It takes only a fraction of a second to wipe out a week's worth of work. You might accidentally delete a folder full of files or, worse, overwrite an entire group of files with changes that can't be undone.

Windows 7 includes tools that offer hope of recovery. If a file is simply lost, try searching for it.For accidental deletions, your first stop should be the Recycle Bin. If you don't find what you're looking for in the Recycle Bin, your next recourse is a considerably more powerful recovery tool called Previous Versions.

• Recovering with Recycle Bin
• Changing Recycle Bin Settings
• Restoring Files and Folders
• Purging the Recycle Bin