I had a fat32 hard disk which was converted to a NTFS file system. The
disk got currupted at one point and now all the folders created after
the conversion have turned into files so I can't access the files in
those folders. All the old folders created before conversion are
fine.The disk now seems to think its a fat32 file system in the disk
managemnt program. Can I rescue my files will running a conversion to
NTFS solve it or will I lose my folders for good.???
I suspect doing a system recovery may have caused the problem as it
was the boot disk.
What does "can't access" mean? Do you get an error message? If so, what
is the exact text?
I can't tell if this is a permissions problem or a file system problem,
but I'd try and boot with a live Linux CD like Knoppix (a live CD is an
operating system that runs from the CD and not the hard drive) and see
if I could retrieve the files that way. Since Linux doesn't respect XP's
permissions, that avoids the issue.
If you can't access the files with Knoppix, data recovery software may
do the trick.
Afterwards, I'd simply format the drive and start over. NTFS is best for XP.
Using Knoppix:
You will need a computer with two cd drives, one of which is a cd/dvd-rw
OR a usb thumb drive with enough capacity to hold your data OR an
external usb/firewire hard drive formatted FAT32 (not NTFS). To get
Knoppix, you need a computer with a fast Internet connection and
third-party burning software. Download the Knoppix .iso and create your
bootable cd. Then boot with it and it will be able to see the Windows
files. If you are using the usb thumb drive or the external hard drive,
right-click on its icon (on the Desktop) to get its properties and
uncheck the box that says "Read Only". Then click on it to open it. Note
that the default mouse action in the window manager used by Knoppix
(KDE) is a single click to open instead of the traditional MS Windows'
double-click. Otherwise, use the K3b burning program to burn the files
to cd/dvd-r's.
http://www.knoppix.net
Some data recovery software (I use EasyRecovery but it is expensive):
http://www3.telus.net/mikebike/RESTORATION.html
PCInspector File Recovery -
http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/welcome.htm
Executive Software “Undelete” -
http://www.execsoft.com/undelete/undelete.asp
R-Studio -
http://www.r-tt.com/
File Scavenger -
http://www.quetek.com/prod02.htm
Ontrack's EasyRecovery -
http://www.ontrack.com/software/
Malke
