3 Ways To Recover Accidentally Deleted Windows Application File

Trouble:

If you have deleted some useful windows executable file by mistake or by accident, don’t loose heart, because there is an easy way of getting it back.

One of our readers BalaSubramaniam wrote:

I have deleted my calc.exe file by mistake.Can you help me how to reinstall it?

Well, this is not only about calc.exe (Windows Calculator Application file), its about any kind of Windows in-built Application file and Help file.

There are three easy ways of recovering it:

1. Copying Application file from another windows computers.
2. Using Windows Component Installation Wizard.
3. Using Expand command on command prompt (The Geeky way!)

Read the fix below for detailed steps.

Fix:

Let us first tell you the method in the order of ease of solution, so if first does not work, you can try second and so on.

Copying File From Another Computer:

This is the simplest you can do, but for this you should know the file location. For Example for calculator, you need to copy calc.exe from c:\Windows\System32 folder and calculator help file calc.chm from c:\Window\help

Note:  This method may not work for all kind of applications

Windows Component Installation Wizard:

1. Insert your Windows XP installation CD in your disk drive.

2. Open Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs

3. On Add or Remove Programs Window , click on Add Remove Windows Components

4. This will open Windows Component Wizard, on this Wizard, try to locate the application which you want to recover. For example, Calculator is under Accessories and Utilities, Click on it and press details. It will open the detailed options as you can see below. On further clicking details, you will get Accessories details. Here check-the application you want to install and un-check the applications which you want to un-install. Click OK and at last press Next on Windows Component Wizard to continue to setup.

5. After the setup begins, it will finish and following screen will show up. And you are done

Expand Command-Windows Command Prompt (The Geeky Way!)

1. Put the Windows XP setup CD in your disk drive.

2. Assuming that your CD Drive letter is D: (mine is G:) Open the command prompt and type the following command:

"expand -r D:\I386\CALC.EX_ C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32"

The above example is for calc.exe, so for any other file, e.g. the first parameter will become the filename with last character replaced by an underscore or _

e.g “file.ex_” for “file.exe” and “file.ch_” for “file.chm”

See the example snapshot below

Hope you find the above methods useful. Leave your suggestions and comments below.

Author + Admin: Abhishek Bhatnagar
Hi, I am a Software Engineer by profession and blogger by passion, I write about computer tips and tricks and solutions for computer problems. You can connect with me at twitter or know more about me on www.abhishekbhatnagar.com.