Format Recovery...

LoDwkeefLoDwkeef Join Date: 2003-10-08 Member: 21512Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Help...please....</div> I need to recover information said to be "formatted"

I have put a slave drive i want to format on my computer cause it will not load by itself and i wanted to format it for another computer, so the microsoft help(this is all with XP) tells me to put my recovery CD in at startup to load a menu to format the drive, since the good ol' right-click format wouldn't work properly. So i put the disc in on start up, and throughout the whole thing i dont press a button, this disc like took over my computer, the first thing it says on starting up the blue screen windows setup is, "Formating, and im like "WAIT! WTH!" and it finishes doind that in like less than 5 min, probebly like 3, i dont want to mess with anything, screwing up windows in the middle of something, plus is shock, plus not sure if it is really happening. Then it proceedes to install windows, and then im thinking, oh maybe it just formated my partition that windows runs off of, and if it reinstalls windows its not that bad, all i'd have to do is change some settings like making it read my internet ISP ip settings and stuff like that. So then windows starts up and it says that like my whole 120 gb hard drive is empty....
.....I have 3 years worth of information on there, i need it back, i wouldn't think it could format my 120 gb thats was like 83% full in like less than 5 min. There HAS to be some way to recover it, it couldnt have fried it that fast... if i even get back like 25% id be happier. Theres got to be some program, some option, to read the disc no matter what it says.

I have irecoverable information on that HD, i need it back. I tried seeing if maybe i could do system restore, but its last sys restore date is but 15 min ago, aka worthless.

Can someone, anyone please help me

Comments

  • 0blique0blique Join Date: 2003-05-18 Member: 16477Members
    To solve this you need to take this to the professionals. Find someone in your area who specializes in data recovery and talk to them. If you try to do this yourself, you run the risk of losing even more of your data (but I suspect you will already have lost quite bit).

    Try to be more careful next time.
  • LoDwkeefLoDwkeef Join Date: 2003-10-08 Member: 21512Members
    edited February 2005
    <!--QuoteBegin-0blique+Feb 5 2005, 05:59 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (0blique @ Feb 5 2005, 05:59 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Try to be more careful next time. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    yeah, theres the irony, i was following microsofts HELP guide word for word, which ruined me in the end. maybe if they let you know that their disc is going to take over your system with no input from you and kill it you could stop it.
  • MonsieurEvilMonsieurEvil Join Date: 2002-01-22 Member: 4Members, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    There is no Microsoft CD which will do what you described, where it formats and destroys your drive without you telling it to, and I would love to see the help article that told you to format your drive because you couldn't right-click.

    If that real drive was truly formatted (and not just a Windows parallel install done), then your only real hope is to have your disk examined by a data recovery company or possibly try using some 3rd-party software. Formatted does not mean deleted; it means the pointers in the file allocation table no longer directly know where your data is.

    Have a look here:

    <a href='http://www.helpdeskpro.net/data-recovery.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.helpdeskpro.net/data-recovery.htm</a>
  • im_lostim_lost TWG Rule Guru Join Date: 2003-04-26 Member: 15861Members
    Keep in mind that if you install any software to try and find the files, the installation will most likely overwrite some of the data you want to recover.
  • TalesinTalesin Our own little well of hate Join Date: 2002-11-08 Member: 7710NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators
    edited February 2005
    And that a data recovery specialist will charge about $2000 and up for their services. And they don't guarantee to get all of it back, as that'd be nearly impossible with you installing the OS on it. :b
  • MonsieurEvilMonsieurEvil Join Date: 2002-01-22 Member: 4Members, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    An excellent point.

    I really would recommend doing backups in your home environment. If this had been a harddrive crash, the data would have been just as gone. You wouldn't drive a car without an airbag and seatbelt, and that's what backups are for your data...

    <a href='http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/expert/crawford_02april02.mspx' target='_blank'>Windows XP Home Networking: Backing Up Your Home Network</a>

    <a href='http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q302894' target='_blank'>HOW TO: Install Backup from the CD-ROM in Windows XP Home Edition</a> (Pro does not require this).

    <a href='http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308422&sd=tech' target='_blank'>How To Use Backup to Back Up Files and Folders on Your Computer in Windows XP</a>

    <a href='http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;309340&sd=tech' target='_blank'>How to use Backup to restore files and folders on your computer in Windows XP</a>
  • LoDwkeefLoDwkeef Join Date: 2003-10-08 Member: 21512Members
    I got this program called "File Scavenger 2.1" and it looks like it found everything that was "formated" i just need a lisence code to finsh the "recovery"
  • MonsieurEvilMonsieurEvil Join Date: 2002-01-22 Member: 4Members, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    <a href='http://www.quetek.com/products2.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.quetek.com/products2.htm</a>

    There's where to get your license. That program was one of the ones I listed in the original link I gave you.
  • ZigZig ...I am Captain Planet&#33; Join Date: 2002-10-23 Member: 1576Members
    Mr. E ftw <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/style_images/TSA_Skin-975/icon12.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
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