Recover file after cCleaner "cleans" drive?

[Jaxom2251]

I've had one really rotten week. Starting with being hit by a Trojan last Saturday. After cleaning that mess up, I started having an issue with Windows 10 running Edge. I work from home and am on the hunt for my next contract job. Rather frustrating when Edge couldn't find or connect to the internet, yet Steam could?

 

So I ran cCleaner, cleared out cookies, cache's ect. Then "fixed" my registry.... Edge is working fine now, but I lost ALL my favorites!!! And I need those back asap! So I asked a bunch of folks over at Tenforum about what to do next and one person recommended I use Recuva to find this file....

 

C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe\AC\MicrosoftEdge\ User\Default\Favorites

 

Question 1) "yourusername" needs to be changed to my name on this system. What about the word "user" right before \default\favorites?

 

Question 2) Can I use wild cards instead of the whole link? Such as *\user\default\favorites?

 

Question 3) Which is more efficient, run a deep scan, then go to advance then copy and past that file into search box on the upper right tool bar? OR Can I run the scan to find a specific file? If so how?

​What all in all, what is most best way to find and possible recover this file? A deep scan takes 4.5 hours on my system, time I could be spending looking for and applying for jobs. I need to find out one way or another, so as to plan how I shall proceed.

[Augeas]

I know nothing about Edge, but this file looks like an Edge system file, so my guess is that it isn't deleted when it's cleared, just the contents wiped. So looking for a deleted copy might be fruitless. Perhaps an Edge user can comment. But you could still search for it whilst waiting. I also guess that you use your pc extensively for your living, such use will further reduce the chance of any deleted file recovery.

 

1) Users is OK (I believe, I don't run Win10)

 

2) Yes

 

3) A deep scan will not return the file name or path, so there's no advantage at this stage to run it. Run a normal scan with no search criteria specified, then enter filters afterwards. A normal scan will always scan all of the MFT so the run time is the same.

[Jaxom2251]

Right now I'm between contract jobs, and I had just saved several links to websites I was going apply to. Grabing at straws here, on 2/17 there's a restore point as pointed out by cCleaner. This is the day before I was hit with the Trojan. FYI, the culprit that caused Edge to not to connect...a VPN that loaded at Windows boot, but I wasn't logging into all the time. Once I removed that from startup everything worked fine.

 

So where's what I'm thinking, use restore point, immmediately re-install Kaspersky Internet Securty, then run cCleaner, making sure I do NOT include that file again?

 

Oddest part about this, is after I had ran cCleaner, I only temporarily lost my favorites folder. After running it, I had to reboot, Edge came back as if I had just installed it. I had to repin to tool bar. When I moved it back into place where I had it, then opened it again, all my favorites were there. It wasn't until I had to reboot again later (I found some video and audio drivers needed upgrading) that Edge again went back to being like a new install and I can't find the favorites folder.

[mta]

you've nothing to lose at this stage so try a Restore Point, but using one to try and recover personal data will not help, it's not an area Restore Points include.

they 'snapshot' system files, and then only certain ones - not the whole system and not personal files.

[Jaxom2251]

MTA.... Darn it! I wasn't aware that restore points only included system files. What's your thoughts on doing a repair, or would that only save system files?

 

re your signature: I've been VERY lax on doing backups. Since I'm already using the free versions of cCleaner (and have been for years) and now Recova, does your company make a backup software? Since I'm now using my laptop for business, I must treat it like any business would.

[hazelnut]

I'm afraid Piriform doesn't make any backup software.

 

2 free ones a lot of folk use are..

 

Macrium Reflect (I use this along with quite a few other members here)

 

Aomei Backupper

 

Good luck with your contract work.

[mta]

@jaxom,

 

yeah, nothing beats that gut turning feeling like lost data does.

backups, or more accurately, lack of backups, is a hard lesson to learn, and sadly, usually learnt the most painful way possible.

 

I second @hazelnut's mention of Macrium Reflect, simply a brilliant free product that I liked so much, I bought it to get the extra features.

However I still only use it for system images (creating and restoring) although it does handle archival backups well too.

It's just that I use another software, ViceVersa (not free) for the last 15 years or so and it has had my back on more than a few occasions, to the point where it has my complete trust.

and you can't put a price on that.

 

and welcome to the forums too.

[Jaxom2251]

I can't thank you all enough. With much regret at not doing proper back-ups, I've decided not to do either a repair or restore. I will take note of the back-up software that has been recommend to me. As I mentioned in my other post, I must treat my laptop as a buisness tool and take care of it accordingly. I have a highly recommended Internet secruity program installed now. Since I mentioned that I've been using cCleaner for longer then I can remmeber, that will be another on on the top of my list of "must have" software I'd be more then willing to pay for.

[Andavari]

I must treat my laptop as a buisness tool and take care of it accordingly.

 

I'd recommend getting an external hard disk, you could use two different types of backup programs one that does disk imaging like Macrium Reflect (the freeware version is here), and another to more-or-less completely cover your backside that either ZIP's or simply mirrors important files by copying them so they're not locked inside of some proprietary backup/archive format like disk imaging would do.

 

Although the disk imaging would be in a proprietary format it's still very important to do since it can have your system up and running in a relatively short amount of time.