Hi Jake
Welcome to the Pool
Without knowing what he did to clear up the computer we cannot give you a good answer
We need to know what command he used If he Formatted the Disk then You are Stuuck ,If it was Disc cleanup or a Temp file clearance then you'll Have lost some file
We always use a Cleaner program such as CCleaner and then a Defrag to restore performance.And that can be set to avoid removing files
I suspect your son Just went for the Total clearance Option!
Only thing is in future Do save your favourites
and then Transfer them to a Bookmarking site Like
www.Linkagogo.com where they are safe and you can bring them back later (Free)
Another way is to Sign up to
Google Web History and It Holds where you surf on Google and you can take it with you onto other Computers
So that's most of your surfs done
as for Personal Items a USB Pendrive(or Flashdrive) Is a real help Basically all you do is drag the file in and out of the Folder ...No brainer ..Prices are about $10 and Upward depending on the Size
1 Gb is the Most popular size Corsair & Kingston Brands are the Best brands and It fits on your key fob
Example here:
www.pendrive.com.my/usb-mini.htm Hope this info is Helpful?