Zero bytes files - can I restore them somehow?

Question

Is there a chance to recover files downloaded from Dropbox to a local computer six months ago that show as zero bytes? In the past, when I finished teaching a class, I removed the class materials and stored them on an external hard drive for the following year. I didn't realize that the folder with the class materials I had on dropbox was "online only," when I transferred the folder, all files were listed as size zero bytes. It has been six months since I moved the files, so I cannot recover them from my dropbox. Is there any way to still recover them?

Thanks!

eam3666 · Answer

Thank you, Jay. I figured I could not do much, but I just wanted to be sure. I wish Dropbox had a warning to check the files' size when doing something like that.

Jay · Answer

Hi @eam3666, it does sound like it wouldn't be possible to recover those files since they were deleted so long ago from the Dropbox site.

In the future, we'd recommend downloading the files to another internal drive location, ensure that they have the correct size to them, and then move them to an external drive afterwards.

I'm sorry I can't be more helpful on this matter.

eam3666 · Answer

Walter,

I'm sorry that I was not clear in my posting. Last year, I downloaded the folder with all my lecture files from my Dropbox space and stored it on an external hard disk. I then erased the folder from Dropbox. As I'm saying this, I realize that I will probably be unable to recover these files, as it has been about six months since I did this. I've had a dropbox account for several years, and I have done this download when I finish a semester. I realize that Dropbox has changed how it stores files, but I didn't realize that I could lose all my files.

Thanks!