Evening :)

 

Yesterday when I got home mrs shrimp had installed a Fimbles game from a CD onto the PC, to amuse our lad.

 

She had installed it directly onto the desktop so there were files everywhere.

 

Insead of moving the files myself, I uninstalled the program using the Remove Software utility in Control Panel. Big mistake. :cry: It deleted everything off the desktop :confused:

 

I did a System restore to before the mrs installed the bloody Fimbles but only empty folders have reappeared - all their contents deleted :confused: I've searched for filenames I know of but nothing is found.

 

My grounding kits order list/accounts, all the instructions, and tons of car/baby/family photos have gone. :cry: :confused: Not happy. I was only thinking of backing everything up the other day but didn't.

 

Is there ANY way that they are hiding somewhere? Pleeeeeease?!

 

Cheers

 

Pete

Oh and it's Windows XP.

Dont use that PC from now, get an other HDD which has a OS on it, and get a file restore program

Its very important that you wont use anything located at that HDD. Everything you delete the normal way is still there, but its made owerwriteable, so next time your computer needs to write something to the HDD (all the time) you loose a bit of that "overwritable" space.. Therefor get an other HDD (alternatively hook your HDD up to an other PC) and get a file restore program (cant think of one right now, sorry :() and install it on that other HDD (not the one you have all your stuff on).

Dont use that PC from now, get an other HDD which has a OS on it, and get a file restore program

 

yep - stop using it, and you should be able to restore the files by putting the drive as a slave on another computer... if you're still stuck next week, I'd be happy to send you an 'evaluation' copy of some software (sure I've still got a copy at work!!)

 

Rich

Cheers boys - guess that's me offline for a couple of days then, I'll print this thread out and cross my fingers :) Should have a mate who can download what I need and bring his pc round

 

Thanks

 

Pete

there are certian programs that allow you to recover files if they have been delelted

 

ill find out for you

Hi all

 

Right, I'm on another pc and have tried the above but to no avail. Got the software fine though.

 

We have hooked up my HD as a slave drive on this pc but although it is recognised as a HDD, it shows that it has not been formatted. On properties the total capacity shows as 0 bytes.

 

I've tried on two different pcs, one with Windows 2000 and the other with XP. Both do the same.

 

Have tried attaching it using the CD IDE cable, same result.

 

Am I going to have to fork out a load of money for a specialist to sort it?

 

Cheers

 

Pete

What is the make of the CD? Try putting it on the secondary channel not primary.

as above Pete, set hdd as a master and put it on the secondary channel.

If not - Ill do ya a free recovery if you send me the drive - Ill bang it all on CD/DVD for ya. then return the drive.

Cheers Jay & Stu, that worked :cool: I'm just trying to find suitable software now to do the recovery - any ideas? The ones I keep finding have either not picked up anything on the HDD or have a tiny file size limit :(

 

I'm also just waiting on a copy of Norton Antivirus to install on my temporary PC as a get about 5 minutes of BB connection before explorer gets butchered by internet nasties and I have to End Task and reboot :rolleyes:

 

Jay thanks - for the kind offer :bow: I'll let you know if I dont get anywhere tonight :)

 

Cheers

 

Pete

just so you know in future i do sealed room drive refurbs and file retrieval.

 

got myself a nice vacum tank for drive stripping and new head assys and controller arms, boards.

 

i also can do block by block data retieval and analysis just one thing, if you have exposed you hardrive to a shock greater than 1g then theres no point, trying to use the drive, best thing to do is remover the m/o discks and put them in a new case assy.

no worries pete, I got some utilities I can email you later on if you like

 

drop me a private msg or email matey.

 

one utility I have is brilliant at finding deleted/lost files and its only email size :)

Yay! Sorted! Big big thanks to those above, Ken2, SRRAE, Jay, Rich666, MarkGSI :bow: Really thought I'd lost every picture I have of our son, and all my grounding kit bumf.

 

Most of it is recovered fine, some corrupt files, and a mahoosive "lost files" folder to sort through lol

 

Cheers

 

Pete

Excellent! :D

 

So now you've fixed it, are you going to admit that it was in fact you and not Mrs Shrimp who f*cked it up in the first place? ;)

Never!! :D:rofl: