In the 12-Step recovery process, there is a prayer that begins with "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change." There's a little parallel here that applies to one's computer...
When it comes to accidentally erasing files from your computer, it falls into that "things I cannot change" category. Make no mistake: there's no serenity to be felt here. And here's where a different recovery comes into play; the recovery of said data as wishful thinking.
But, as I've gradually learned, it is not uncommon for "deleted" or "trashed" files to be alive a kicking somewhere deep inside one's hard drive. And there are programs that help rescue our beloved pictures, music, documents, and videos from that dark abyss. Said programs may be bundled with anti-virus or tune-up software that you already have. It's no panacea, though, because the number of devices we save files to now goes well beyond the desktop PC. What if your file was on an SD card, USB stick, your phone, camera, tablet, or mp3 player? Then what?
I'll tell you what. You're screwed.
That's why I'm going to recommend one of the best products I've come across on the net. In addition to working on your desktop or laptop, it covers all the other devices I alluded to. Data Recovery Wizard is both simple and effective. It pulled up close to 100 really important audio files that I had accidentally erased off my cell phone's micro SD card. These weren't ordinary MP3 files; they were verbal notes for a short script. I was relieved. By the way, I tried a couple other super-duper programs and they didn't help.
I have no financial investment or agreement with EaseUs, the manufacturer of Data Recovery Wizard. However, I'm so impressed that I wanted to sing their praise. I wanted you to know about it because a) you'll spare yourself from stress and utter misery and b) you're going to thank me. Big time.
Go here: www.easeus.com/data-recovery-software. There is a free version but it has usage limits. With an easy set-up, clean interface, and ability to retrieve your precious files, Data Recovery Wizard is just the magical therapy your devices need.