What Is a CAB File
Windows Cabinet File (CAB) is a common archive file format, which is used to store a collection of compressed files by Microsoft. It contains compressed versions of different files, folders, and even other Cabinet files.
Its main purpose is to save data related to installation packages. Microsoft uses these files to distribute Windows, driver, and UWP app updates, which makes them common in software installation processes, especially when they are related to Windows operating systems. Apart from this, you can also use it to store other forms of data, such as images, videos, and documents.
Since most Windows installation packages come with a CAB file, there is a high chance that you have this file on your computer. When you find that your Windows temporary folder is full of CAB files taking up storage space, you might want to delete temporary CAB files from your computer. If you want to get these deleted CAB files back or they are lost due to accidental deletion or other causes, can you recover them?
Can Deleted CAB Files Be Recovered
The lost CAB file is likely to be recoverable. The main reason why lost files can be recovered is that they do not really disappear from the storage media after being deleted. Specifically, the file is stored in small units on the hard disk or other storage devices. When the files are deleted, these small units do not really disappear but are marked as overwritable. This means that the files still exist in the storage media, but are no longer directly accessible by the operating system.
Therefore, generally speaking, there is a great chance that deleted or lost CAB files can be recovered, but there are also some factors that affect the success rate of their recovery.
- Data overwriting: If the deleted files are overwritten by new data, the difficulty of recovery will be greatly increased, and it may even be impossible to recover. Data writing is random, and which files are overwritten is uncontrollable, so all writing operations should be avoided as much as possible before the files are successfully recovered.
- Storage media status: The health of the storage media will also affect the success rate of CAB file recovery. For example, hard drive damage and other problems will prevent recovery tools from scanning the storage device and thus fail to detect lost files.
- Deletion method: Different deletion methods such as complete deletion or full formatting will affect the recoverability of files. Complete deletion usually makes files more difficult to recover because all related data blocks will be cleared.
How to Recover Deleted/Lost CAB Files
After CAB file loss, you need to learn some suggestions to increase the success rate of recovery.
- Firstly, don’t store new data in the CAB file storage location.
- Secondly, don’t format or rebuild partitions to avoid further damage to data and devices.
- Thirdly, you need to take immediate action to recover your files when you find they are lost.
As long as you follow these recommendations, file recovery can be easy. Let’s begin!
Way 1: Recover CAB Files From the Recycle Bin
The simplest way to recover deleted files is to use the Recycle Bin. The Recycle Bin is a system folder in the Windows operating system, which is mainly used to temporarily store files and data deleted by users. When you delete files, the files will be moved to the Recycle Bin instead of being deleted directly from the hard disk. In this way, you can restore these files when needed to avoid permanent file loss caused by accidental deletion.
Likewise, when you delete CAB files, they are also temporarily stored in the Recycle Bin, from where you can easily restore them. Follow the instructions to recover deleted CAB files from the Recycle Bin.
Step 1: You need to open your Recycle Bin on your desktop. If it isn’t here, you can search for it using the Windows search function.
Step 2: After entering the interface, you can scroll the list to find the required CAB files quickly if you deleted them recently. If not, it’s recommended for you to use the search feature to search for specific CAB files.
Step 3: When you select all wanted files, you are expected to right-click on the selected area and choose Restore.
Once completed these steps, you can go to the original storage location to check if the CAB files are recovered.
Way 2: Recover CAB Files With Recovery Software
However, if you have emptied the Recycle Bin, recovering files will be more difficult. In this case, you have to use the file recovery software to restore a deleted CAB file on Windows. There are multiple recovery tools on the market. Which one should you choose? Here MiniTool Power Data Recovery is strongly recommended for you to recover deleted CAB files. You may wonder why I would recommend this tool. It is because it has the following advantages.
- Deep scanning capability. This tool can scan the disk and get almost all the data on it, including deleted, lost and existing data. No matter how long your files have been lost, it can scan them out as long as they have not been overwritten.
- Powerful recovery function. It is capable of restoring most types of files such as archives, audio, videos, documents, images, and emails from various file storage devices such as hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, RAID, and other storage media.
- Strong compatibility with the system. It supports all popular Windows systems including Windows 11/10/8.1/8. For most users, there is no need to update their Windows.
- High security for your data and device. When using it, it can ensure the safety of your lost files and storage devices without causing additional file loss.
In a word, using this software can eliminate your worries and successfully recover your deleted CAB files. By the way, you can use this free file recovery software to retrieve 1 GB of files without any cent. Now that you know it is a reliable and robust recovery tool, download and install it to do a secure data recovery.
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Step 1: After installing this CAB recovery software, double-click on the icon to launch it. When entering the main interface, you will see three sections, which are Logical Drives, Devices, and Recover From Specific Location.
Logical Drives displays all the partitions on your computer including all the existing/deleted partitions and unallocated space. Devices includes all the disks connected to your device. The Recover From Specific Location section allows you to recover files from the specific location including the Desktop, Recycle Bin, or a specific folder.
Step 2: Under the Logical Drives tab, find the drive where your deleted CAB files are stored. After finding it, you need to hover your cursor on the drive. When the Scan icon pops up, click on it to start scanning.
Alternatively, you can also choose to scan a specific folder. You should move your cursor to the Select Folder section and click on Browse. In the File Explorer, choose the folder where CAB files are stored and click on the Select Folder button to get started.
Step 3: This scan process will take some time. You are requested to wait for it to be completed patiently to get the best results. After the scan ends, the files will be listed by their paths under the Path column, which generally contain deleted files, lost files, and existing files. To find out CAB files among these messy files can be hard and time-consuming. Don’t worry. This tool has some classification functions.
Firstly, the Type feature lists all types of the found files such as document, picture, audio & video, and so on. As mentioned in the first part, the CAB file belongs to the archive type. To find them out, you are supposed to switch to the Type tab, click on the small arrow in front of All File Types, and choose Archive > cab. All the archives will be shown here.
Secondly, the Filter feature can also help you locate CAB files quickly. You can filter the scan results by file type, size, category, and modified date, and the file type is often used. You are expected to click on the Filter button in the upper-left corner, hit the By File Type button, and choose Archive. You can see all archives in the central panel.
Thirdly, using the Search feature located in the upper-right corner is the most direct and effective way to find certain CAB files. Type the keywords of the file name in the search box. If you don’t remember the name, you can just type cab in it. Once you’ve typed it, press Enter to continue.
Step 4: After finding files, you need to tick all the needed CAB files and click on the Save button. There will be a window where you should choose a new location to store the recovered files and click on OK to start recovering.
When the recovery completed window shows, it means the files have been restored to the new directory.
Way 3: Recover CAB Files Using File History
File History automatically backs up files in your libraries, contacts, favorites, Microsoft SkyDrive, and desktop. It helps you recover lost files if the originals are lost, damaged, or deleted. You can also find different versions of a file at a specific point in time. Over time, you’ll have a complete history of your files.
If you enabled the File History feature, you can restore deleted files using it. So, before recovering files, you need to check if it is enabled. If it is not, this method will not work for you. Here are the steps to check it:
- Right-click on the Start button and choose Settings.
- Click on Update and Security > Files backup.
- Check if the Automatically back up my files feature is enabled.
If it is enabled, work with the following instructions to recover deleted CAB files using it.
Step 1: Open the Control Panel and click on the View by box to choose Large icons.
Step 2: Click on File History > Restore personal files.
Step 3: Double-click on the folder where deleted CAB files are stored.
Step 4: Select the CAB files you want to restore and click on the Green restore button.
Other Causes for CAB File Loss & Tips to Avoid It
Here are some other common reasons for CAB file loss besides accidental deletion and tips to prevent them from getting lost in the future.
Causes:
- Virus attacks. Nowadays, viruses are becoming more and more powerful, and computer data is easily attacked, resulting in file loss.
- Disk formatting. Disk formatting can completely delete files, change the file system, and refresh the computer for better performance.
- System crashing. Computer crashes are often caused by system file problems or hardware failures. You may lose file, experience a blue screen of death, or face other problems that prevent you from using your computer normally.
Tips:
- Back up your CAB files regularly. Backups protect against human error, hardware failure, virus attacks, power outages, and natural disasters. When these issues occur, backups save time and money.
- Use antivirus on your computer. Antivirus can prevent malware from causing damage to your device by detecting, isolating, or removing malicious code.
Verdict
Recovering files is not as difficult as you think. When you encounter CAB file loss, you can go to check your Recycle Bin first. If that doesn’t work, use MiniTool Power Data Recovery software to recover deleted CAB files. Moreover, if you have enabled the backup feature, file recovery can be easier and faster. However, few people have the awareness of backup. So, back up your important files from now on. As the most praised Windows backup software, MiniTool ShadowMaker is worth a try.
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If you have any questions about this MiniTool software, you can tell us via [email protected] and we will try our best to solve your problems.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Chelsea graduated from university with a major in English. She has a strong interest in English writing. It is this passion for writing that led her to become an English editor. Her articles mainly focus on data recovery and other computer industry news. As an energetic and outgoing girl, Chelsea enjoys listening to music, singing, riding bikes, and eating in her spare time.