NEVER EVER download any file recovery application to a drive containing any file that you want to recover.
NEVER EVER install any file recovery application to a drive containing any files that you want to recover.
Those deleted files are still there, but in extreme danger of been rendered unuseable. The space used is marqued as available. The larger the file, the bigger the risk of it been overwriten.
If there was any defragmentation done, it's extremely unlikely that you, or anybody, could ever recover the videos, even with extremely expensive dedicated professional grade hardware and softwares used by specialised technicians.
FIRST thing to do:
Make sure that there are NO changes to the drive where the videos where located. If it's a single drive system, you must NOT use it in any way.
It may be safer to just pull the plug to turn the computer off as this will minimise drive access. During the shut down process, there is quite a LOT of files writing and updating...
During normal operation, Windows continualy change and update several temporary files. Those changes can irrevocably corrupt the files that you want to restore.
On such a system, installing ANY file recovery application can destroy the very files that you wnt to restore.
If you have a single drive system:
With the target computer OFF and disconnected.
Install some file recovery application on ANOTHER computer.
Remove the drive and install it in the other computer as a secondary drive.
Run the file recovery application and use it to scan your drive.
IF you recover the videos, COPY them to some other location.
Once the scaning and recovery are finished, turn the work computer off, disconnect it, transfert the drive back to it's original computer.
On a multi drive or multi partition setup where the videos are on a dedicated drive.
ONLY IF the videos are NOT on the same drive/partition as the operating system!
As above, install the file recovery application. Here, you can install it without risk of destroying the files.
Run the file recovery application. Copy any recovered videos to another DRIVE or PARTITION.
A good search string on Google or other search engines:
software AND "file recovery"
On a dedicated site as one of the following, search for file recovery
For the file recovery application, you can search on one of the followings big sites:
http://download.com.com/
http://www.filehippo.com/
or one of those smaller, alternative sites:
http://www.lacuna.us/links/freeware.php
http://alternativeto.net/
NEVER EVER download any file recovery application to a drive containing any file that you want to recover.
NEVER EVER install any file recovery application to a drive containing any files that you want to recover.
Electro, January 2014
