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Retrieving overwritten file?

Posted: 18 Sep 2008 01:07
by msujedi
I appear to have overwritten a streamed & saved video/audio file. Is that what I did? If not, how can I find the original file? If I did overwrite, how might I be able to dig the original file out of the depths of my computer?
Description of what I did below...

I used the VLC wizard to "transcode/save to file" then "chose" to stream video by way of an http address. I verified that it was recording through "View" - "Stream & Media Info" - "Statistics".

When I tried to retrieve the file several hours after I stopped the recording, I couldn't locate it because it had saved by default in the "program files"...I must have forgot to specify saving location.

While trying to locate the file, I went through VLC to "File" - "Open Capture Device" - "Network" then pasted the http address in that I had used earlier. (I just did this for lack of being able to find my file the few ways I had just tried. dumb dumb dumb.) VLC began recording without any prompt regarding where to save ...or what file name to use...or if I wanted to overwrite the existing file.

I ended up locating the original file name by using the Windows "search for file" feature. When I located it in the program file folder & checked the file's properties, it said the file was created when I began the initial recording, but that it was modified when I had gone into "Open Capture Device" while trying to find the file moments earlier.

I kinda think I overwrote the first file, but I also think there must be a way to recover it.

Please help.
Thanks.

Re: Retrieving overwritten file?

Posted: 18 Sep 2008 01:29
by DJ
VLC always prompts for the over writing of an existing file.

Once a file has been deleted free space is available to the storage media and using a program or system to store information on the same storage media my over write the deleted file. When over writing a file most generally the same space on the storage media is used, therefore retrieving a file is not possible.

There are programs dedicated to the retrieval of deleted file, but most of them do not have high success rates and are very time consuming,