Hugs Yoriko, what a horrible thing to happen. I have files saved everywhere in an attempt to have back ups. I am just about to log off for the night but I am thinking about you. Not sure of anyother comments apart from commiserations on your loss

Oh, I feel very sad for you! Wished I could help!! The biggest and hugest hugs from ME!!!! *4U, Mary

Yoriko, I'm sorry. The same happened to me with precious pics of the kids from 2 years ago. I did get some of them back by running a recovery program, but most of them were lost. I have found that it is still better to purchase rewritable cd or dvd and save to disc. Rewritables can be updated. I try to keep them organized by type or site and try to keep a small written list or what is on the disc in the pocket with the disc. I wish I could help. Prayers and blessings, Libbie

Here is a BIG hug for Yoriko! I'm so sorry that you lost those precious designs! *4U..Barb

Here's a BIG HUG sweetheart! Love and kisses Ronny

Hi Yoriko, I'm at work (hehehehe!) I was just showing my work colleague the funny "castors" which aren't there now as they were only free for 3 hours. We call them beavers here in aust too. So sorry to hear about your problem - I'll chat to you later when I go home. Love to you Chris

Yoriko, I feel awful for you - I have always feared of that loss, too. I know have all my designs on an external - an extra hard drive - on a disk and on my USB drive, too - better be safe than sorry - I say. ((((((((((((((((Yoriko))))))))))))))))))))

OhYoriko that is so sad!!! I know how bad you most feel.Don't you back up your files on dvd's?*****

Oh NO!! NOT THE FSL!!! What a tragedy. I am truly sorry. Wish we could share, I could re-fill your file for you.

Eric

Oh, I am so sorry.I make so many copies because I am afraid of the same thing happening to me. I am sorry for you loss.

So sorry to hear you have lost your files.
Perhaps you can find a "techie" that can recover your deleted files.

Oh no! I am so sorry! I lost some on a CD...wouldn't read the CD. There was a program out there a friend got & recovered them for me...at least most of them. Hopefully it would work on a flash drive?? Wonder what would cause that? I was told by the computer repairman to never just pull out a flash drive...go thru the steps to be sure it's ok to take it out & it's not being used. There's a litte icon down at the bottom of you screen that you hold the curser over and it says "Safely remove hardware." When you click on it all the external drive things...flashdrives, etc...will appear. Click on the one you are going to remove. USUALLY it says it's safe to remove, BUT I have had it tell me several times to try again later! Just a hint for all the cuties that have designs on either a flash drive, or any other external thing. Too far away for a hug, but here's a flower!!

I feel for you. I lost everything when my computer got a virus. Even my externals were hit.
Now after I back up, I unplug the external. And they are also on disk.

I really hate it and feel like crying when that happens. Its so hard to get them back as well so i do feel for you. here's a BIG hug from me ((((((((((((yoriko))))))))))))

did you check the recycle bin or run the search engine to see if you can find any of them on the hard drive....? Sometimes you can recover, Hope you can find them.
Peggy

GEEZ! I'm so sorry! I feel so badly for you. I would be so miserable if I lost my files. Here is a (((HUG))) for you! I hope you are able to re-collect most of your files!

That is not good news. I am so sorry.
So tell me guys do you have to buy a 'recovery program' or can you dl one for free.

HUG,HUG,HUG..... I thought USB memory sticks were foolproof until I also had one go corruptalso. I was very lucky to be given an external hard-drive for Christmas so back up on this all the time.
Hugs & Sparkles from minicow

Oh my Goodness Yoriko! I was really so sad to read your news!!! I back up ALL my designs on DVD / CD plus I have it on an External HD - I also save my designs in OTHER categories not just FSL - for example if the FSL design was a flower then that would also be saved in Flowers etc! I know it is extra work but that way I do have back ups every where!

Anyway my friend... If only you lived nearer to me I think that maybe my son could perhaps also assist you as he is also in the IT world! Hope that your son will be able to recover ALL your files!!

A Hug for you Below!!!
~S~

If you didn't empty your recycle bin they will be in there!! How upsetting this is...Or maybe a system restore will help if you, try that on your computer...I have three different back ups thanks to all the advice by the cuties here..hugs to you and a flower to cheer you...

best to save to disc as well if using other means.and at least once a month or more.Feel so sad for your loss. ((((( hugs )))))

Maybe you can try a restore.
http://www.windows-software.de/kategorie-239.html
this is a link to one of many sites (first google hit), where programms are offerd for file restoring.

Tip: do not "send" a folder to another place, first just "copy" it, try if this copy works and is complete, then delete original file.

Hard to believe, that your hard drive is completely full. Did you clean up and compressed sometimes?

And of course: HUG!

Oh Yoriko I have been there and done that with a memory stick I know have a Passport and they are good They hold so much . I do hope you are able to find some of your design

BIG HUGS TO YOU YORIKO ! i'm so sorry for you :o(
hope you can restore them !!!

I'm so sorry to hear this here is a hug...........and a flower

Yoriko, so sorry to hear about the loss of your files, did you try a systemrestore??? Neerv the less, I hope you can get m ost of them back. Here is a BIG HIG for you.

Yoriko, sorry to hear that, i hope that you can recover them

Oh Yoriko, so sorry to hear this. It makes you so mad after saving them for so long....I hope you can retrieve them somehow....

Ohhhh noooo Yoriko this is bad news, those memory sticks are painful. I hpoe you find all the designs again.
Love and a big HUG
Louise

Oh No Yoriko, I wouldn't know where too start, hope you can retrieve them

Yo...I am feeling for YA:) I sure do hope that your son can retrieve EVERYTHING...We will keep our eyes open for ya in your hunts:)

I am very sorry to hear that*

So sorry to hear that, Yoriko! Happened to me once and now I always look if I can retrieve them from the stick or hard disk before I delete them from my laptop. BIG hug for you. Hope you can salvage some after all.

Oh my goodness, yes that is bad thing to happen to a person, so sorry to hear that. I dread the day that happens. Pray it never does. !!! Here are lots of huggs for you hhhhhhhhhhhhhh. God bless. Marietta

a big hug from me Yoriko maybe you need a externe hard drive i dont have a problem with that gr sonja

AAggghhhhh!!! Here's your hug, Yoriko!!! Poor baby! I'm so sorry this happened to you, did you try 'restoring' your computer to a point before you lost the designs. They wouldn't be in the recycle bin, because you didn't erase them, you cut them, there's a difference. You might be able to undo a cut and paste operation if you go back to that restore point.

Now, for everybody, DO NOT cut and paste, do not even "move" files. What you want to do is COPY. When you do that, if you check the copy and it is corrupt or something odd happens, you still have the original file in the original place. If you do the "move" process, you might have the original if the move doesn't take, it snaps back to the original sometimes. But if you cut, the only thing you have between your design & oblivion is the clipboard of your computer. Don't ever do it that way, please!!! Besides, the point of BACKUP is to have an extra copy, not to just move your original from one place to another. You should always always have 2 copies of everything you want to keep, designs included, but all your photos, etc.

Yoriko, again I'm so sorry, please try to restore that computer before you do too much more. Much love, many hugs, Marji

Darn Yoriko, that is too bad, hard way to learn a lesson I agree, here is some love and hugs I know it won't bring the designs back but it might help a little....Hugs x0x0x0x friend...

Ok, just to add, was reading down about why you moved them off. Your Embird and graphics are running slowly because you don't have enough RAM, not because there are too many things stored on your computer. Hopefully Ricky or Meganne will be here, and be able to explain this to you far better than I can, and how to delegate more RaM. You're doing a lot of digitizing now, and using so much memory that's why the computer's shutting down the program. But it's the RAM memory, not the storage-type memory that's causing the problem. Love you, Marji

BIG HUGS AND CUDDLES TO YOU YORIKO.

I am so sorry to read that you have lost your files. Great ideas from Marj and a lot of the other cuties. I always download mine onto a USB 8gigabyte dongle. I have never had any trouble. I am surprised to read that some of these are corrupt.

I have rebooted my computer to a time before a loss of something and that has usually helped. I hope all the advice given will help solve your problems.

Love and blessings to you my friend Chris

(P.S. did you see I am going to be a grandmother again - this time our son and wife are expecting?)

Oh Yoriko, how awful to loose those files. After loosing mine two years ago to a computer crash I did what The Cuties suggested and now my files are backed up in three places, CD, USB and floppies.
I hope with some of the ideas from the Cute family you are able to recover them.

I am sorry to hear that. I need to do something with my files in case of emergency ;D *2U

I'm so sorry to hear this news dear friend.
I keep warning people not to trust USB Sticks but you must have missed my warnings.
USB sticks are notorious for corrupting without warning or else the tops will break off rendering them useless.

They were created originally as temporary TRANSFER devices, but when the market embraced them the manufacturers got greedy and started making them with greater storage capacity to give people the false impression of security.

If your designs were 'purchased' you should be able to log into your account on most sites, access your 'Orders' and download your previous purchases. This may give you back some of your lost designs.

If they were freebies then I guess you know what that means, I'm sorry to say.

Sending you big hugs to help you through this.
hugs n roses, M

oh dear, hope the hugs we can give you,help a little bit.perhaps next time burn on CD or an targa box( externel hard disc.)hope there still is a way to open the files,perhaps a computershop can help. Anyway hugs are coming your way.And it's good you posted this as a warning for all of us.

try restarting your computer with the stick memory in the USB already in. I had this happen with my external hard drive I kept it connected when I resarted my computer and it fixed the corrupted files on my hard drive thought I lost them but I ave them back.

Try looking in your Temp file. You may have a back-up copy stored in there. Right click on the start-menu, click explore, click owner, local settings, temp. Look in the folders you find there. I was doing a manual clean-up of my temp files and found that my Digitizer program backed up my whole catalog in the temp file.

Also, Marji is right about the RAM. You can give it a boost by increasing your virtual memory. Virtual Memory uses some of your ROM as RAM. Go to microsoft.com and search "Virtual Memory" for instructions on how to increase yours. It helped my computer run a lot faster. My IT friends suggested not increasing it to more than 3000.

Good Luck!

A big hug for you. So sorry to hear you lost your files. Hopefully some of the suggestions that have been made will work for you on restoring them.

Big Hug for you. The advice given earlier is really great. I am a computer tech and I always suggest that people have 2 backup files. I use a DVD and an external My Book drive. I would suggest a go back or restore. Most computers have this now. Best of luck

I'm truly sorry for this awful tragedy...computers are great, BUT they can also be my worst enemy..I'm backing my files as I write this to my external hard drive...I certainly hope there is something to be done to recooperate your files..my fingers are crossed...wishing and hoping for the best..somehow

hugs, hugs

Only just saw your message now Yoriko, This is a big hug from me to you. Hope some of the advice given has helped you sort it out.

Another hug Yvonne

Ooouutshh... sooo sorry to hear this awful news. BIG (((((((( HUG ))))))))))) for You Yoriko! Please, tell us if we can help You in any way, when You are hunting designs....

Lamento o que te aconteceu, Yoriko, mas espero que com tantos e bons conselhos tenhas conseguido resolver o problema. Entretanto, aqui vai o meu abraço!

This is really bad news. So sorry to hear that. If you bought them try contacting the sites where you got them just as the other Cuties suggested. Also remember to always make backup's. If you start collecting again try http://www.secretsof.com/embroiderytips/freedesigns.htm
They have lots of beautiful designs.

A veeery bug hug for you.

Sorry to hear that Yoriko. I have a few files on my memory stick that say corrupt or error. I saved it to see if a computer tech can figure out how to get my designs from it at some point. I think the system restore is your best bet. You can back up to a certain date and have everything in there up to that date. A hug and flower for you, although you may be hugged out with all this love from Cuties.

Mona

Thank you everyone, for your kind comments and advices. I'm saving the CD and the memory stick to give to my older son to try to fix them, when I go to Japan. I'm still concerned about this laptop though, put more 'memory' but still does shutdown itself all the time. I wouldn't ever overcome loosing my own files and designs!!! I figured out that I can't store too many MB in one CD, that way I can read what is in it. Love&hugs,Yoriko