Disappeared File Maker Pro system and database.

[gunug]

I've got a trashed Server drive from which I've recovered a lot of data but not the critical data which is a File Maker Pro (7 I assume) database and application.  I've found the application software deleted amongst the application software (separate layered set of folders) but I didn't see anything that looked like the database itself.  Is File Maker Pro data kept in some hidden file structure or in a specific file?

What is the known best procedure/software for undeleting files?  What has somebody used and is it worth paying for; because everything I've seen costs at least $85!

[Xairbusdriver]

No hidden files that I know of. They will have ".fp7" all the way up through FM11, I think version 12 finally forces the suffix to "fp12."

As for where the files go, you get a dialog asking where to put any new database as soon as you start creating it. That's the standard OS Navigation dialog. They will go where that defaults to or where you select.

Un-deleting is a risky endeavor, however, if the drive has been written to after a deletion, any or all the deleted bits may have been over-written. Even if that's just one sector, it may be impossible to find all the others. I'm assuming the deletion may have happened some time ago. In that case, Time Machine should have a copy saved from before that time, assuming your backups go back that far. Of course, any other non-destructive (one that adds new stuff without deleting anything) backups should work as well.

Good luck!

[gunug]

I used a program called Photorec (runs from Terminal) with spent some 25 hours to generate a directory of sub-directories of "recovered" files (50 Gigs or more) on the drive I booted up from.  Not much luck in finding "the" one magic Filemaker Pro file and if it's not deleted and it's not in the active files (some others where there) then I'm not sure where it got spun off!  I was wondering about some of the $50-$100 commercial programs that purport to do better; never used any of them!