unable to find backup files when I returned from Vista to XP

[Guest]

After using Windows Vista for several months, I became utterly frustrated
with all the compatibility and "see your administrator" problems (I AM the
"administrator"!), and so I decided to return to Windows XP.

But before I did, I carefully backed up all of my personal data files,
including all those subfolders under the C:/Users folder, particularly the
subfolder C:\Users\Ben Feese , whose subfolders contain ALL my personal
documents, photos, email, etc.. I copied this folder, with all subfolders,
from the C: drive over to a large F: drive containing 500 GB space. I
checked all these folders and subfolders on F: and they all seemed to have
been copied. Then I did a clean install of Windows XP, using the same
partition as Vista had been in, with a Quick Format of this partition prior
to the installation of Windows XP.

Now I have XP up and running again. I go to F: to recover the files I had
backed up there and, although the /Users folder is there, the main "Ben
Feese" subfolder which contained all the strategic information I had tried so
carefully to save is GONE!

I am desperate! Does anyone have any ideas as to what has happened and
how, or if, I can ever retrieve this irreplaceable information?

One (albeit vague) idea I had was that these copied folders are still there
on F: , but, since they were protected and only accessible with proper
permissions under Vista, perhaps now under XP they are kept "invisible"
(although I have chosen under Folder View options to display all hidden and
system files in Windows Explorer.

Might it be that if I RE-installed Windows Vista on C: I could then view the
copied personal folders that I thought were on F: ?

Any help or ideas anyone can be provided will be very, very, very gratefully
received!

 

[Rock]

After using Windows Vista for several months, I became utterly frustrated
with all the compatibility and "see your administrator" problems (I AM the
"administrator"!), and so I decided to return to Windows XP.

But before I did, I carefully backed up all of my personal data files,
including all those subfolders under the C:/Users folder, particularly the
subfolder C:\Users\Ben Feese , whose subfolders contain ALL my personal
documents, photos, email, etc.. I copied this folder, with all
subfolders,
from the C: drive over to a large F: drive containing 500 GB space. I
checked all these folders and subfolders on F: and they all seemed to have
been copied. Then I did a clean install of Windows XP, using the same
partition as Vista had been in, with a Quick Format of this partition
prior
to the installation of Windows XP.

Now I have XP up and running again. I go to F: to recover the files I had
backed up there and, although the /Users folder is there, the main "Ben
Feese" subfolder which contained all the strategic information I had tried
so
carefully to save is GONE!

I am desperate! Does anyone have any ideas as to what has happened and
how, or if, I can ever retrieve this irreplaceable information?

One (albeit vague) idea I had was that these copied folders are still
there
on F: , but, since they were protected and only accessible with proper
permissions under Vista, perhaps now under XP they are kept "invisible"
(although I have chosen under Folder View options to display all hidden
and
system files in Windows Explorer.

Might it be that if I RE-installed Windows Vista on C: I could then view
the
copied personal folders that I thought were on F: ?

Any help or ideas anyone can be provided will be very, very, very
gratefully
received!

XP Home or Pro? It could be an issue of permissions and ownership, though I
would expect more an access denied message.

If XP Pro make sure Simple File Sharing is disabled. For XP Home you'll
need to start in Safe Mode and login to the built in Administrator account
to see the Sharing and Security tab.

See these links:

HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308421

How to set, view, change, or remove file and folder permissions in Windows
XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308418/en-us

I know this doesn't help you now, but always make sure there is redundancy
in backups of important data. It should be placed on at least two different
types of media, at least one of which should be external media - hard drive,
flash drive, CD/DVD.

Aside from copying this folder in anticipation of the change, did you have a
full backup under Vista of important data? There should always be a full
backup.

For some time I have used a drive imaging program, currently Acronis True
Image Home version 10, to image the system to an external drive. I never
make any major changes to the system without having a current image, and
image the system regularly for backup. In this instance with a current
image you could have restored the Vista installation to get back the data
and find some other way to save it.

Good luck.

 

[Guest]

Thanks, Rock, for your response.

I am running Windows XP home edition.
My account type is shown as "computer administrator"

If it were simply a permission problem, I , also, would have expected an
"access denied" message rather than simply not displaying a folder tree.
When an unauthorized program attempted to access this now-lost folder
formerly when I was using Vista, I got an "access denied" message, but the
folder itself was displayed (although I was not allow to open it)

In hindsight I agree -- one can never have too many backups, nor too great a
diversity of backup media.

A 90-day trial of Norton Ghost came with my Dell B110 which I purchased last
fall.
But it stopped working after only about 2 weeks, and when I went to Symantec
to find out why, their FAQ's told me nothing, and I could find no way on
their website to talk to a human being about the premature termination. So I
gave up on NG and (stupidly) did not pursue other backup disk-imaging
programs. I certainly will look into Acronis True View.

But for now I am still desperately trying to rescue these copied files. I
am POSITIVE that they were copied to the F: archival drive. Before I
removed Vista I went to F: and actually READ some of these files. They were
there, and I find it hard to believe that they are not still there on F: .
I have made no writes to F: , so whatever was there should still be there.

The next thing I am considering is to re-install Windows Vista on C: and see
if I can then see the archived files on F:. Do you have any ideas about the
usefulness (or dangers) of doing that?

I will await responses from you and other forum members before doing that.

Thanks for all your help!

Ben

PS: would it be taken kindly if I cross-posted this question on the Vista
forum? Obviously, some comments here do not reflect positively on Vista.

 

[Rock]

Thanks, Rock, for your response.

I am running Windows XP home edition.
My account type is shown as "computer administrator"

If it were simply a permission problem, I , also, would have expected an
"access denied" message rather than simply not displaying a folder tree.
When an unauthorized program attempted to access this now-lost folder
formerly when I was using Vista, I got an "access denied" message, but the
folder itself was displayed (although I was not allow to open it)

In hindsight I agree -- one can never have too many backups, nor too great
a
diversity of backup media.

A 90-day trial of Norton Ghost came with my Dell B110 which I purchased
last
fall.
But it stopped working after only about 2 weeks, and when I went to
Symantec
to find out why, their FAQ's told me nothing, and I could find no way on
their website to talk to a human being about the premature termination. So
I
gave up on NG and (stupidly) did not pursue other backup disk-imaging
programs. I certainly will look into Acronis True View.

But for now I am still desperately trying to rescue these copied files. I
am POSITIVE that they were copied to the F: archival drive. Before I
removed Vista I went to F: and actually READ some of these files. They
were
there, and I find it hard to believe that they are not still there on F:
.
I have made no writes to F: , so whatever was there should still be there.

The next thing I am considering is to re-install Windows Vista on C: and
see
if I can then see the archived files on F:. Do you have any ideas about
the
usefulness (or dangers) of doing that?

I will await responses from you and other forum members before doing that.

Thanks for all your help!

PS: would it be taken kindly if I cross-posted this question on the Vista
forum? Obviously, some comments here do not reflect positively on Vista.

I don't see any reason not to cross post to windows.vista.general.

Before reinstalling, I would try some of the free file recovery utilities to
see if they can find them.

http://www.collina.us/files/REST2514.htm
http://www3.telus.net/mikebike/RESTORATION.html