t=22918

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lance
powerbasic support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</a>

[Clay Clear]

Lance,

I use the Recycle Bin, *IF* I delete files with the Windows Explorer.
What I would like the Undelete program for is to undelete files
that have NOT been moved to the Recycle Bin (i.e., they were deleted
by PB's KILL command, or at the DOS Prompt with the command
processor "del" function, etc.)

I'll go check out that link you posted in your reply.

Thanks for your reply.

Regards,


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Clay C. Clear

Clay Clear's Software
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[Lance Edmonds]

I could be off-base here, but I believe that the old Norton's recycle bin + undelete hooks into the file system and intercepted all KILL-like activity and moved the files to it's own version of the "recycle bin".

To work "outside" of the raw O/S behavior is a big task, say, if you want to be able to pick up the pieces of an O/S deleted file - especially with say NTFS (NT/Win2K), etc. Raw disk access in Windows is a problem in NTFS.

Of course, writing your own delete function using the recycle bin instead of the PowerBASIC KILL statement will solve part of your problems, but as for files deleted with DOS or other apps? Hmmm...

I'd try searching www.google.com or www.dogpile.com for ideas or example code. Someone must have been down this road before.

Good luck!


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Lance
PowerBASIC Support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[Clay Clear]

Lance,

I "solved" my problem, but not in the way I had wanted. What I did
was copy McAfee's Undelete EXE to my C:\PBDLL60\SAMPLES directory
(which I have in my DOS Path). Then I kept running it until I
stopped getting the Windows error message (...is linked to missing
DLL..." (to parphrase). For each time I got that, I copied the missing
DLL to the aforementioned directory. Then, I completely uninstalled
McAfee's stuff. Then I tested the Undelete, and it worked fine.

I don't consider this "piracy", as I paid for the McAfee software myself,
and have NO intention of giving the Undelete files to other people.
In other words, i am still a "licensed" user.

Yeah, the McAfee software also has a "hook" to deleting files, and
moves them to the Recycle Bin. It even works with files being
deleted with the command processor, ora DOS program. But, it slows
down the system TERRIBLY, if I am doing mass deleting.

Anyway, thanks for your help!

Regards,


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Clay C. Clear

Clay Clear's Software
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[Clay Clear]

Karl,

You may wish to consider purchasing McAfee Office 2000. The
Nuts'n'Bolts portion of it has the 32-bit Undelete function
that I'm using. I'm warning you, though, that the suite really
stinks, especially its setup when you first install it. It installs
stuff that you specifically tell it to NOT install.

I don't know what the latest version of it is written for. The version
I have, I bought about 4 years ago, and was written for Win95 Win98
(I'm running a Win98 SE machine).

If I do get the info I need to write my own 32-bit Undelete, I will
do so. You may wish to check my website, whose URL is in my
signature below, every now and then. If I successfully write
such a program, it will be a Public Release version (Freeware),
and I will post it to my download sections, after I have COMPLETELY
debugged it. Keep in mind, though, that I can ONLY test it on my
own machine, which is using a FAT32 file system (note Lance's
comments about Windows/NTFS file systems).

Regards,

P.S. I just realized that, if I do successfully write my own Undeleter,
I will no longer need my licensed copy of the McAfee suite. In that
case, I can snailmail to you my CD with it on it, as I will no
longer require it. I am holding on to it until/unless such time so
that I remain a "legitly licensed" user of it, since I'm still
using the Undelete programs, even though I have uninstalled the suite.
But, like I said, the disc is an older copy written for Win95/Win98.



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Clay C. Clear

Clay Clear's Software
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[Terry W Hough]

Clay,

Look at BigBin.

I found this years ago and it has helped me survive the
loss of files under DOS or directly deleted many times.
The only downside I found is that the Recycle Bin needs
to be considered and emptied more often.

See the link:
http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/pctech/co...t1611.001.html

It included C++ source and a great explanation at the time. If
the link is inactive, please let me know. I still have the
original download.

Hope this helps.
Terry

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[Tom Hanlin]

A generic undelete handler for Windows and DOS will require extremely
low-level disk manipulation and/or device drivers. This represents an
advanced programming project and will require a considerable array
of programming tools, knowledge and time. FWIW.

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Tom Hanlin
PowerBASIC Staff

[Clay Clear]

Lance, Tom,

Thank you for your replies. I have considered them, and have decided
to not attempt to write my own Undelete. Although I wrote low-level
file undeletes on my lowly Commodore-64, it is an entirely different
animal than the PC & Windows. I believe that I have the programming
ability TO do it (my stupid questions posted on this BBS notwithstanding <grin> ),
I don't dare write it because the debugging of it would most likely
trash my HD repeatedly, and I would not be in favor of continuosly
having to reFDISK/reFORMAT my partitions. If there were API Calls
that would enable me to do it, then I would write it. But, since it would
involve very low-level programming, which I'm not at all familiar
with on PC's, I'll give up the idea.

Thanks, once again, for your replies. You have saved me a LOT of
research. I'll just continue to use the "borrowed" Undelete
executables from my McAfee suite.

Regards,


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Clay C. Clear

Clay Clear's Software
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

[Colin Schmidt]

Terry W Hough,

The link to the article works, but not the file download.

Would you mind emailing me the download? Thanks!

Colin Schmidt
[email protected]

[Terry W Hough]

Originally posted by Colin Schmidt:
[B]Terry W Hough,

The link to the article works, but not the file download.

Try this one:

ftp://ftp.zdnet.com/acq/downloads/pub/zd/PCMag/bigbin.zip



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