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Question

Cut directory with files, after paste files are lost

by Mar 27, 2015 2:47AM PDT

I try to cut a directory with files and paste it to another drive. After paste the directory is there, but empty, no files. The original directory is gone, the files too. Trying to recover deleted files does not give any result, there are no deleted files on the original drive, also not on the new drive. Where have they gone? Any ideas or hints? This problem is steady on my stationary PC (AMD 8core, Win 8.1 64bit with all actual updates), it works fine on my laptop, all files are pasted in the new directory.

Discussion is locked

10 Posts
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Answer
TRUE.
by Former Forum moderator Mar 27, 2015 2:53AM PDT

Do not cut and paste. COPY and paste. This way you won't lose files. Folks seem to have to learn this lesson first hand. There are far too many causes for this one but avoiding it is simple.
Bob

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OK
by hknebel Mar 28, 2015 11:56PM PDT

Accepted, but the question was more: where have the files gone? I worked on the video files (rename etc.) and then I wanted to put them into the correct directory. As said, the directory was moved, but without the files. So the files have to be somewhere, because they were physically there. Even if they have been deleted, they should be there as deleted files, at least as fragments. Actually there is not even a trace of it. My understandig up to now is that a cut and paste is a copy and paste, marking the old files as delete, which takes place when the copy is finished. Where is my wrong thinking?
Horst

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Correct thinking.
by Kees_B Former Forum moderator Mar 29, 2015 12:01AM PDT

Then something is wrong on your stationary PC.

As Bob says, you shouldn't do that: cut and paste. Not even files. Just avoid the risk.

There are free and paid programs that do some undelete. For example Recuva. Those programs are your only change to recover them, if you don't have a backup.

Kees

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OK
by hknebel Mar 29, 2015 2:39AM PDT

Hi Kees,
thats what bugs me, I used active@DiskEditor, a payed undelete program with good performance, which does not give any trace of the files. There are a lot of deleted files, but none of these.
There seems to be something wrong on my stationary PC, as you say. I will switch to copy and paste for the future. Thanks for the comments........
Horst

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Maybe ...
by Kees_B Former Forum moderator Mar 31, 2015 9:16PM PDT

also start thinking about backup? As we say here: you only lose what you don't backup.

Kees

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Answer
did you reboot and then look
by Mar 31, 2015 4:25AM PDT

for the previous directory, and with "hidden files" exposed? Checked the Recycle Bin?

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OK
by hknebel Mar 31, 2015 7:54PM PDT

Yes, I rebootet and looked into the previous disk. The directory is gone and no deleted files. In the new disk, directory is there but no files, also no deleted. Hidden files visible, recycle bin is empty. The files were .MOV files, too big for the recycle bin....

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aha, a clue
by James Denison Apr 1, 2015 1:57AM PDT

too big for the recycle bin. Hmm, shouldn't have gotten that message unless your hard drive was almost full or you are using 32 bit system instead of 64 bit system.

If 32 bit system, and any files were over 4GB in size, that might account for this.

Are you certain the w8 is installed as 64 bit and not 32 bit?

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64bit
by hknebel Apr 1, 2015 4:21AM PDT

Yes, I definitely use 64 bit. i did not get a message "too big for the recycle bin", I only assumed that as I have no idea what else may have taken the files without any trace.

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Answer
Let me write about a scenario that lost it all.
by Former Forum moderator Apr 1, 2015 2:08AM PDT

Someone started some new video project with an app. (so far, so good.)

Then the app was working on the project, encoding and such and they thought they would copy or move some files/folder that had the project was using. Disaster.

They wanted to know why this didn't work.
Bob

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