Recovering file after a recent format, need help!!!

T

tmorgan4

New Member
I'm new to the forum....tried searching but figured I'd post up a new topic since there are a few things I'm looking to get an opinion on.

I recently (2 days ago) decided to format my HD and reinstall XP due to a sluggish system and the build up of crap on the HD over the past year. I thought I had gone through and saved everything to the external HD that was important, but of course I forgot to save the folder that contained all of my college application crap I just finished doing. :eek:

I formatted, installed Windows and the system is back up and running. The system had 40GB or so of stuff installed when this folder was saved (the one I'm trying to recover) and it now only has 6 or 7GB written to it. Shouldn't this file still be on there?

I try my luck with the first 10 programs I find on Google, and it comes up with all the school stuff I don't need from the past 3 years, but won't find the file I need. I can even find the file for the link from the "recent" folder to the essay I'm trying to get, but not the file (I wrote it 2 days before the format).

Anything else I can try? I would REALLY like to get this back and not spend the entire weekend coming up (for the 2nd time) rewriting something I've already done.

Appreciate ANY advice!! :)
 
A reformat deletes EVERYTHING not just the OS. Don't you remember all the Flashing text saying WARNING: YOUR DATA WILL BE LOST!

No way of getting it back, unless it was a different HD or Partition.
 
Untrue. There are ways to recover lost information. I don't know of any good programs right off, though... I think I have one at home, but it's far from perfect...
 
Basically what I've heard so far is that any time you "delete" anything from your HD, it just removes the "pointer" files to it but the file is still intact until it's written over. I recovered all sorts of stuff that were on the HD before I reformatted, but I can't find the one particular file.
 
There are actually several freeware and shareware programs alike for data recovery like undelete for instance the old dos type data recovery tool there. One site loaded with both types is seen at http://www.myfreewares.com/category-1201-data-recovery-free-download.html

Stellar Phoenix Fat 9.2 supposedly recovers data after an accidental format of virus infection. Another site also lists quite a few seen at http://res.bitmart.net/Computers/Software/Data_Recovery/ The one problem seen with a number of freewares or sharewares in some cases is built in adwares. :eek: how did that get on my...? :confused:
 
Good Luck, It's one thing to recover something that has been deleted, it's another to recover after a reformat and you've possibly overwritten files with the re-installation of your OS.
 
That's one reason why "frequent backups" is one of the most common advices given. Whenever you have something "unreplacable" back it up! is the word there. This way if any mishaps come up like ??? reformats, virus infections, etc. your data remains intact "elsewhere".
 
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