Restore files from Trash bin

[26139]

well...

I've just accidentally deleted the whole contents of my iTunes.

Its seems completely idiotic not to have a restore from trash.

What's the point to having a trash at all??????????

This is just one accidental key stroke that will potentially cost me hours to get back.

If I just copy from the trash folder (Can I just add to library directly from trash?) to another folder in finder and then add then add to library from there will I get everything back?

Cheers

ON the flip side, it seems completely idiotic to trash your entire iTunes folder with "one" keystroke. Seems like a fairly deliberate act to me...

 

[Tallest Skil]

I've just accidentally deleted the whole contents of my iTunes.

Its seems completely idiotic not to have a restore from trash.

What's the point to having a trash at all??????????

What's the point of storing important files in the Trash, again?

 

[xUKHCx]

I concur. While I agree that a Restore button would be useful, WHY ARE ALL OF YOU THROWING AWAY DOCUMENTS WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO?

You have plenty of space, there's no reason to throw away files anymore, really. The Finders Smart Folders make complete sense to me, not sure why you'd toss anything over there.

Last time I checked my harddrive space was finite.

Also during the course of browsing + updating applications and such files accumulate that you no longer want. For example I do not want to keep a copy of Opera 9.5 disk image when I have got the Opera 9.5.1 and the same goes for 9.5.2 or I may not even want it at all due to the fact that it is a very quick easy download. Therefore I want to be able to delete items and if during the course of this process I make a mistake (humans are human afterall) a restore button would help solve this mistake.

I can't see why people are against this feature that will not affect them in a negative way and if they so happen to make such a mistake will save them a lot of headaches.

What's the point of storing important files in the Trash, again?

So you can get them back if you did so by accident. Now it would be helpful if there was teh option for the Finder to put them back in the right place.

 

[The Hamburger]

What's the point of storing important files in the Trash, again?

Maybe you'd like to read the whole of my post again.

Cheers

ON the flip side, it seems completely idiotic to trash your entire iTunes folder with "one" keystroke. Seems like a fairly deliberate act to me...

Thanks for the helpful comments.

 

[xUKHCx]

If I just copy from the trash folder (Can I just add to library directly from trash?) to another folder in finder and then add then add to library from there will I get everything back?

Cheers

Move the files out of the trash. Are they all separate song files or are they the folders from within iTunes Music. If they are the folders just put them back and iTunes should see them all again. If not you will have to reimport them.

 

[The Hamburger]

The files are all separate , no folder structure for artists/albums.

Ok I'll start importing them , I suppose that will take a couple of hours. Seems time for a swift half.

Cheers

PS The new appearance of this thread is understandable

 

[RobertAtlanta]

Restoring iTunes Library

I've just accidentally deleted the whole contents of my iTunes.

Its seems completely idiotic not to have a restore from trash.

What's the point to having a trash at all??????????

This is just one accidental key stroke that will potentially cost me hours to get back.

If I just copy from the trash folder (Can I just add to library directly from trash?) to another folder in finder and then add then add to library from there will I get everything back?

Cheers

I asked at the Apple Store, and trash must be moved to the desktop before adding back to iTunes (Of course, you can highlight the deleted files in the trash bin by selecting the first file, pressing shift and selecting the last file to highlight all the files to drag as a group to desktop where they will tightly stack). You can then Left Click to upper left of the files dragged to desktop, Drag the resulting rectangle to encompass all the files and then drag the rectangle including al the files to the iTunes icon of the dashboard.

Alternatively, if you are using Time Machine, restore iTunes to just prior to the accidental delete.

I plan to use this to get ripped audio book files (Library, friends, etc CD's) into the Audiobooks Library after renaming them m4b from m4a -- which makes them bookmark, play faster, and show in the Audiobooks Library. That is, delete them, and restore with Time Machine or drag to desktop to re enter. Renaming does not move to audiobooks unless deleted and re-added to iTunes Library

 

[PeaceOut]

We can see who the real fanboys are from reading this thread.
How could you not think a "restore file" function that windows has is a good idea?

Apple has gone to extreme extends to prevent users from messing up and to make the users experience good and they leave this out. Jees.

 

[TH-Gunner]

And I think Apple is addressing this philosophy somewhat with Time Machine.

Is that explanation enough?

No. That's a whole different purpose. We're talking 1000+ files. You want to search Time Machine for 1000+ individual files to restore? I don't either. I'd very much rather just hit a "restore" button in the trash and be done with it.

We can see who the real fanboys are from reading this thread.
How could you not think a "restore file" function that windows has is a good idea?

Exactly.

 

[Ashka]

Windows calls it a recycle bin but Apple calls it Trash, for a reason. Two totally different operating systems, get used to it.

You will only chuck 1000+ files into Apple's Trash once won't you?

It's also called putting your brain into gear before using your Mac.

 

[TH-Gunner]

Windows calls it a recycle bin but Apple calls it Trash, for a reason. Two totally different operating systems, get used to it.

You will only chuck 1000+ files into Apple's Trash once won't you?

It's also called putting your brain into gear before using your Mac.

Quit making excuses. It's a feature that windows has that OSX does not. OSX is inferior in this aspect.

 

[Ashka]

Quit making excuses. It's a feature that windows has that OSX does not. OSX is inferior in this aspect.

I don't believe it's a feature, it's more like a parachute for careless users.

I chucked my windows boxes for very good reasons, the last thing I want is for OSX to end up like Vista or Windows 7.

As said previously they are two entirely different Operating Systems. Look up DIFFERENT in the dictionary, there is one included in OSX.

 

[TH-Gunner]

I don't believe it's a feature, it's more like a parachute for careless users.

lol who cares? It's a feature that windows has that OSX doesn't. OSX is inferior in this aspect.

This is ridiculous. That's like a windows fanboy saying Time Machine "isn't a feature; it's more like a parachute for careless users."

Fine. How about this: a GUI is for lazy people who don't know how to use computers.

I chucked my windows boxes for very good reasons, the last thing I want is for OSX to end up like Vista or Windows 7.

That's absolute fanboyism right there. Even if windows has a superior feature, you wouldn't want to see it in OSX? Come, now.

As said previously they are two entirely different Operating Systems. Look up DIFFERENT in the dictionary, there is one included in OSX.

Exactly. And since they're different, one can have better features than the other.

 

[cookiebunny]

It's got nothing to do with "fanboyism" and everything to do with philosophy.

Microsoft's philosophy is to protect their users from their trash blunders.

Apple's philosophy is to punish users for their trash blunders.
[...]

Having been an Apple lifer (Mac OS since 1990),[....]

Is that explanation enough?

Perhaps, being an Apple Lifer, you remember the Put Away command?

It was wonderful. It did what it said it would: it put things back where they came from.

You could drag your files out of some deeply-buried folder onto the Desktop in the morning, work on them all you like, and then Put them Away at the end of the day...and they'd go right back where they came from, filed neatly agaiin.

If you accidentally put files in the Trash, you could rescue them again.

The Apple philosophy was always Accommodate the user, even when they do stupid things..

The Microsoft philosophy was always, If Apple has a good idea, take it.

The NeXT/Unix philosophy, which we are now stuck with in OS X, is, We are the great gods of the computer. You are a puny user. You should worship us for allowing you to touch our perfect computers with your grubby hands. If you do something stupid, it's your own darned fault. Do not bother us.

And it is our own darned fault, for letting Apple get away with this.

 

[kolax]

I could do with this feature. Back when I used Windows as my main OS, I used this at least a few times. I had no idea where the file was from that I had deleted, so restoring it saved my butt. I've only had one occurrence in my Mac when I wish this was an option.

Back when I was modifying my Dock to be black, I went through all the "Show Package Contents" and folders and did what I was meant to, but put in the Trash the wrong file (my Dock just appeared screwed up). Easily solvable, just pop the file back into the Dock contents, but it is a royal pain in the ass to get back into that folder. A simple "restore" option would have popped that file back and saved me the hassle.

Maybe one day..

 

[theNEOone]

lol who cares? It's a feature that windows has that OSX doesn't. OSX is inferior in this aspect.

This is ridiculous. That's like a windows fanboy saying Time Machine "isn't a feature; it's more like a parachute for careless users."

Fine. How about this: a GUI is for lazy people who don't know how to use computers.



That's absolute fanboyism right there. Even if windows has a superior feature, you wouldn't want to see it in OSX? Come, now.



Exactly. And since they're different, one can have better features than the other.

Hah - excellent rebuttal.

I just made the switch to OS X and completely agree that a 'Restore' action needs to be added to the Trash. It's shameful that OS X doesn't do this.

I'm continually awed by the irony of OS X. On the one hand, it's got some very elegant solutions to some complex problems (i.e. Time Machine & backups) yet it doesn't do simple things like cut/paste in Finder and Restore from the Trash Bin.....I just don't get it.


=|

 

[nout72]

The topic starter made an understandable mistake.
Especially coming from Windows you wouldn't aspect these search items to be the real items.
It is comparable with making an alias of a folder, in which the files inside behave like...ehm...ARE in fact the original files.
Selecting the items inside this alias-folder and deleting them will take the original items to the trash whereas deleting the alias of the folder only deletes the alias folder.

It still bazzles me sometimes and I am not coming from Windows, I never was a 'switcher'.

And yes, a restore function would be great, I don't think I'll ever need it, but the functionality must be there.

Yesterday I ran into a problem I did not know existed. I am quite new to mac..... I went to check "Last Week" in search side bar, in finder. I thought it was just history, so I deleted it all.

 

[portent]

This is a feature that was present in OS 9 and is missing in OS X.

Back when Apple had a HI research group, they understood that users make mistakes and actions should be reversible. The move to OS X has not made users any less human. Humans make stupid mistakes, and computers exist to help humans avoid them, whether in calculating spreadsheets or organizing files.

Apple should absolutely bring back the Put Away feature.

 

[dlemus]

I found the need to have a restore function in OSX when a program deleted many files according to a criteria (its criteria). I realised that some of the deleted files came from my external HD ... but now I have no idea what folder they were from.

I don't see why I have to pay such a high price just because apple doesn't want to add a restore function (or at least to indicate what folder the files were before being deleted). A price that's not even a consequence of my acts.

If OSX's Trash is meant to always purge deleted files then there is no point in having it.

 

[bradkohl]

TRASH headaches

Just switched to OS X from Windows, this is yet another pain no one told me about while praising Mac superiority. It really bugs me that this feature use to exist. If the Apple developers decided to change the under workings of the OS it is required of them to retain all the features in the gui that users have come to expect. Additionally the trash should be able to permanently delete individual files without having to empty the entire trash. I miss shift+delete.

 

[sloperb]

I just ran into this myself. I was in my Downloads folder, trying to clean up images that I had pulled from my personal website and imported into iPhoto. I typed "jpg" into search, selected the files, clicked "Sent to Trash". Only then to realize that the search defaulted to the entire mac, not just to the Downloads folder.

Why does search default to the whole Mac? Why no "restore" function? Seems trivial enough for the delete operation to keep track of the origin. When I want unsophisticated delete, I use "rm -f" instead of the GUI.

That'll teach me not to use the GUI. ls Downloads/*.jpg | perl -pne 'chomp; system("rm \"$_\"");' worked much better. At least this way I know I have no fall-back.

 

[xUKHCx]

It is little solace to know but in Snow Leopard they have implemented the restore feature known as Put Back

https://www.macrumors.com/2009/02/1...sted-tweaks-put-back-stack-folder-navigation/

Put Back - Under Mac OS 9, users had the option to restore any "Trash"ed files (before the Trash is emptied) back to their original locations with a simple "Put Back" command. For some reason, this capability was lost in the transition to Mac OS X. In the latest Snow Leopard builds, it's back. So any accidental disposals can now easily be restored with a simple click. Again, this only works for files that have been moved to the Trash but not yet "emptied".

 

[tripletaker]

I'm excited about this being put back. The restore function saved me a lot back in the Windows days.

 

[rwilliams]

How anyone could be against a feature such as Restore or Put Back is mind boggling. If you don't need it, good. Don't use it. But for those people who did make mistakes and need their files put back in their original locations, that simple little feature can be a life saver.

 

[wassupdoc]

funny

So today I was deleting an app and have appcleaner(another app I thought as a mac user I wouldn't need) installed so it deleted two .plist files. Of course I clicked the ok button to trash those files before I looked carefully and when I checked the trash I realized one of them is a .plist file for another app that is still installed

I know it was my mistake for not reading carefully before trashing it, but now I have to go through the pain of figuring out where that .plist file goes. I came here to try to figure out if there is a restore feature and read through the whole thread.

Its funny that so many users 'defended' apples policy of not having a restore feature, and then it shows up in snow leopard!! I just wonder what can be said now. lol.