How do I recover an old version of a file folder that was replaced on the desktop?

[Loren Lindborg]

Hi there,

I have this problem where I replaced a folder on my desktop from my hard drive. What happened was that I couldn't see the folder anywhere on my desktop, so then it asked me (in a pop-up box) if I wanted to replace it with a new one, so I said yes, thinking the contents of the folder would transfer over. Now, the folder is empty! In both the desktop and the hard drive! Years of documents in the folder seem to have disappeared and I have no idea how to recover them. I looked in the trash and the old version wasn't there; I looked in the "LaCie" backup drive and it wasn't there either!

So, I'm stuck--does anyone have any ideas on where I could find it or how I could recover it?! Please help me out if you can.

Thanks,

A frustrated "folder guy"

 

[honestone]

Need to know the following:

1. What exact Mac model do you have?

2. What exact Mac OS are you running?

3. Have you ever done any disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs, from a software perspective?

4. This is critical: are you making backups to an external device?

 

[Loren Lindborg]

Hi Honestone,

Thanks for your prompt response. Here are the answer to your questions:

1) iMac

2) MacOs High Sierra (version 10.13.3)

3) I can't recall, but I just installed this computer a few months ago.

4) Yes, I have a LaCie external hard drive that is supposed to be backing things up on an hourly basis.

 

[honestone]

OK, thanks for the information. But some further clarification would help:

1. What exact iMac model is it? Did you purchase it brand new, or is it a used machine?

2. Did the machine already come with the latest version of High Sierra, OS 10.13.3, already installed?

3. Regarding #3, not sure what you mean. No matter when you obtain a machine, it is still necessary to perform disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs. You actually can do a lot of disk cleanup on your own, and there are some excellent programs available (both free and commercial) that can help you with those tasks.

So again I'll ask, have you even done any disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs?

4. Regarding backups, that's good that you have an external device, but it's not the drive that initiates backups. It's your software. The Mac OS does come with Time Machine, which can be used for backups. So need to know what software you are using for that task.