system restore

[docfunk]

The girlfriend(soon to be  ex) diceded to do a system restore on the computer by mistake  :spank: wipeing the hard drive with all her uni dissatation which needs handed in by march and 1000`s of my photos any one know if it is possable to get it all back?

 

[Brains]

Probably!
Data is "deleted" usually by losing its address rather than erasing all files...
Ring around data recovery specialists from the yellow pages in the morning, guess it wont be "cheap" but what are photos worth, never mind the dissertation. Also try the obvious places like PC world  - they advertise this service instore...
With luck you will find someone on here who can do it as well...

I is no specialist so prepare for a more technical answer no doubt... and if that fails burn the drives while drinking whisky 

 

[graham]

I got a HDD that had died copied to DVD for ?35.

 

[AndyF]

First step is DONT USE THE PC

Every time you do the disk will be active and things like the swap file can be doing damge to anything that remains of the files. Then get specialist advice, and be prepared to pay for it....

there is likely to be quite a bit left on the disk, but you need an expert to get it back....

 

[cap n chris]

Try this company - it's run by a caver!

http://phreatic.co.uk/services.html

With this referral/quote: "When my hard disk failed I thought I'd lost all my family photo's. PCS recovered everything from my old disk and transferred it to my new computer for a fraction of what PC World had quoted me!"

 

[martinr]

I agree - First step is DONT USE THE PC until you know more about what is causing your problem

Having said that, I thought that any changes System Restore makes to your computer are reversible? And anyway, that  System Restore will not cause users to lose their work, mail, or browsing history and favorites? So maybe you have some other problem? BUT I AM NO EXPERT so you need advice from someone in the know.

 

[francis]

If you put the HDD into another comp, or have another HDD in the same comp that you can install an OS onto, then you can use a number of utils to get the data back. I got back some stuff I accidentally deleted with a data recovery program.

Francis

 

[paul]

If you put the HDD into another comp, or have another HDD in the same comp that you can install an OS onto, then you can use a number of utils to get the data back. I got back some stuff I accidentally deleted with a data recovery program.

Francis

The problem here is that a System Restore is different from recovering deleted files. Deleted files are not removed from a HD, their entry in the File Allocation Table is marked as deleted even though the data is actually still there: the OS just cannot locate it (a bit like tippexing out an entry in a book index, the words are still on the page but you cannot look them up in the index anymore). The OS will assume that the locations where the data is stored is usable to store new files if the entrey in the Allocation Table has been removed and will overwrite whatever was there before. SO DO NOT USE THE PC AND OVERWRITE THE DATA!!!

Have a look at System Restore on Wikipedia for a bit more information.

As you really want the data back, as others have said, pay an expert and don't fiddle!

 

[andymorgan]

Having said that, I thought that any changes System Restore makes to your computer are reversible? And anyway, that  System Restore will not cause users to lose their work, mail, or browsing history and favorites?

That is what I thought as well. Was it a drive format or something similar, rather than a system restore?

 

[bubba]

You should be able to undo a system restore - what OS are you using?

 

[Walrus]

I'd guess they have a Packard Bell computer; PB (and some other manf) call their recovery process (wipe the HDD, reinstall the OS) 'System Restore'. If it is a PB computer, some have a backup partition where user data (usually the contents of 'My Documents') is backed up to by the OS. If they can find the model & serial number I can find out (I used to work in Packard Hell support).

Or If Docfunk has access to another computer, is prepared to crack open the one with the data on it himself and willing to spend ?10 I can tell him how to attempt to recover it himself. 

 

[docfunk]

Hi Walrus, I am all ears...I have a 3yo Compaq Presario.....*waves ?10 note*

 

[Walrus]

This assumes you are running XP on your 'spare' computer (Don't know if this works with Vista). Go to Amazon and order one of these. While your waiting :, head off to 'tinternet and download this - its free!

Install it on your 'spare' computer. Once you get the caddy from Amazon, remove the HDD from the PC with the deleted files, connect it to the caddy (with the PSU if needs be), then connect it to your 'spare' PC. Let it detect - it should find a new HDD and ask you what you want to do with the files - do nothing. Then run the Recovery software and let it scan all your drives - it may take some time. When its finished it'll list what its found - hopefully your files will be there. If so, copy them to your spare PC, disconnect the caddy, put the HDD back in the other computer.

Copy the files across via cd-rom, memory stick, etc and bob's a man your mothers sister married.

If you need further advice, PM me.