Accidently deleted screenshots!

[Marfaud]

Hello Folks:

I'm just wondering if anyone knows...can deleted screenshots be recovered? I have my doubts. (Nothing is in my Recycle bin!) Just wondering if there's something I can do.

Lu

[Twinmum]

Did you delete them while looking at the contents of the screenshots folder, because they should go to the recycle bin. I just tested this with a few screenshots and they are in the recycle bin. Did you explore the bin?

One thing to consider, if you right click on your recycle bin, then go to properties. There is an option there to not move items to the bin, but rather delete them immediately. If this option is checked, I don't think it's possible to retrieve them. I leave that option unchecked because if I accidentally delete something important, it is possible to get back (unless you empty the bin first)

[Marfaud]

Twinmum:  That's what I would have thought, but I checked the Recycle bin and nothing is there.  Not sure why.    Thanks!

I deleted them from the game launcher, if that makes a difference. 

I did have some things saved to Libraries/Pictures and Flickr and Facebook...I've recovered some.   But not all.

[Twinmum]

Must be something in the launcher setup. I usually delete screenshots through windows explorer, but I just tested it through the launcher and the files just disappeared,  no ending up in the recycle bin. I've searched around, but they don't appear to be anywhere, so I guess if you delete from the launcher they are well and truly gone.

[Seabody]

I agree that they might be gone forever. I renamed a screenshot with a totally unforgettable name, deleted it (via the launcher) and ran a quick search on it.
Nothing.
There were only two results, and they were the same file - a PowerPoint from when I was about 10.

[Marfaud]

Thanks!   I suspected so.  It's too bad.  I had the most beautiful mid-air shot of a Cockatoo!

I guess it just means, I'll have to take another one!

Have a good one!   

[Twinmum]

Maybe if you delete screenshots in the future, you should do so through explorer, that way if you make a mistake, it can be reversed.

[wednesday21]

Something tells me that screenshots deleted this way can be recovered with a recovery utility such as Recuva. I'm not sure because I sort and delete my screenshots through windows explorer too but you could always try. Just be sure to follow the software installation and use instructions correctly and select the C: drive when selecting the hard drive.

[grimsoul]

If your using Windows 7 and protection is turn on you might can recover by going to the sim 3 directory and right click on the Screenshots folder and see if there is an option to Restore Previous Version.
If there is click that and it will bring up a list of previous versions of the folder. Check those and see if the screenshots you want are in one of them. If they are click the restore button to replace the current folder with the older version. Or select Copy to place a copy of the older folder somewhere else.
If the Restore Previous Version option isn't there then protection wasn't enabled.
But if you want to enable it for future protection click the Start button, right click Computer and select Properties. Select Advance System Setting on the right side of the window that opens. Click the System Protection tab. From there select the drive you want to turn protection on for and click Configure. Put a tick mark in Restore System Setting and Previous Versions of File and set the amount of disk space you want to allow it to use. Then click OK.
If something similar happens again you can backup to a older version of the folder you deleted the files from and maybe get them back.

[Yarakisagoa]

answer to your question: Yes, you can.

And to do so, just have a look around Google with these keywords: "Recovery file".