Thread: Yet Another HDD problem

With the right gear then yes. Don't ask ne how as I have never tried. In theory you can even recover the data after it's been reformated.

Well the first thing you do is restore the backup that you have sitting handily by.

Oh well.

So you've already reformatted the drive?

Plug in another drive immediately, the more you write to the drive with the lost data the more you cover over the lost data.

Set the lost drive as a secondary drive. Make sure that there is no pagefile on the old drive.

Get a data recovery program.

Set it running for a couple of days.

Don't get your hopes up. Only do it if you are trying to recover truly essential information. I wiped a 200 page document, three months work; I recovered about twenty pages.

And I worked real hard to wipe that file too, it takes a lot of practice to delete it as completely as I did.

hth

Cheers
Simon.

If you haven't reformatted, will this work (thanks to link from Pedro the Swift) http://www.pctools.com/file-recover/'ref=mgfr

Ron

Originally Posted by Sandtoyz

At this rate are we turning into an IT forum?

Maybe we need a Computers & IT section?

Ron

Hi,
You should be able to recovery any data that is in a sector that has not yet been over written. There are heaps of different tools that do unformat and undelete etc just gota find one. Try downloading Hirens Boot CD or Ultimate boot CD I use Hirens alot and i am pretty sure you will find all the needed tools on that plus heaps more. You should be able to find the latest Hirens - think its up to about 7.9 now - on bit torrent, try mininova.org



Mick.

Originally Posted by p38arover

If you haven't reformatted, will this work (thanks to link from Pedro the Swift) http://www.pctools.com/file-recover/'ref=mgfr

Ron

That's a really good start, the suggestion earlier that you should isolate the drive if possible is very valid.

If the drive has the operating system on it - the OS will constantly be writing to it - so there is a risk it will overwrite the deleted data, Pull it out - make it a second drive in a different machine and run this recovery if you want to be sure you do not make it worse.. (or work from a bootable cd like BartPE or Knoppix or something)

Cheers, Mark

I haven't formatted the drive.
from what I understand, I've just cleared the MBR on this disc.
This was easily accomplished from Windows disc manager
- can't remember exactly but it only took two mouse clicks to clear it... and no warnings
It was only used for data storage, not any operating system.

I've only got a partial backup, mainly the program installation files stored on this drive.
The 60+G of data wasn't yet done, was getting round to that.

Originally Posted by Sandtoyz

I haven't formatted the drive.
from what I understand, I've just cleared the MBR on this disc.
This was easily accomplished from Windows disc manager
- can't remember exactly but it only took two mouse clicks to clear it... and no warnings
It was only used for data storage, not any operating system.

I've only got a partial backup, mainly the program installation files stored on this drive.
The 60+G of data wasn't yet done, was getting round to that.

I'm a bit unclear as to what you might have done but if it is just the MBR, (Master Boot Record) it can be restored easily using a windows XP cd.
BUT if you deleted the partition, that's another story.
I do't remember an option in disk manager for deleting the MBR but I could be wrong?

If you have deleted the partition you "might" be able to recover the data using a free download program, can't rememebr it's name I have it at work, I can looktomorrow.

But to reiterate what has been said unplug your drive and don't use it again until you have means of recovery.