Account & System Restore Issues With Lost FIles

[P. Norman]

My computer is running Windows XP Pro, with only 1 account
(administrator). Recently while loading, a message
appeared saying that my profile was corrupt and that I
would have to log on using a temporary folder, in which
any changes that I made would be lost.

I logged on, and moved 2 files, each containing several
Word documents, from my Documents and Settings>Default
folder to my desktop. I restarted my computer, and
obviously, as changes would be lost, the 2 folders were no
longer on my desktop. However, they were not in my
Documents and Settings>Default folder either.

I decided to do a System Restore, and I successfully
restored the computer's state to that of two weeks ago,
before any corrupt profile warnings had come about. My 2
folders were back in their original location; however,
they are now empty.

I have tried undoing and re-doing System Restores and have
met the same results: the folders are present but empty.
How can I locate the Word files that were once in them?

Thanks.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

Might try an undelete utility. These are commonly available for free, and
work on the premise that the space the file formerly occupied has not been
overwritten with new data yet. Once that has occured, recovery requires more
extensive (and expensive) work with dedicated forensic tools by someone who
knows what they are doing.

This one here works quite well for basic file recovery:
http://www.collina.us/files/REST2514.htm

For future reference, should this happen again: Logon as administrator, go
to the control panel/users and create a new user account. Then go to the
system applet/advanced tab, click on users. Select your old account, then
copy to the new one. Logoff admin, then on as your new account.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone