Can cleared data be retrieved?

[I][edited from support email][/I]
I saved my data files under new names and then cleared my data, and now everything is gone! Can you help me?

Did you check the Windows recycle bin? If the data were located on the local hard drive and if you are using v2006.1 or later, then cleared data should go there.

[I][edited from support email][/I]

I have been collecting data in MediaLab all semester on one of my computers. When each participant finishes, it updates the csv, txt, and spss data files. When I opened these files last Friday, the files only contained the data we had collected in the prior week...all other data we had collected this semester are not in the data files. I had last checked these data files the week prior, and the files at that time contained all of the data we had collected thus far. How could this have happened?

Were you running the study on multiple machines or just this one? The [I]only[/I] means by which MediaLab can delete data from your data folder is through the "clear data" button which appears at the start of a session.

For more detail, see:

[URL]http://www.empirisoft.com/medialab/help/data_faq.htm#dataclear[/URL]

Normally, if you clicked this button you would be given a clear warning that the data will be deleted. As of v2006, deleted data will usually go to the recycle bin if the session is located on the local hard drive. Note that there is an option in preferences to disable this feature if you are concerned that it may be used accidentally by someone else running your study.

[I][edited update from user][/I]
Ok, I found the missing data! I had each RA log into the computer and check the recycle bin. When one of the RAs logged in, the "data" folder was in the recycle bin. Apparently she had accidentally hit the "Clear All Data" button in MediaLab. But when I or anyone else had logged into the computer, our recycle bins were empty. I am very glad to have recovered the data!