Is it all really gone?

[Snakes]

I ran CCleaner a few days ago and forgot to untick recent documents before. I was worried but it didn't seem like it really affected anything (the files still showed up in the same folders and I hadn't really used the laptop seriously for a month or so due to injuries). I thought "Ok, maybe it just took files from the last few weeks. No big loss.". But then when I actually tried to open the files, they didn't show up anymore. All of the custom plugins I created for my music projects and college work are gone, and everything has basically been taken away from the last YEAR. Even files that were originally older than that but had copies created in that time.

I used Recuva to try and bring them back but there is still a lot that hasn't been recovered. I don't know what to do. Gigabytes of original files haven't come back that don't have backups and I can't walk to a local PC shop for any services they provide.

Can anybody help a struggling musician out? Thanks in advance.

[CSGalloway]

All the "recent documents" item does is give you easier access to the documents you recently opened.  the files themselves are still there - just not the links to them. 

[Snakes]

All the "recent documents" item does is give you easier access to the documents you recently opened.  the files themselves are still there - just not the links to them. 

Thanks. How do I fix the file link errors, then?

[mta]

or to spin it another way, Recent Documents only removes .LNK files, which are just shortcuts to your actual files, and are the items you see when you are in, say, Word and go File > Open, and it lists the last 10 files opened.

the MRU (Most Recent Used) list is wiped by ticking Recent Documents.

 

so at worst, you have lost your 'list' of files recently used.

your actual files/documents should still be in their original folders - is this not the case?

[Snakes]

No, they're not actually visible when I look into the folders in Explorer. But they are visible when I go to the same folder in a program that opens those files, however, they can't be opened. The program says it can't find them either due to them not existing anymore or having been moved.

[mta]

it still sounds like you are clicking on what was the shortcut link to the physical file.

the link is now gone, but whatever program you are in, still shows this link, and when clicked on, it try to find the file it is linked to, can't and throws up that message.

 

can you provide a screenshot to make sure we are all on the same page?

[Snakes]

It's kind of hard to show in just a few screenshots considering just how many files there are that aren't visible in Explorer anymore. Not sure how I can, really.

[mta]

let's just stick to one type.

 

show a screenshot of say the desktop icon you are clicking on that produces the error.

or a screenshot of the Word list of files you are selecting from.

and another of the error itself.

[Snakes]

Ok I think I get what you're trying to say, but it's not clicking on the desktop icon that's causing the error. In explorer there is nothing to click unless I open the program that actually created the files and try to view them that way, but clicking on them through that causes the error message to show.

[mta]

so you open the program that created these files, let's use Word as an example.

 

In Word, it shows a list of recently opened documents, is it this list you are picking from that than pops up a "Computer says No" type error?

if so, instead of picking from that list, have you gone into the old-school File > Open (or Open Other Documents > Browse - depending on your Word version) and found your document that way?

[Snakes]

It is FIle Open that I've been using. Ccleaner also cleared the recent documents list so I couldn't use that way anyway.

[mta]

OK, we are slowly getting closer....

 

Forget the recent doc list - yep, that's been wiped.

 

So in Word you click File, Open, then what do you do???

You should be Browsing to your Document folder and selecting some Word file from there, do you see any there?

 

(I'm thinking a screenshot would really be helpful at this point)