While trying to back up my 2015 photos, I moved one folder to the new location.  Then, I decided to clean out my recycle bin before moving the other folders.  To make a long story short, I must have somehow deleted the entire 2015 folder, because when I returned to it, it was gone.  I checked my last general backup (far too long ago) on Dec. 2. 2015. I failed to back up photos and I had previous backed up in 2014, too far back for 2015 photos.

I had to try to find some software to "undelete" files that were gone from my recycle bin.  This has to be done carefully, because "shredded" files are not really shredded, they are just labeled as "this space is ok to overwrite new info."

I had always heard, "If you want to recover files, stop using your computer immediately and recover the files.  The more you use your computer, the more it overwrites the "shredded" files."  This was true.  However, my backup drive would not work with the software I had found (see below)

By the time I shut down all software, found software on line and searched for my 2015 photo folders, my computer found 1350 folders, of which 65 had been completely overwritten and 55 had been partially overwritten.  I started saving the most critical pictures, those from my China trip in 2015.  By the time I was done, I did a new search on 2015.  Now, more than 600 files had been completely overwritten (I saved the "lost" files to the same computer, which is not a good idea, but I did want to do this quickly and didn't care too much for reasons shown below).  That is, before 20-30 minutes of photo back up, only less than 10% of the files had been written over.  After the backup, more than half the files had been written over.  Remember that rule?  Don't use your computer if you want to save files deleted from the recycle bin.

Some people think files deleted from the recycle bin are gone forever.  Not true.  They are in mortal danger, but all the computer does is add one symbol to the file name that tells the computer, "This file is junk.  I don't want it.  You can write something else here."  If you tell your computer, "I didn't mean to delete that, please save it!" you can, IF you have not written new info over the "deleted" file.  The police know this and some criminals don't.  That's why, simply deleting files and the cleaning your recycle bin does not wipe your computer clean.  For a time, the files still exist and exist indefinitely until your computer thinks, "Hey, here's a place where I can write that down.  She doesn't want this file.  I can write over top of it."

As for the pictures, only about 20% were salvageable, using my method.  Fortunately, that included about 40% of my China trip pictures.  Why am I not too concerned?  I had sent copies of many of the most important photos to my wife and so I have that backup. I backed up my files last on Dec. 2.  But I did not back up photos at that time.  Life is short and 100 years from now, I suspect most people's computerized photos will no longer exist. Think of any cell phone photos you took ten years ago.  Do they exist now?  Probably not.