I recently downloaded some file sharing software and accidentally copied the ‘My Documents’ folder to the shared directory in the file sharing software. Subsequently the file sharing software was removed, but this also removed the My Documents folder! Completing a System Restore does not recover the My Documents. Can you help me get these files back? The computer is running Windows XP.

Unfortunately you are in a bit of strife. The Windows XP System Restore only monitors specific types of files, such as core Windows system files and particular types of program files (e.g. .EXE files and .DLL files). It does not monitor personal data files of the user, such as documents and emails. Therefore, you cannot use System Restore to restore deleted personal data files. For full information about what System Restore can and cannot restore, see: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/plan/faqsrwxp.mspx . The only other possible solution is using data recovery software on your hard drive. However, this is unlikely to work if your computer has been heavily used subsequent to the My Documents directory being deleted, since the data has probably been well and truly overwritten. So, I am sorry to advise there isn’t much you can do to recover the lost data.

That said, this is quite a valuable learning experience for all users. Make sure you backup your data on a regular basis just in case situations like this arise. My generally recommended method of backing-up data is to an external hard drive. This is the most convenient method as it is very fast (e.g. over USB 2.0) and also is an easy process to complete (simply copy the data you wish to backup to the external hard drive). There is also automated software available which can complete this process for you, such as Norton Save and Restore. I urge all readers to investigate backing-up their data, and engage in a regular routine of backups, to provide accidental data loss due to both error and hardware failure (e.g. your computer hard drive failing).