How to recover files from external storage

[CheekyMac]

Hi,

Hopefully you can help me.

Last night I dragged a Photos file to my external drive thinking they were the same (never do things when your tired and have a headache!). I then realized all my folders on my external called Friends, family, dogs and so on which were in a file called Photos are gone.

How can i go back and recover these photo files?

OS 10.14 and the external is a WD My Passport USB drive

Thank you, I'm desperate to get back these files

 

[Juicy Box]

I am unsure about the situation, could you elaborate?

 

[jgrove]

So you too, the database called Photos which was on your Mac and dragged it to replace the same database on your external drive with the same name?

 

[CheekyMac]

On my computer there is a folder called photos which i think it where any Photos taken are put (even though inside the folders are all empty).

Then on my external drive there is also a folder called Photos but there I had inside it folders of pets, family, events and so on. Since I dragged the folder from the computer it over to the eternal and ot overroad it, i need to get the original on the external back.

I attached an image of the computer folder and external folder.

Let me know if you need anything else to understand the situation

thank you
[automerge]1578607922[/automerge]

So you too, the database called Photos which was on your Mac and dragged it to replace the same database on your external drive with the same name?

Yes from the desk top imac which replace the file on my external

 

[Fishrrman]

"Then on my external drive there is also a folder called Photos but there I had inside it folders of pets, family, events and so on. Since I dragged the folder from the computer it over to the eternal and ot overroad it, i need to get the original on the external back."

Does "ovverroad" mean overWROTE?

If so, you probably aren't getting the originals back. Even data recovery software can't recover files that have been deleted AND over-written with replacement data.

There's probably not much that anyone here can help you with, other than to offer advice for the future.

You had ONLY ONE COPY of the files that now may be gone.
One copy IS NOT ENOUGH -- you have now discovered WHY that is so.

In the future, you need to start BACKING UP your data in a proper manner, so this won't happen again.

I recommend a SECOND external drive, and either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.
Either of these will create an EXACT COPY of the source drive. This could prevent against disasters such as the one you now seem to be in.

 

[jgrove]

On my computer there is a folder called photos which i think it where any Photos taken are put (even though inside the folders are all empty).

Then on my external drive there is also a folder called Photos but there I had inside it folders of pets, family, events and so on. Since I dragged the folder from the computer it over to the eternal and ot overroad it, i need to get the original on the external back.

I attached an image of the computer folder and external folder.

Let me know if you need anything else to understand the situation

thank you
[automerge]1578607922[/automerge]

Yes from the desk top imac which replace the file on my external

I think you have overwritten the files, and recovery is unlikely. But you could try something like DiskDrill.

 

[CheekyMac]

I think you have overwritten the files, and recovery is unlikely. But you could try something like DiskDrill.

Thank you i will try it out.

 

[CheekyMac]

I think you have overwritten the files, and recovery is unlikely. But you could try something like DiskDrill.

"Then on my external drive there is also a folder called Photos but there I had inside it folders of pets, family, events and so on. Since I dragged the folder from the computer it over to the eternal and overoad it, i need to get the original on the external back."

Does "ovverroad" mean overWROTE?

If so, you probably aren't getting the originals back. Even data recovery software can't recover files that have been deleted AND over-written with replacement data.

There's probably not much that anyone here can help you with, other than to offer advice for the future.

You had ONLY ONE COPY of the files that now may be gone.
One copy IS NOT ENOUGH -- you have now discovered WHY that is so.

In the future, you need to start BACKING UP your data in a proper manner, so this won't happen again.

I recommend a SECOND external drive, and either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.
Either of these will create an EXACT COPY of the source drive. This could prevent against disasters such as the one you now seem to be in.

I was asking how to fix it, not a I told you so. I obviously thought it was on the computer and the external which is why I moved the folder from the computer to the external to back it up. Unfortunatly it wasn't the correct folder

 

[AppleSmack]

I was asking how to fix it, not a I told you so. I obviously thought it was on the computer and the external which is why I moved the folder from the computer to the external to back it up. Unfortunatly it wasn't the correct folder

Ungrateful. You can't fix it, but you can make sure that you don't find yourself in this situation again.

 

[mikzn]

Last night I dragged a Photos file to my external drive thinking they were the same (never do things when your tired and have a headache!). I then realized all my folders on my external called Friends, family, dogs and so on which were in a file called Photos are gone.

How can i go back and recover these photo files? OS 10.14 and the external is a WD My Passport USB drive

Thank you, I'm desperate to get back these files

If you are very luck you may be able to use a recovery software like Data Rescue 5 to recover erased files on a HDD

I have successfully used Data Rescue in the past to recover files - it is important not to use the external drive and make sure you do not put any further info on to the WD drive untill you try a "recovery software" - there is a demo version you can try free to see if the files are recoverable

good luck