Windows Forum

Ask something
Question Locked

Help Needed

0 helpful
6 replies

by techamateur

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

HELP!!!! My home PC (an HP) had a major brainfart a couple months ago, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me?

After turning on my computer after work, it automatically went to the "System Recovery" option. I clicked on "Quit" several times, but all the button did was blink. So I clicked OK and it would give me a warning about this program being destructive, would you rather try HP's builtin System Restore Option instead. So I clicked no to system recovery and yes to system restore to choose a restore point. Every time I tried this option, it took me back to the original starting page of System Recovery. After trying repeatedly for an hour, including restarting several times, I felt like a dog chasing my tail and had no choice but to do a System Recovery.

Obviously, this option wiped out all my programs, however, all my icons were still there, but the programs needed to be reinstalled.

So here's my question . . . is there any way to recover some of what I lost; I'm specifically looking for everything in My Pictures, My Music, My Documents, and all saved emails that were in Incredimail?

I mean, if the FBI can recover incriminating evidence on someone's computer, i.e., child porn, that's been erased, do I have any hope? ? ?

Please feel free to berate me for not backing up prior to this; I've already done so and kicked myself in the patut numerous times. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

6 replies

by tintoman

Actually that's not enough, you are a complete numpty but I think you know that.
Right well you seem to be in a pickle dont you, I crashed my own pc some time ago and I lost my customer database as well, so rather than try to peace togather all the info from paperwork I got hold of File Recover from pctools.
I didn't get everything back but that was because I had already installed extra software before I decided to try this, so it is important to do this as soon as possible.
It is excellent at finding deleted files amd in many cases can rebuild them for you.

by shady108

getdataback or ontrack easyrecovery

you can recover from multiple formats, fdisks etc

ontracks software seems better, ive had better results with it,.....

whatever u delete or format you can always get back :)

by older mycroft

You posted:

[i]"My home PC (an HP) had a major brainfart [b]a couple months ago[/b], and I'm wondering if anyone can help me?... ...is there any way to recover some of what I lost?"[/i]

If you had wanted to have ANY chance of success you should have made the initial inquiry, and the resulting route to recovery, [u] a couple of months ago! [/u]

Every time you have booted and shutdown in the last two months, you have accessed (and probably overwritten!) the precise areas of the hard drive that you are now attempting to recover.

You'd have more chance of success if you asked the FBI.

But even they would have difficulty securing a conviction after TWO months of over-writing.

by jdclyde

I have seen it where a new profile is created, but the old one is still in place, so the data is safe.

As for the installed programs, there are still there, but all the registry entries are toast, so they need to be reinstalled.

by sue t

First Aid Recovery. I have used both and have always been very successfull. I ran Free Undelete on a server that rebooted at least twice a week for serveral years, had files deleted, software installed, etc. and Free Undelete found and was able to recover files from several years ago. Good Luck, I am sure you will be able to recover most if not all.

This discussion is closed to new replies.