Lil help with data recovery :(

Well i recently got a virus (how i do not know all i know is that my firewall had a low setting when i did and i ended up getting bad results) and ended up having to reformat my hard drive. Now i remember a friend saying that when a hard drive erases data it isn't actually taking it off the drive but simply putting a coat of grayscale or something like that on the hard disk. I have a couple things that were extreamly important to me and i didn't get a chance to back up so if there is any way to do data recovery after the reformat (i don't care what i have to do ill do anything to it) can someone please give me some help. I am pretty sure there is a way as my friend(who unfortunitly i lost contact with) said the only way to destroy whats on your hd is to put a sledge hammer/shot gun to it so if anyone knows i would be greatly indebted to them for their help if it is given. Thanks.

when you re-formatted, did you do a quick format or a full format?

quick formats can be undone quickly by programs like un-delete, but for a full format you would need some serious (not REALLY serious, but a little serious) software.

Make sure you do not install any programs or save anything. You might overwrite the file you need. If the file is worth money, there are always data recovery services... but they are expensive

Also, are you sure you don't have any backups of these "important files"

hi

yes as annihilator_god said "Make sure you do not install any programs or save anything. You might overwrite the file you need". There are many File Recovery Software availabe Download one of then And They will list oyu all the recoverable deleted files and to what extent you can recover them; because some of your files might have already overitten .

Read this thread Recovering deleted files from XP it provides pretty useful info on the topic an bunch of file recovery softwares

--Good Luck--

that program isnt working for some reason with this hard drive.....i think that my hd might be locked up as in too much security but i don't know how do disable it....i know when i take it out and try to get into documents and settings with another comp it wont let me and i already disabled the pass to my user acc....any ideas?

I also used a diffrent program before that one to find the files and it found them but the thing is that it wouldn't let me copy untill i paid 75 bucks for it. Help :(

To be totally honest, I don't think Data Recovery is suitable for a non-technical individual. There are many methods to recovering data, but it is not as easy as a click and run program.

I do know my way fairly around xp.....i just need some instructions.....i have pretty good knowledge about computers hell i build em lol its just that this hasn't ever happend to me before so i don't know how to do it. Think about it if i knew how to do it i wouldn't be posting here.

All i need to know is how to completly unlock my hd so that i could access all of it's files from a diff computer when i run it as a slave drive. Then if there are any other programs i show know about incase this one doesnt work.

Anyone?

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Originally posted here by Mexikanpmp
(i don't care what i have to do ill do anything to it)

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Originally posted here by Mexikanpmp
I also used a diffrent program before that one to find the files and it found them but the thing is that it wouldn't let me copy untill i paid 75 bucks for it.

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Cough up the 75 bucks and support the programmer that wrote it!

Cheers:

how about "restoration" ?
http://www3.telus.net/mikebike/RESTORATION.html

It'll run off of a floppy.. just two dll's and the executable needed.
(dll's not needed for NT/2000/xp)
Also has a "secure" delete function.

Run's on Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP..
FAT12/FAT16/FAT32/NTFS
Compressed files of NTFS are supported.
However, encrypted files of NTFS are not supported so far.
==========================================
If not that, F.I.R.E. bootable Linux distro http://www.distrowatch.com
it has a tool that can recover deleted files even if the drives been repartitioned

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Originally posted here by DjM
Cough up the 75 bucks and support the programmer that wrote it!

Cheers:

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To be honest its been ages since ive purchased any software because kmart and MIRC and Kazaa have been good to me. Also even if i did actually purchase software the files aren't worth 75 bucks for a one time use then again they are definitly worth a "do it yourself" try which is why im trying to find out about it here.

i would personally pay the 75 dollars. if you really want these files back. the programmer did spend time creating that program and deserves to be payed for his effort

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Originally posted here by Mexikanpmp
To be honest its been ages since ive purchased any software because kmart and MIRC and Kazaa have been good to me. Also even if i did actually purchase software the files aren't worth 75 bucks for a one time use then again they are definitly worth a "do it yourself" try which is why im trying to find out about it here.

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Hopefully you virus scan all of your pirated software, using your pirated version of a virus scan.

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All i need to know is how to completly unlock my hd so that i could access all of it's files from a diff computer when i run it as a slave drive. Then if there are any other programs i show know about incase this one doesnt work

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And you claim that you "build computers,lol"................well, I am damn glad I don't own one that you built

My quote above suggests that you might be a troll trying to access something that you are not entitled to.................and have the social engineering skills of the below average garden slug?

If you do not realise that sites such as ours get visited by persons who are "less than honourable", might I suggest that you go to a Warez site or whatever, and get what you can find, and probably deserve.

I see nothing wrong in using "trial" versions within their terms, but to take an obvious pride in "not paying for software"............why should we waste our time on you then?

My verdict:

:brickwall :brickwall

No sense, no feeling?

Cheers

The best way that I have found for data recovery is to take the current HDD with the deleted info out of that system and add it to another computer as a 2nd HDD. This way your recovery program won't overwrite TO the HDD that you are trying to recover the data from. Once you find the data you want to recover, first recover it to HDD0 then once you are 100% finished, copy it from HDD0 back onto your HDD1.

Look on Google or even thru some of the programs that antionline has. I am sure you can find one that is free or not too expensive. Since you say you use and fix computers, you will want these tools anyway so a few bucks invested now can make you some good money in the future.

Make sure the system that you are going to put the HDD into has updated AV software running so you don't reinfect that system, and your system again.

Good luck

heh.. asking for help at a security site.. then admitting piracy. not the sharpest tool in the shed, are we.. ? lol.. but you've been given negative points by someone so I won't add too much insult to injury.

You didn't mention whether you tried the two methods that jenjen offered..
WELL ? Did you try them or were you just more interested in spouting off ?

I'll offer a little help here anyway.. try irecover.. link here.
it is shareware.. and it's limitation is that it allows for only one directory to be recovered at a time.. but you can repeat it for each directory.. I'll bet you dollars to donuts it'll work for you. THEN, you can spend the 99 bucks or so to buy it for the future.. :D

But if you decide you're gonna stay on the warez path.. then go find yourself a copy of a program called encase.. it's top notch.. and hopefully you'll won't get trojaned along the way.
I'm not suggesting that you should get a pirated version of encase..but no one here can really stop you.. all we can say is.. good frigging luck..

Im curious as to why people here are looking down upon using pirated software as at one point or another we all have been at the stage where we don't want to pay loads of money for something we aren't going to use often or just don't feel the need to pay for something that is right at your finger tips or don't have the money period(these situations apply especially to young people like me). Whatever the case it doesn't matter anymore, however, i do realize that taking part in this is wrong and i do try to buy some of my stuff(i bought a legit copy of condition zero when it came out to name a recent buy) so that i don't bum out the companies of all of their money cause it does kinda suck for them.

Now, as for the little comments against the belief that i can assemble a computer and then get it to run. What on earth does any of this have to do with the way i built my pc's? Building a PC is extreamly easy and is mostly hardware knowledge with little software(as where data recovery is something completly diffrent) all you gotta do is put the motherboard into the case then put the cpu in and the thermal grease on the top and then the heatsink/fan on top of it and then put in any pci cards u have and ur video card in your agp slot and then ur power supply goes in and then install and connect all ur IDE drives with the proper jumpers configured with the IDE cables and any front panel connectors then of course your power cords need to go to everything and your memory should go in the ram slots and then u power up ur pc and set ur bios to boot from your windows cd(assuming u have ur windows cd in drive D:\)install windows and then install all of your hardware drivers and software. Did i miss anything? Now there is no way i can prove(as if i need to) that i can do all of the above but i will say that i learned everything i know on my own and haven't been to school for any of this so there is bits and pieces i don't know about(mostly things that haven't happened to me in which i don't have experience in) which would be why im posting here in the first place.

BTW why are people assuming i can't build PC's just because im having trouble recoving files(well not anymore i found another way which im not going to state because i don't need to get flammed again) anyways? I have just enough knowledge about computers to not have to call a professional to assemble something for me or fix something if it breaks which is still more than im getting credited for. And I also tried putting the drive on another computer as a slave drive and recoving stuff from there which didn't work because it showed up but i couldn't access certain portians of the drive which is why i posted here about how to unlock it(note: i had all the software already it just wasn't letting me in to the documents and setting DIR). Well im out no need to reply anymore i already got what i needed back.... now im going to go scan my pc for viruses and trojans with my pirated copy of Norton 2003 and check out the logs of my pirated copy of zonealarm pro.

"Cheers" and thanks for anyone with a positive reply i do appreciate it.

well.. part of my reply was positive :D

and yeah.. ok.. I also bet that many here may have used a pirated version of something.

But your best bet is not to outright admit it.. at least not here..

It's easy you just have to download a program called getdatabackfat32/ntfs and run it also it is good if you run it on a second hard drive you might get all your data back!

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Originally posted here by sumdumguy
well.. part of my reply was positive :D

and yeah.. ok.. I also bet that many here may have used a pirated version of something.

But your best bet is not to outright admit it.. at least not here..

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I haven't directly admitted anything. All i have said is that Kazaa, Mirc and Kmart have treated me well and that i haven't purchased software in ages which can indirectly mean two diffrent things. But, yeah i get your point ^^.

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Originally posted here by Mexikanpmp
Im curious as to why people here are looking down upon using pirated software as at one point or another we all have been at the stage where we don't want to pay loads of money for something we aren't going to use often or just don't feel the need to pay for something that is right at your finger tips or don't have the money period(these situations apply especially to young people like me).

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Yeah, but no need to use pirated software, when there's GNU / FSF

Well, technically, he you do have a point. 75 bucks for a one-time use program only does sound too much for the average person. Unless you're really rich or something and you can really afford it, why not? :rolleyes: Otherwise however, i would suggest you try this site... http://www.snapfiles.com. That site has a lot of useful tools for you to recover data from situations such as yours. Of course, i agree with what all the other people have said earlier, dont install any new programs. They might overwrite your valuable files. Since you didnt use a secure deletion tool, your files should still be there...a bit fragmented of course, but they should still be there...unless they've allready been overwritten. Hopefully though, that wont be the case...so just give that site i suggested a try. You might get lucky. Good luck! ;)