Data Drive Formatted - Can it be recovered?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bobbie Weeks (Ms)
  • Start date Start date
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Bobbie Weeks (Ms)

I have a NTFS drive which was my data drive. I went to reinstall
window on a second drive (thinking my data drive would be safe because
it's on a completely seperate hard drive) but, somehow, I picked the
wrong drive by mistake and ended up formatting and installing windows
xp on my data drive (I swear it said C:\Windows on the drive I picked).

I've still got my original windows on another partition and have booted
up using my old windows, but I'm wondering if there is any chance I can
recover the data on the data drive which has been reformatted and had a
version of windows xp loaded onto it.

Can you suggest anything or is all lost?
 
Bobbie said:
I have a NTFS drive which was my data drive. I went to reinstall
window on a second drive (thinking my data drive would be safe because
it's on a completely seperate hard drive) but, somehow, I picked the
wrong drive by mistake and ended up formatting and installing windows
xp on my data drive (I swear it said C:\Windows on the drive I
picked).

I've still got my original windows on another partition and have
booted up using my old windows, but I'm wondering if there is any
chance I can recover the data on the data drive which has been
reformatted and had a version of windows xp loaded onto it.

Can you suggest anything or is all lost?
Click to expand...

If all you had done was format - maybe.
As you say you "installed windows" on it - the data is more than likely so
scrambled, recovery would take much time and effort and likely result in a
poor outcome at best.
 
The format occured as part of the windows xp install... Is there any
programs that you can suggest to try to do the recovery and how I would
go about it. I'd like to at least try to see if it can be recovered
before writing the whole lot off.
 
Bobbie Weeks (Ms) said:
I have a NTFS drive which was my data drive. I went to reinstall
window on a second drive (thinking my data drive would be safe because
it's on a completely seperate hard drive) but, somehow, I picked the
wrong drive by mistake and ended up formatting and installing windows
xp on my data drive (I swear it said C:\Windows on the drive I picked).

I've still got my original windows on another partition and have booted
up using my old windows, but I'm wondering if there is any chance I can
recover the data on the data drive which has been reformatted and had a
version of windows xp loaded onto it.

Can you suggest anything or is all lost?
Click to expand...

When you formatted the disk, you destroyed the "table of contents"
but kept your data. Your chances of recovering data files were
quite good.

When you subsequently installed Windows on that disk, you
overwrote many of the original data files or file fragments. They
cannot be recovered unless you throw really, really big money
at it, like the CIA does. The remaining file fragments can be
recovered but the outcome is uncertain. Below are a few tools
that might help.

The bottom line is: If you have important files on your PC
then you must back them up to an independent medium at
regular intervals, eg. once every week. A hard disk installed
in an external USB case is cheap and very easy to use. You
may have to consider this unfortunate event as a painful
reminder of this backup rule.

http://www.restorer2000.com/r2k.htm
http://www.hddrecovery.com.au
http://bootmaster.filerecovery.biz
http://www.runtime.org/
http://www.runtime.org/
www.acronis.com (RecoveryExpert)
 
Bobbie said:
I have a NTFS drive which was my data drive. I went to reinstall
window on a second drive (thinking my data drive would be safe because
it's on a completely seperate hard drive) but, somehow, I picked the
wrong drive by mistake and ended up formatting and installing windows
xp on my data drive (I swear it said C:\Windows on the drive I picked).

I've still got my original windows on another partition and have booted
up using my old windows, but I'm wondering if there is any chance I can
recover the data on the data drive which has been reformatted and had a
version of windows xp loaded onto it.

Can you suggest anything or is all lost?
Click to expand...

How important is your data? Try some of the links Pegasus recommended,
but if the data is extremely vaulable consider one of the data recovery
services such as www.ontrack.com or www.driversavers.com.

Next time always have a full and complete backup of essential data on
external / removable media like an external USB drive or DVD.
 
My eldest son just went through this. He received estimates anywhere form
$400 to $4500 dollars for recovery. His cost ended up being a bit over $3000
dollars - US.

A VERY expensive lessen.

--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
Richard said:
My eldest son just went through this. He received estimates anywhere form
$400 to $4500 dollars for recovery. His cost ended up being a bit over $3000
dollars - US.

A VERY expensive lessen.
Click to expand...

Yow...he must have wanted that data badly.
 
Wedding/Honeymoon photos!


--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
How about a new wedding/honeymoon? Get rid of the old and get a new
one! I do it every 7 years!

You get good ones from thailand and Philipines but I prefer Japan!!

hth
 
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