Recycle bin (Windows)
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- This article is about the recycle bin in Windows. For a container used for recycling, see recycling bin. For the Sigur Rós album commonly known as Recycle Bin, see Von brigði.
In the Microsoft Windows operating systems, the recycle bin is a holding area for files that are to be deleted from a storage device.
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[edit] General
The recycle bin was introduced in Windows 95 as a means of keeping accidentally deleted files, users can then review what is in the recycle bin before removing files permanently. Before, undeletion was the only way to recover accidentally deleted files. Recycle Bin holds data that not only lists deleted files, but also the date, time and the path of those files. The recycle bin is opened like a regular Windows Explorer folder and the files are viewed similarly. Deleted files may be removed from the recycle bin by restoring them with a command.
The recycle bin's icon indicates whether or not something is in the recycle bin. If the icon is empty, there are no files in the recycle bin. If there are objects in the recycle bin on the icon, there are files in the recycle bin.
Prior to Windows Vista, the default configuration of the Recycle Bin was to hold 10% of the total capacity of the host hard disk drive. For example, on a hard drive with a capacity of 20 gigabytes, the recycle bin will hold up to 2 gigabytes. If the recycle bin fills up to maximum capacity, the oldest files will be deleted in order to accommodate the newly deleted files. If a file is too large for the recycle bin, the user will be prompted to permanently delete the file instead. The maximum possible size of the recycle bin is 3.99 gigabytes in all versions of Windows except Vista.
The same feature exists in other operating systems under a different name, for example in Apple's Mac OS and various Linux distributions, it is named 'Trash'. It was a feature of the Macintosh OS since the beginning. It is believed that the recycle bin was first invented by Xerox PARC.
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[edit] Physical storage locations
The actual location of the recycle bin varies depending on the operating system and filesystem. On the older FAT filesystems (typically Windows 98 and prior), it is located in Drive:\RECYCLED. In the NTFS filesystem (Windows 2000, XP, NT) it can be found in Drive:\RECYCLER, with the exception of Windows Vista which stores it in the Drive:\$Recycle.Bin\Recycle Bin folder. [1]
The recycle bin can be accessed via the desktop (In fact it is the only icon shown by default on the Windows XP desktop) or the Windows Explorer. The recycle bin, when accessed from the desktop, has different options and information than what Windows Explorer normally would have as seen from the physical location. In an NTFS environment, users cannot see deleted files in the Recycle Bin of other users.
[edit] Deleting files
Files are moved to the recycle bin in a number of ways:
- By right-clicking on a file and selecting delete from the menu
- Selecting the file and pressing the delete key
- Selecting delete from the side menu in Windows XP
- Selecting the file and choosing delete from the File menu (in Windows XP Explorer)
- From a context menu command or some other function in a software application (usually configurable)
- By dragging and dropping a file into the recycle bin icon
To delete a file bypassing the recycle bin (for immediate deletion), press and hold the SHIFT key while deleting the file. This deletes the file without sending it to the Recycle Bin.
[edit] How the recycle bin works
Files stored in the Recycle Bin in its physical location are renamed as Dxy.ext where x represents the drive name such as "c", "d" and so on, y a sequential number starting at 0 and ext being the file's original file name extension. The file names are kept as is when viewed from the main recycle bin. A hidden file is created, without an extension, called "info2". This file stores the original files' paths and file names so when the file is removed from the recycle bin and returned to its original directory, the original file name is kept as is. When the file is "deleted" the space on the disk is designated to be erased over by whatever files then are saved on the disk. For instance, if you have a picture deleted on the recycling bin, it is still physically stored on the disk until other data is written over it. In other words, the data are not erased, but the address marking the data is.
See an explanation here: http://www.winguides.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=brdNewTweaks&Number=94271&page=1&view=expanded&sb=9
Here is an example of the kind of software that can recover files even when they have been "permanently" deleted (this is for illustration only, there are probably better programs than this example): http://empty-recycle-bin.qarchive.org/
[edit] Known Issues
While the recycle bin is useful for your fixed disc, it does not recycle files from removable media. For instance, if you have a SD card (or a legacy floppy disc) files that have been deleted do not make it to the recycle bin.
Having a big disk and full recycle bin can considerably slow down deleting files. Right-clicking on recycle bin and selecting "empty recycle bin" resolves the issue easily.
Also, the Recycle Bin icon cannot be deleted from the desktop like other icons. Deleting a registry key from the Windows Registry resolves this issue. The key varies with the version of the operating system. However in the Windows Vista operating system, the recycle bin can be deleted from the desktop.
[edit] Removing the Recycle Bin Icon from the Desktop in Windows XP (Pro/Home)
- Press the WindowsKey + R to bring up the Windows RUN dialog and type "Regedit" without the quotes and press ENTER to bring up the Windows Registry Editor program.
- Using the tree structure on the left, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel and right click on the right menu to add a new DWORD value. Set the name of the key to "{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}" without the quotes, and set the value to 1.
- On the desktop, press the F5 key to refresh the desktop.
In this method, the {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} is the GUID of the Recycle Bin desktop application, and by setting the key to 1 you are telling Windows Explorer to ignore the icon. Setting the value to 0, or deleting the key altogether will make the icon visible again. The other registry values in the same location control the visibility of My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places and the Internet Explorer icon.
