FileRestore works best if installed on your system before valuable files have been deleted. This reduces the possibility that the data will be overwritten during the installation process. However, if you have purchased FileRestore after your files were deleted it is recommended that you-
To the extent possible stop all disk activity on your system without shutting the system down. Turn off any scheduled defragmentation and do not defrag your system until all lost files are recovered. Close all applications including email and Web browsing software and, if removable media such as a floppy disk drive is available on your system, disconnect your system from the network as soon as is practical.
Download and install FileRestore on a second system having the same type of removable media drive as your system (preferred), or a network connection and a shared folder with the appropriate file permissions for your system. Copy the license key text file that you received from Winternals, along with the file FileRestore.exe from the FileRestore installation directory, to the removable media or the shared network folder.
Run FileRestore.exe on your target system from the removable media or the shared folder, browsing for your license key information when prompted to do so.
To reduce the chances of valuable data being overwritten, whenever possible you should restore files to a drive or separate partition that is not likely to contain other files that you may wish to recover. Consider recovering as many files as possible to a removable media drive such as a floppy or Zip® drive if one is available that has a large enough capacity for any of your files.
After you have recovered all lost files on your system, you should promptly move the FileRestore Setup file and license text file from the second system to your system, perform a full FileRestore installation on your system, and uninstall FileRestore from the second system so that you comply with the single-user license agreement.
For further assistance contact support@winternals.com.