Just re-install Windows XP

[Guest]

Hi there..I just re-install windows XP home due to fact that i recieved a
message saying that windows is unable to startup because the windows file is
corrupted. My question is, i reinstall windows XP home and it seems that all
my previous data is gone. However when i checked documents and settings, i
still see my previous account data. May i know whether i am able to retrieve
back all those previous data? And how do i go about doing it.

Thanks.Your help will be greatly appreciated

Cheers
PH

 

[sillyputty]

Hi there..I just re-install windows XP home due to fact that i recieved a
message saying that windows is unable to startup because the windows file is
corrupted. My question is, i reinstall windows XP home and it seems that all
my previous data is gone. However when i checked documents and settings, i
still see my previous account data. May i know whether i am able to retrieve
back all those previous data? And how do i go about doing it.

Welcome to the world of in-place Win XP reinstall. Every time I've
done it weird things have happened, like data disappearing. That's why
it's recommended to backup all your important data on removable disks
(CD/DVD), or an external HD, not on any internal HDs, as data has a
tendency to go into the ether and/or some programs may not work right,
or at all, and will need to be reinstalled.

Click on My Computer, your main drive (usually c, Documents and
Settings. Are there more than you had before? Your original data may
be in another folder.

If, after a thorough search, some data has actually been deleted there
are data retrieval programs.

 

[Og]

Hi there..I just re-install windows XP home due to fact that i recieved a
message saying that windows is unable to startup because the windows file
is
corrupted. My question is, i reinstall windows XP home and it seems that
all
my previous data is gone. However when i checked documents and settings, i
still see my previous account data. May i know whether i am able to
retrieve
back all those previous data? And how do i go about doing it.

Thanks.Your help will be greatly appreciated

Cheers
PH

By re-installing, you have created a new "owner".
You need to take ownership of the files.
Windows Help and Support Center provides step-by-step instructions:

Start | Help and Support
in the search bar type "take ownership"
Click the green arrow
Click the hyper-link "Take ownership of a file or folder"
Follow the instructions

Steve

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi there..I just re-install windows XP home due to fact that i recieved a
message saying that windows is unable to startup because the windows file is
corrupted. My question is, i reinstall windows XP home and it seems that all
my previous data is gone.

If you do it correctly, reinstalling Windows means formatting the
drive. That entails the loss of *everything* that was on the drive.

However when i checked documents and settings, i
still see my previous account data.

That almost certainly means that you didn't reinstall it correctly. In
your case, since you apparently don't have a backup of your data,
that's a good sign, and everything may not be lost.

May i know whether i am able to retrieve
back all those previous data? And how do i go about doing it.

Please start by explaining *exactly* how you did this reinstall. Also
answer the following questions:

1. Did you use a Windows XP installation CD or an OEM restore CD?

2. Did you reinstall from within Windows or did you boot from the CD?

 

[sillyputty]

On Aug 13, 8:11 am, "Ken Blake, MVP"

As usual, Windoze makes most things harder and more complicated than
it should be.

If you do it correctly, reinstalling Windows means formatting the
drive. That entails the loss of *everything* that was on the drive.

I thought that was the purpose of fdisk? And how can it be a
"reinstall" if all the data is wiped during formatting?

That almost certainly means that you didn't reinstall it correctly. In
your case, since you apparently don't have a backup of your data,
that's a good sign, and everything may not be lost.

I did an in-place XP reinstall by the book using MS's instructions. My
drive wasn't formatted; my data was left intact except for a folder
named 'Backup' on a secondary drive, which is a shame as there was a
lot of important data I lost. Obviously, I learned my lesson to not
trust XP to preserve my data during a reinstall and back it up.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

On Aug 13, 8:11 am, "Ken Blake, MVP"

As usual, Windoze makes most things harder and more complicated than
it should be.


I thought that was the purpose of fdisk? And how can it be a
"reinstall" if all the data is wiped during formatting?

fdisk is not an XP utility, it's from earlier versions of Windows.
diskpart is the XP utility.

Both are partitioning utilities; neither can format partitions. That's
what Format is for.

And if Windows was previously on the system, it's a re-install.

 

[sillyputty]

fdisk is not an XP utility, it's from earlier versions of Windows.
diskpart is the XP utility.

Why is diskpart buried in the recovery console if it's such an
important utility? Or is it also located somewhere else? Is it
preferable over third-party partitioning utilities?

Both are partitioning utilities; neither can format partitions. That's
what Format is for.

I stand corrected - I meant format.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

On Aug 13, 8:11 am, "Ken Blake, MVP"

As usual, Windoze makes most things harder and more complicated than
it should be.


I thought that was the purpose of fdisk?

No, it's part of the installation. No need to fdisk and format first.

And how can it be a
"reinstall" if all the data is wiped during formatting?

Words mean different things to different people. Whenever there's any
possibility of confusion, it's always best to clarify exactly what
*you* mean when you ask for help.

I did an in-place XP reinstall by the book using MS's instructions.

Good! Then your data is presumably not gone. But you didn't make it
clear in your original message that that's what you did. If you don't
specify that you did an in-place, or repair, installation and just say
you reinstalled, *I* interpret that as a clean reinstallation, because
that's what most people mean when they say they "reinstalled."

My
drive wasn't formatted; my data was left intact except for a folder
named 'Backup' on a secondary drive, which is a shame as there was a
lot of important data I lost. Obviously, I learned my lesson to not
trust XP to preserve my data during a reinstall and back it up.

It's not a matter of trusting XP or trusting anything or anybody else.
Note the following two points:

1. If you data is important to you, should be backing up regularly. It
is always possible that a hard drive crash, user error, nearby
lightning strike, virus attack, even theft of the computer, can cause
the loss of everything on your drive. As has often been said, it's not
a matter of whether you will have such a problem, but when.

2. *Especially* when undertaking any big step, like a Windows
reinstallation, you should be sure you have a good current backup.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Why is diskpart buried in the recovery console if it's such an
important utility?

It's very seldom needed. For those with a single drive, partitioning
and formatting are done automatically when you install Windows. If you
add a second drive, you normally do both together in Disk Management.

Or is it also located somewhere else? Is it
preferable over third-party partitioning utilities?

It doesn't matter a whole lot, but in general, there's no advantage to
using a third-party utility to partition a drive. A third-party
utility is only needed if you want to *re*-partition a drive
non-destructively.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Why is diskpart buried in the recovery console

It isn't buried there, it's also available there.

if it's such an
important utility?

It's only needed at specific times, for short periods. And there's always
a risk of identifying and changing the wrong partition.

Or is it also located somewhere else? Is it
preferable over third-party partitioning utilities?

it's also available at the command prompt with Windows running and it's
what the partitioning section in Setup and Disk Management calls.

It has no ability to resize partitions, just create and delete them. At
the time you're setting up a system, that's really all you need.

HTH
-pk

 

[Guest]

I guess i did not specifically specify how i re-install the windows XP home.
Firstly I reinstalled windows because i got a corrupt file and windows just
couldnt start.
If i am not wrong,i got this msg when i start my computer Missing or corrupt
c:\windows\system32\drivers\ntfs.sys.. I did not follow the advice given here
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000876.htm but instead i install the
Windows XP by Booting from the CD. I am using a Dell Desktop and the
installation program is provided by Dell. I just followed the installation
and was required to create new accounts. I cant really remembered how i
re-install the Windows but i just remebered following the instructions in the
installation. After i reinstall the windows home edition,i checked my memory
and it was 15% left. It seemed that my previous data is still there. I
checked the folder Documents and Settings and found my previous account data.
But when i tried to play some video file that was in the previous account, an
error stating that the file could not be found appeared. Could it be possible
that most of my data has been erased or do i need to do something to transfer
the data to my new account. I have tried typing "take ownership" at Help and
Support but still quite unsure on how to go about doing it. Can anyone help
me retrieve my previous data?