I am so frustrated with myself. Been having computer problems and I have lost all my Designs by Cuties that I have collected over the many years that the cuties were so good in sharing there designs.. Not happy jan!!!!!

This is a terrible thing to have happen. It does serve as a cautionary tale for all of us. I think I'll go back up my computers to the extermal drives today!

Sorry to read that you have lost all your DBC. Sure hope you have a good tech that can find them for you. Hugs Shirley

They were on a external and I was cleaning it out and must have accidentally deleted them so can't get them back. I did have them on desktop computer but that was replaced a couple of years ago.

1 comment

by rescuer 03 Feb 2016

You might still be able to get them back. There is software called recuva that can un-delete files as long as other files were not written later to the same place. Also, if you don't feel comfortable doing it -- techs know how to do that as well

Sorry you are having this problem! Did your hard drive "die", or are you still able to boot up? If the drive is dead you will probably need some computer geek to try to recover your files. Some folks have had success with doing that, but I have no idea how expensive that may be.
However, if you can still boot up, there is some hope for self-help. Open the drive where you keep your designs and do a search for a file name. On my Windows 8 computer the search box is located on the upper right-hand corner of the bar. To find the search option for other operating systems you can look it up on Google.
As you say that you lost your designs by cuties files, put "designsbycuties" (no spaces) in the search field. If you have managed to get this far, you will then get a page with your search results, right click on one of the files and select "open file location". Depending on how you have your embroidery files catalogued you may have to go back and forth to find all of them, and any other embroidery files you may have collected. If you have one folder that has this name, and it appears in the search results, then right click on that folder (instead of an individual file), and select "open folder location". To find your other embroidery files, you can do a search for the file type, such as "pes", "vip", "art", or whatever other file types you have collected. Don't forget your pdf's and jpgs, docs, etc. as well. (Hopefully I am not being too optimistic here...) Then at this point I would copy them all to an external drive, flash drive, CD, or another computer. Always have more than one back-up copy!

This is most probably overkill at this point, but I am including it for future reference because I think it will simplify your computing life. It is a good idea to save any file that you create in your own folder, rather than in a folder of the program that you created it in. For example, I created a folder called "Data". Within that folder I have sub-folders for each of my greeting card programs, my office programs, etc. As I have many embroidery files, I keep them in their own separate main folder which I named "Embroidery Category". This folder has many sub-folders, and sub-folders within those. For example, one of the sub-folders is called "Purchased" with many sub-folders named by digitizer.
The advantage of creating a system as I have described is that it is easier do to a back-up because everything is together, plus if you ever have to uninstall the program that created any of these files, you do not run the risk of losing all your work. Another big advantage of this becomes very evident when it is time to get a new computer and you need to transfer all your files. Gone are the days of trying to remember where all your files are located, and trying to find them! If you end up needing a new computer you may want to consider setting up a system such as this.
Hope this helps you and anyone else reading this. Judy

They will be there somewhere, unless you have physically deleted them. Seek professional help quickly, good luck i know how upsetting it is. My husband dropped an external hard drive a while ago no hope then. Good luck. Sandra.

Hoping that these designs can be pulled back up like rescuer has said. I have also found some missing files inside other files, though since yours are not just the one missing file, but all of the designs, then likely they can be found with a knowledgeable computer person, so I am hoping they all are not lost, as you have thought. I was able to take my dead- or I thought was fully dead computer to a person and they were able to save all my designs and pictures from the computer, though it took them being very creative and fast, as the computer would have just a tiny amount of time prior to everything shutting down. I am so grateful for each of the things they were able to save as I had finally come to terms with all of them being gone. Hoping yours too will be able to be saved and if so, then I hope you will get into the habit to back up, back up, back up. Every time we get these types of posts I hope each person reading the messages will quickly go and back up their own files again, just to be reassured that their files are safely stored and then do not only save them in your own home as there are thieves and fires that can take or destroy, so you want to have other back up files like the cloud storage systems etc. This also goes for vital records storage of keeping records and documents and having them in more than one or 2 locations, when possible, so if in the event of a disaster then you could at least have photocopies in a fire safe or family members home that would allow you to be able to fill out the paperwork with insurance companies or hopefully the ability to reprint off photos etc. Hoping to hear back that all was not lost. Good Luck, Pam

oh I can imagine your frustration....hope some technical person can help you, perhaps they are still somewhere on the computer.

I'm sorry this happened to you. Hope you can find them. I'll take your loss as a reminder that it is time, once again, to back-up my computer.

Lost mine a couple of times. Was lucky enough to find them again. Try looking in the recycle bin. Don't remember where they were but when all else fails.......

I lost all of my designs this week also, so I know your frustration. The happy news is I found them in a file folder that said Fax. How they got there I have no idea, but I was very happy to find them. Maybe if you open every file and folder you will find your designs too. Good luck.

hope they reappear what system are u running???

Sorry to hear this...perhaps you can do a System Restore to a previous date before you began having problems...most computers are set up to do this...

5 comments

by noah 03 Feb 2016

that's what i was thinking to :):)

by rescuer 03 Feb 2016

System Restore does not affect the files -- only software.

However, unless her hard-drive failed the designs are still there...(the rest of the computer can fail without worries). Even if there were deleted, they are still there except in cases where the files were overwritten.

by dragonflyer 03 Feb 2016

...how does she get them back if they are still there...that information would probably be helpful...

by rescuer 03 Feb 2016

Taking the computer to a professional (not a place that simply wipes the drive) The hard-drive needs to be jumpered to another computer where all the files should be easily found and saved. Also, do not "trade in " a computer. If it has value -- then keep it.

by dragonflyer 04 Feb 2016

Thanks for the updated information!

Ouch! I'm so sorry to hear this. I don't blame you for being unhappy.

Eish! I suspect no back-ups! I do try and back up at least once a month. Uploaded in excess of 45 000 designs this month onto new computer. Took some time and was very careful.