File completely disappeared on Mac?

[WillNicholls]

Hi all,

This isn't for me - but someone who has created me a logo but has had the high res file vanish. They're a friend, so I am sympathetic.

I'll probably need to get more details, but apparently she backed the Mac up but simultaneously lost the high res and a lot of other files.

I've heard of this happening before. Is there a way to recover "vanished" files?


Thanks.

 

[simonblue]

First thing is try a search for them in Finder

 

[WillNicholls]

and what if that doesn't work ?

 

[dejongj]

I'm with Simonblue...likely just dragged them somewhere else in the finder...alternatively in the recycle bin.....

Nothing 'just vanishes', there will have been user interaction. Dependening on how long ago she did that, there may or may not be a point in running data recovery software. When I've got Logo's create I normally get e-mails send with all the files including the original photoshop/illustrator file....Isn't there a copy in email?

 

[neil_g]

You'd be surprised how often our mac uses "lose" files and they've just dragged them somewhere.

When they backed then up they didn't accidentally move the files?

 

[srichards]

Sounds like they just moved the files onto the backup device instead of copying them correctly.

 

[acetone]

If she knows the name of the file then download EasyFind from the Mac App Store, that'll search it out no problem.

 

[f/1.2]

Do they not have a time machine back up of the missing files?

 

[WillNicholls]

Sounds like she accidentally binned them. Any clues how to retrieve if that's the case?

Asking about time machine now.

 

[Ozei]

You could try a Mac alternative to Recuva, e.g. http://www.recuvaformac.com/

There's a link to a trial version here http://www.wondershare.com/data-recovery-mac/?src=cj - at least it might tell you if the files are there or not.

 

[neil_g]

Although of they've been using the machine since then the data may have been overwritten.

 

[Ozei]

...... apparently she backed the Mac up but simultaneously lost the high res and a lot of other files.

Maybe she hit the file path limit and the backup refused to copy the original files (which then got deleted). I had this happen with Windows, which has a file path limit of around 260 characters. It looks like Mac has the same sort of limit - https://www.google.co.uk/#q=mac+file+path+limit

 

[Ozei]

Although of they've been using the machine since then the data may have been overwritten.

True. And even if they're not overwritten she'd need to know the file names (assuming they haven't been changed dramatically).