restore data after system restore

[Sim Sim]

Hi All

I really need someone's Help please i did a full system re store by mistake
i was only ment to do a non format system restore but now i have lost all my
data all the work pictures etc i had done has all gone how can i get it all
back i wish i did a back up!!! someone please me

thanks

 

[LVTravel]

If the files are not visible on the hard drive you probably won't be able to
get them back. That is what a backup is for. No backup, generally you are
SOL.

You may be lucky and be able to shut down the PC, take the hard drive as a
data drive only, to another machine and run a data recovery program on the
hard drive (the more that the hard drive is used now as an operating system
drive, the less chance of any data recovery.

You could also send the hard drive to a data recovery company (really
expensive) to have them extract any available data.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Stop using the PC any more than you have to until you get the files back.
Investigate the recovery (undelete) programs, both freeware and commercial.
These are written to address just this kind of problem. Google on "undelete
programs" and take your pick.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

System Restore (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306084/) and restoring the
system (e.g., doing a Repair Install, a format & reinstall, or using your
Recovery CD or hidden partition) are not the same things.

See Colin's reply.

On the off-chance that you are referring to System Restore, see:

System Restore Removes Files During a Restore Procedure:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/261716/