HELP!!
I'm a real dummy. LOL I had to reinstall Windows XP on my computer and because I'd never had any problems reinstalling Windows 98 I didn't even think to move/back up my important stuff. Now EVERYTHING on my computer is gone, including my internet access. I know that nothing is ever truely erased from a hard drive, so I guess my question is--is there any way at all that I can get or at least try, to retrieve some of the stuff I lost?
2007-04-20 16:55:17 · 14 answers · asked by JRD 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Other - Computers
Unlike what others have said concerning your question, it is not impossible to get your lost files (the FBI does it all the time) but it is expensive and requires professionals to do the job. There are some software programs from Norton but once again and no offense you must know what you are doing. When XP reloaded itself into you computer it more than likely reformatted your hard drive. Formatting creates what is called new sectors on your hard drive. When your hard drive records information it uses these sectors to record your new information to. Reformatting shuffles your old information around in such a way that only a pro or special software is required to find this information you lost. It is in fact in your computer right now but a zero or a one (binary numbers) has been removed from your old files and that is why they are not being found with your new XP reload.
2007-04-20 17:14:42 · answer #1 · answered by Shellback 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Window Vista has far extra characteristic plus extra useful hardware that help vista with window xp slightly any purposes which could shop up with extra moderen technologies. Plus the explanation why they make a 2d Verizon of a product is by using the fact it incredibly is extra useful then the only million st verizon. So in the previous you start up asserting window xp is extra useful then vista it extremely is obviously no longer because of the fact with window xp barley has any purposes can it help blue the teeth? Can window xp be hook up with xbox 360 or ps3? vista can yet plus those people who're asserting xp the two cant have the money for vista or has a older laptop.... and additionally they made a extra moderen verison of vista much less glichts.
2016-10-28 14:35:03 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
IN short NO. While not impossible, you would not have access to the resources needed. Since your hard drive was reformatted retrieving old files would be extremely difficult without a grave robber software.
Even then it would be difficult due to when a file is deleted on a hard drive the pointer is deleted not the file and eventually the file is overwritten. But since you reformatted that makes it even more difficult unless you have access to an extremely expensive piece of software that only large IT firms or government criminial organizations may have access to. Hence why I said no.
2007-04-20 17:00:38 · answer #3 · answered by Lori S 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
When your Windows installation does a clean format of the drive, all of your data is gone. There are ways of getting it back but it would be very very expensive. Check with your manufacturer's website and download/install the network, chipset, video, and audio drivers from there. That should get you at least functioning. The drivers are usually on one of the CD's that came with your computer as well. I usually just download the network driver on one PC and copy it over to the one that needs it and install. Then you can download the rest from the one you just formatted.
2007-04-20 17:01:44 · answer #4 · answered by Jeff L 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There isnt a way to get your stuff back sorry.
If you are using windows xp and you cant get your connection to work that means that the driver for your modem/network card isnt installed. Find the cd for the driver or find the driver online and you can install it and it would work then.
If you lost any softwear that you wanted to keep but it was older softwear you can download it at
www.oldversion.com
good luck and sorry you lost everything
2007-04-20 16:59:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Do you know what is my documents and setting is locate and if you dont go in c:/ that be a good start but if you format your hard drive all your data is lost and there nothing you can do get it back you got start all over again.
2007-04-20 17:00:40 · answer #6 · answered by Cyber Superman (Man of Steel) 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
IF you performed a repair on the install...Go into your My Computer then into your C drive - Go into Documents and Settings - Browse through the folders...If you performed a repair, your old profile will be in there - You will have access to your My Documents and what was on your desktop - Plus other things...
If you didnt perform a repair - its gone -
2007-04-20 16:59:15 · answer #7 · answered by wesinls 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
If you formatted before you installed XP, everything is probably history - however - before you give up, you could try one of the recovery programs:
Here is a list.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv8-&p=recover%20deleted%20files
2007-04-20 17:14:01 · answer #8 · answered by TheHumbleOne 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
you are right it is never really gone unless you REALLY destroy the hard drive. now its your turn to be like the CIA or FBI and fined your info lol.
you need to go online and fined a free or buy a program to fined all that stuff.
2007-04-20 16:59:23 · answer #9 · answered by jacob c 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Nope, it's gone forever. And the reason you can't get online is because you lost the drivers for your hardware.
2007-04-20 16:57:44 · answer #10 · answered by APIDLady 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋