HELP!!! ERASED FILES!

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Guest

I shut down my computer properly one day and when i started it up again the
next day everything was gone! As if my computer completly reformatted itself.
My documents folder is empty, which means i have no access to my files,
pictures, music, etc... It feels as though i am a new user on my computer buh
I AM NOT! Does anyone have any advice for me to retrieve my files? I heard
that the files have not been completly deleted of the pc, just maybe moved.
But where could i find them? I TRIED to report this to microsoft but was
directed here. If anyone has any advice it would really help me!
 
Hi

Have you tried searching the whole hard disk/partition for the extensions of
the files? Such as *.doc, *.xls etc.

--


Will Denny
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
Please reply to the News Groups
 
Mel said:
I shut down my computer properly one day and when i started it up
again the next day everything was gone! As if my computer completly
reformatted itself. My documents folder is empty, which means i have
no access to my files, pictures, music, etc... It feels as though i
am a new user on my computer buh I AM NOT! Does anyone have any
advice for me to retrieve my files? I heard that the files have not
been completly deleted of the pc, just maybe moved. But where could i
find them? I TRIED to report this to microsoft but was directed here.
If anyone has any advice it would really help me!
Click to expand...

Sure everything is gone and your profile didn't just become corrupt and you
are logged in with an alternate profile?

Look here:
C:\Documents and Settings\YourUsername

You may have to take ownership...
As long as EFS is not involved:

How to Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=308421

How to disable simplified sharing & set permissions
on a shared folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307874
 
Are you logged in on the correct account?

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
Are you missing only user files (DOC, XLS, JPG), or is the entire hard drive
blank or inaccessible?

For example, can you boot into XP and run windows explorer and see tens of
thousands of files (i.e., system files, programs)? If so, things are not
too bad. If can not boot at all, that could be anything from a crashed disk
to one key corrupt file.

Assuming you can boot and run explorer (since you say that the My documents
fold is empty meaning that you can see it), consider whether you might have
accidentally moved the contents. I few mouse clicks and poof, files can
move. I agree with the previous reply that suggeste using the XP search
function to find all DOC, JPG, etc. You can narrow the search, if you are
absolutely sure that you created/changed a file recently. Search only on or
after that date (plus one day further into the past to be sure). If you
find some files, go to that area and see whether the rest of them are
around. If so, move them back.

If search turns up nothing, then try a web search on "FILE RECOVERY". There
are several programs that can read the whole disk looking for what might be
files. However, to improve the odds of these programs working, (1) do not
install on C:\, if you can install anywhere else, (2) Do not shut the
machine off, since startup/shutdown can casue writing to areas of the disk,
(3) do not run any defragger, (4) temporarily turn system restore off. Note
that some reovery program work only under FAT32 and others only under NTFS.
Also, osme only protect files if they are installed first, then the files
are deleted (e.g., Norton Utilites for XP); obviously that would not help
you today. Decide which you need, they try a few.

In any event, start thinking about backing up personal files to CD, DVD,
ZIP, external USB drive, etc. Sooner or later you will wich you did.
 
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