Piriform's Recuva

• 1). Download and install the Recuva file-recovery utility to your computer's hard drive (see Resources section). This freeware program will allow you to access the deleted files on your PNY flash drive. Do not install anything to the flash drive you are attempting to recover files from.
  
  
• 2). Open Recuva and start the program in wizard mode. Click "Next" to exit the first page of the wizard.
  
  
• 3). Choose the type of file you are attempting to recover on the File Types page of the wizard. If you are attempting to recover multiple types of files, or do not know what type of file you are recovering, choose "Other." Click "Next."
  
  
• 4). Choose your flash drive on the File Location page of the wizard. Click "Next" to move on.
  
  
• 5). Click "Start" on the Thank You page. Recuva will initiate a scan of the flash drive and display the recoverable files from the drive in the main area.
  
  
• 6). Click the checkboxes next to the files you wish to undelete and click "Recover." Choose a destination for the recovered files that is not the flash drive, such as your computer's hard drive, and click "OK."
  
  

Office Recovery's Free Undelete

• 1). Download and install Free Undelete to your hard drive (see Resources section). This freeware program will allow you to access the deleted files on your flash drive. Do not install anything to the flash drive you are attempting to recover files from.
  
  
• 2). In the left-hand panel, click on the letter of the flash drive to select it. Click the "Scan" button above the drive window to scan the flash drive.
  
  
• 3). Select the files you wish to undelete from the listing in the largest window.
  
  
• 4). Click the "Browse" button to select where you wish to put the undeleted files. Office Recovery recommends that you keep the default location of C:, as you do not want to undelete the files from the flash drive back onto the flash drive. They can be copied back to the flash drive after they are undeleted, but undeleting the files directly to the flash drive can cause the undelete to fail.
  
  
• 5). Click "Undelete" to undelete the files.
  
  

Dmitry Brant's DiskDigger

• 1). Download DiskDigger (see Resources section). DiskDigger is different in that it does not install to your computer, but is just a single program that runs without installing. Unzip the file into a convenient folder.
  
  
• 2). Open DiskDigger.exe and click on your flash drive. It may be listed as "Removable Media" and have a picture of an SD card instead of a USB flash drive. Click "Next."
  
  
• 3). Look at the two options available. Try "Scan File System for Deleted Files" first, as it is much quicker. However, if it fails to find what you are looking for, the more thorough "Scan Disk Surface for Traces of Files" option is available. Choose your option and click "Next."
  
  
• 4). Click on the file you wish to undelete in the right-hand window and click "Restore Selected Files" at the top of the program window to restore your files. You will be asked where you wish the files to be sent. Select the "C:" drive and click "OK." The program will work for a moment and then your deleted file will be found on your C: drive, in the first directory.