SP2 ruined my PC! How do I recover my files?

[dimbrys]

Sorry if this is a bit long-winded, but....

I'm running two instances of Windows XP Pro on my PC at the moment.The
first is corrupt and automatically restarts after the first windows
screen (the one with the animated bar) due to Service Pack 2 destroying
it on installation. The second I installed as Windows2 rather than over
the first, to preserve the 70gb of music and pictures now unreachable
in the first Windows. I do not have these Windows on two seperate hard
drives, they are both on one which is as far as I know un-partitioned,
and both are present in "My Program Files".

My question is this: The files are all still there in my old OS, can I
reach them and copy them into the working Windows2? Or is there a way
to start the corrupt Windows? The message I got when I deactivated
'automatic restart on system failure' was that Winsrv was missing.
Anything I can do to get those files would be great, then I can just
wipe the slate clean and have just one fresh Windows.

I can even make do with just keeping my "My Documents" folder (which is
all I really want to recover) but when I click on it, it says it is
inaccessible.

When I started up my PC with my XP disc in the drive and found the
screen that tells me about my partitions, it said "76317mb disk 0 at ID
0 on bus 0 on atapi (MBR)

and then underneath...

"C: Partition 1 (NTFS) 76317mb (14144mb free)"

I can then apparently delete this partition if I so wish, but cannot
create another partition (pressing 'c' like it says to does nothing...)
but I must confess my knowledge of things like partitions is next to
nothing.

Anything anyone can offer to help me recover my files, and then format
and start fresh with just one instance of Windows, would be gratefully
received.

I can't believe Service pack 2 has caused me so much trouble!

 

[Nepatsfan]

(e-mail address removed),

Sorry if this is a bit long-winded, but....

I'm running two instances of Windows XP Pro on my PC at the
moment.The first is corrupt and automatically restarts after
the first windows screen (the one with the animated bar) due
to Service Pack 2 destroying it on installation. The second
I installed as Windows2 rather than over the first, to
preserve the 70gb of music and pictures now unreachable in
the first Windows. I do not have these Windows on two
seperate hard drives, they are both on one which is as far
as I know un-partitioned, and both are present in "My
Program Files".

My question is this: The files are all still there in my old
OS, can I reach them and copy them into the working
Windows2? Or is there a way to start the corrupt Windows?
The message I got when I deactivated 'automatic restart on
system failure' was that Winsrv was missing. Anything I can
do to get those files would be great, then I can just wipe
the slate clean and have just one fresh Windows.

I can even make do with just keeping my "My Documents"
folder (which is all I really want to recover) but when I
click on it, it says it is inaccessible.

When I started up my PC with my XP disc in the drive and
found the screen that tells me about my partitions, it said
"76317mb disk 0 at ID 0 on bus 0 on atapi (MBR)

and then underneath...

"C: Partition 1 (NTFS) 76317mb (14144mb free)"

I can then apparently delete this partition if I so wish,
but cannot create another partition (pressing 'c' like it
says to does nothing...) but I must confess my knowledge of
things like partitions is next to nothing.

Anything anyone can offer to help me recover my files, and
then format and start fresh with just one instance of
Windows, would be gratefully received.

I can't believe Service pack 2 has caused me so much trouble!

To recover the files from the non-working XP installation you
need to take ownership of the files. Take a look here for the
procedure:

How to take ownership of a file or folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308421

"Access is Denied" Error Message When You Try to Open a Folder
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/810881

Once you recover your files, where exactly are you planning on
storing them while you format C and reinstall Windows? Leaving
them on your main hard drive won't be an option.

Good luck

Nepatsfan

 

[sandy58]

Sorry if this is a bit long-winded, but....

I'm running two instances of Windows XP Pro on my PC at the moment.The
first is corrupt and automatically restarts after the first windows
screen (the one with the animated bar) due to Service Pack 2 destroying
it on installation. The second I installed as Windows2 rather than over
the first, to preserve the 70gb of music and pictures now unreachable
in the first Windows. I do not have these Windows on two seperate hard
drives, they are both on one which is as far as I know un-partitioned,
and both are present in "My Program Files".

My question is this: The files are all still there in my old OS, can I
reach them and copy them into the working Windows2? Or is there a way
to start the corrupt Windows? The message I got when I deactivated
'automatic restart on system failure' was that Winsrv was missing.
Anything I can do to get those files would be great, then I can just
wipe the slate clean and have just one fresh Windows.

I can even make do with just keeping my "My Documents" folder (which is
all I really want to recover) but when I click on it, it says it is
inaccessible.

When I started up my PC with my XP disc in the drive and found the
screen that tells me about my partitions, it said "76317mb disk 0 at ID
0 on bus 0 on atapi (MBR)

and then underneath...

"C: Partition 1 (NTFS) 76317mb (14144mb free)"

I can then apparently delete this partition if I so wish, but cannot
create another partition (pressing 'c' like it says to does nothing...)
but I must confess my knowledge of things like partitions is next to
nothing.

Anything anyone can offer to help me recover my files, and then format
and start fresh with just one instance of Windows, would be gratefully
received.

I can't believe Service pack 2 has caused me so much trouble!

A 3rd party partitioner would be handy but maybe you are too far gone
for that?
Can you see your files at ALL like it is now? IE: could you transfer
files even if you DID manage to partition? Sounds like a "wipeout"
needed. Format an' all, dimbrys :-(

 

[Ron Sommer]

You can't have files on an unpartitioned drive.
The drive has one partition.
The one partition uses the whole drive.
By installing a second XP, you created a new user.
Nepatsfan gave you the answer to getting access to the files under the old
user.
You can delete the old Windows folder.

 

[RJK]

After casting an eye briefly down through this thread, I noticed a comment,
by the OP I think,:-
"I can't believe that SP2 has caused me so much trouble..."

It's most probably not SP2's fault as much as the condition, (probably
awful), your software was in, when you tried to stuff in SP2 !
http://support.microsoft.com/windowsxpsp2
a.. What to know before you install Windows XP SP2
a.. Preparing your computer for installation of Windows XP SP2

....should have been read before installing it !
....and of course DATA RECOVERY should have featured prominantly in your
thinking before embarking upon such a risky procedure.

regards, Richard

 

[dimbrys]

You can't have files on an unpartitioned drive.
The drive has one partition.
The one partition uses the whole drive.
By installing a second XP, you created a new user.
Nepatsfan gave you the answer to getting access to the files under the
old
user.
You can delete the old Windows folder.

Ron Sommer


Thanks guys. Thanks to your suggestions I've now recovered the files.
It was a good point you raised though, I've yet to decide what to do
with my data while I format. Can I create a partition for my data while
I format the other partition? Or do I need a second hard drive? I don't
have a DVD writer, only CD, so is my "My Documents" folder (approx.
40gb) going to fit on discs? How do I back them up anyway? Sorry to be
a pain, but I've never backed up files before.

Thanks again for the help, you really have done me a massive favour so
far. Any guides you can give me to back up my stuff and finally end
this debacle would be great.

 

[Nepatsfan]

(e-mail address removed),

Here are your options as I see them:

1. Back up 40 GB of data on around 60 CD's. Your safest option.
You now have an independent backup of your files but it will be
a time consuming procedure.

2. Repartition your current hard drive so that you have a 20 GB
partition at the beginning for Windows and your applications (C
drive) followed by a 60 GB partition (D drive) where you can
store your data. Requires a third party application such as
Partition Magic or BootIT NG. BootIT NG provides a fully
functional 30 day trial version. Not an easy solution and not
without some risk. This is not a real backup solution, just a
means to save your files while you reinstall Windows.

Norton Partition Magic
http://www.powerquest.com/home_homeoffice/products/system_performance/pm80/index.html

BootIT NG
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html

3. Add a second internal hard drive to your system and use this
to store all your data files. Easy to do but not without some
risk to your data. I don't consider this to be a real backup
solution since your data could still be lost due to hardware
failure.

4. Add an external USB hard drive to your system. Place all
your important files on this drive while you format your main
hard drive and reinstall Windows. Once you've completed that
procedure, copy your data files back to your C drive. You now
have a real backup solution, two independent copies of your
data. The files on the external hard drive will be available
should something happen on your main drive. Once you have this
setup, you should begin a regular schedule of backups to keep
the info on the external drive up to date. If you consider your
files valuable, it's well worth the investment of time and
money to keep them safe.

Good luck

Nepatsfan

 

[Rock]

Sorry if this is a bit long-winded, but....

I'm running two instances of Windows XP Pro on my PC at the moment.The
first is corrupt and automatically restarts after the first windows
screen (the one with the animated bar) due to Service Pack 2 destroying
it on installation. The second I installed as Windows2 rather than over
the first, to preserve the 70gb of music and pictures now unreachable
in the first Windows. I do not have these Windows on two seperate hard
drives, they are both on one which is as far as I know un-partitioned,
and both are present in "My Program Files".

My question is this: The files are all still there in my old OS, can I
reach them and copy them into the working Windows2? Or is there a way
to start the corrupt Windows? The message I got when I deactivated
'automatic restart on system failure' was that Winsrv was missing.
Anything I can do to get those files would be great, then I can just
wipe the slate clean and have just one fresh Windows.

I can even make do with just keeping my "My Documents" folder (which is
all I really want to recover) but when I click on it, it says it is
inaccessible.

When I started up my PC with my XP disc in the drive and found the
screen that tells me about my partitions, it said "76317mb disk 0 at ID
0 on bus 0 on atapi (MBR)

and then underneath...

"C: Partition 1 (NTFS) 76317mb (14144mb free)"

I can then apparently delete this partition if I so wish, but cannot
create another partition (pressing 'c' like it says to does nothing...)
but I must confess my knowledge of things like partitions is next to
nothing.

Anything anyone can offer to help me recover my files, and then format
and start fresh with just one instance of Windows, would be gratefully
received.

I can't believe Service pack 2 has caused me so much trouble!

You should never be without a full and complete backup of the system.
Invest in an external backup option now, either an external USB hard
drive or a DVD drive. Not always having a current backing, and in
particular attempting an OS upgrade without a backup, is foolhardy.

 

[Ron Sommer]

2. Repartition your current hard drive so that you have a 20 GB partition
at the beginning for Windows and your applications (C drive) followed by a
60 GB partition (D drive) where you can store your data. Requires a third
party application such as Partition Magic or BootIT NG. BootIT NG provides
a fully functional 30 day trial version. Not an easy solution and not
without some risk. This is not a real backup solution, just a means to
save your files while you reinstall Windows.

Norton Partition Magic
http://www.powerquest.com/home_homeoffice/products/system_performance/pm80/index.html

BootIT NG
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html

snipped

Dimbrys has 14 GB of free space and if he deleted the old Windows folder, he
may get to 20 Gb free.
In order to get a 60 Gb partition for files,
1) shrink C to leave free space unpartitioned
2)create a partition using the unpartitioned space
3)move files to new partition
4)shrink C by the amount of moved files
5)expand new partition to include unpartitioned space
6)move files to new partition
7)shrink C by the amount of moved files
8)expand new partition to include unpartitioned space

For the price of Partition Magic, you could almost buy a new hard drive.

 

[dimbrys]

"Nepatsfan" (e-mail address removed) wrote in message
snipped

2. Repartition your current hard drive so that you have a 20 G
partition
at the beginning for Windows and your applications (C drive) followe
by a
60 GB partition (D drive) where you can store your data. Requires
third
party application such as Partition Magic or BootIT NG. BootIT N
provides
a fully functional 30 day trial version. Not an easy solution and not
without some risk. This is not a real backup solution, just a mean
to
save your files while you reinstall Windows.

Norton Partition Magic
http://tinyurl.com/9r9k4

BootIT NG
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html

snipped

Dimbrys has 14 GB of free space and if he deleted the old Window
folder, he
may get to 20 Gb free.
In order to get a 60 Gb partition for files,
1) shrink C to leave free space unpartitioned
2)create a partition using the unpartitioned space
3)move files to new partition
4)shrink C by the amount of moved files
5)expand new partition to include unpartitioned space
6)move files to new partition
7)shrink C by the amount of moved files
8)expand new partition to include unpartitioned space

For the price of Partition Magic, you could almost buy a new har
drive.

I'm gonna head into town today to buy myself a second hard drive
You're right, I need to take these things a bit more seriously, rathe
than just installing software with no backup. I've lost all my dat
before, and it's never short of devastating, so the 2 hard drive
option sounds nice and secure. Thanks again to everyone, especiall
Nepatsfan, whose links got me my files back

 

[Nepatsfan]

(e-mail address removed),

I'm gonna head into town today to buy myself a second hard
drive. You're right, I need to take these things a bit more
seriously, rather than just installing software with no
backup. I've lost all my data before, and it's never short
of devastating, so the 2 hard drives option sounds nice and
secure. Thanks again to everyone, especially Nepatsfan,
whose links got me my files back.

You're welcome.

I hope the second hard drive you're planning to buy is an
external one. As I stated in my earlier response, adding a
second internal hard drive is not a real backup solution. All
you've added is storage space. While it's rare, a catastrophic
failure of your power supply or motherboard can take out any
internally connected component including hard drives.

Good luck

Nepatsfan

 

[R. McCarty]

And relying on an External drive for "Permanent" backup isn't
a 100% solution. All magnetic media can & does fail. Best to
use Imaging (Acronis True Image) and on a fixed schedule burn
your image(s) to CD/DVD-R disks and store off the PC. Also
keep at least 2-3 iterations of Images.

Trust me - you cannot have too many backups and always try
to verify the disks after burning. 2nd only to no backups is
having one that you cannot read/use.

 

[Nepatsfan]

Answered inline.

(e-mail address removed),

snipped

Dimbrys has 14 GB of free space and if he deleted the old
Windows folder, he may get to 20 Gb free.
In order to get a 60 Gb partition for files,
1) shrink C to leave free space unpartitioned
2)create a partition using the unpartitioned space
3)move files to new partition
4)shrink C by the amount of moved files
5)expand new partition to include unpartitioned space
6)move files to new partition
7)shrink C by the amount of moved files
8)expand new partition to include unpartitioned space

Dimbrys' plan was to format the drive and reinstall Windows. My
response was based on that statement. His main concern was
salvaging his My Documents folder. While the procedure you've
outlined is intended to preserve his Windows installation and
data it requires three risky operations. If I'm going to be
resizing partitions while trying to salvage data, I'd rather do
it just once. Also, I probably could have done a better job of
conveying the fact that Option 2 should only be used as a last
resort.

For the price of Partition Magic, you could almost buy a new
hard drive. --
Ron Sommer

Which is why I noted that BootIT NG provides a free fully
functional 30 day trial version. BTW, my copy of Partition
Magic came bundled with Norton Ghost. Cost all of $9.99 after
rebate.

Nepatsfan

 

[Nepatsfan]

All excellent points. I've got to start getting in the habit of
adding those observations whenever I'm replying to questions
concerning backup issues.

Thanks for adding them to the discussion.

Nepatsfan

(e-mail address removed),

 

[Ron Sommer]

Answered inline.

(e-mail address removed),


Dimbrys' plan was to format the drive and reinstall Windows. My response
was based on that statement. His main concern was salvaging his My
Documents folder. While the procedure you've outlined is intended to
preserve his Windows installation and data it requires three risky
operations. If I'm going to be resizing partitions while trying to salvage
data, I'd rather do it just once. Also, I probably could have done a
better job of conveying the fact that Option 2 should only be used as a
last resort.

snipped

I did not mention saving the Windows installation. I was showing what was
needed to get to a 60 Gb partition and save the data.
Your reply said "This is not a real backup solution, just a means to save
your files while you reinstall Windows."