Recovering Data need HELP..!

mos2k · Mar 10, 2009, 08:08 AM

okay so hey guys.. i was installing vista and you know in the Vista setup it lets you choose the partition on which you are going to install Vista. I had XP earlier.

okay when i was in the Setup choosing the Partition i deleted the Windows XP partition which was the primary partition and i dont know what happed with it my 2 partitions of 70.8GB got deleted and now showed up as 141 GB of unallocated space. I had Data on Both Partitions. I didnt do anything i just restarted and took the DVD out and Turned my PC off.

SO NOW my question is can i recover my Data if so? how? it had alot of my personal and important data. Where i live there arent any data recovery labs so please help me. Thanking you in advance .

P.S. I'm using my Laptop atm.

charm_quark · Mar 10, 2009, 10:52 AM

... there is a thread on recovering files somewhere on this site.... but you can use "recover my files" and do a sector scan NOTE: will take a very long time to complete,,,,,also it will only work if your filling table has not been changed. Some version of vista had a filling table called Ex-fat or some thing

mos2k · Mar 10, 2009, 11:21 AM

I did not install VISTA.. i exited the setup and shutdown my computer..

Mac Daddy · Mar 10, 2009, 11:46 AM

Even if you didn't install Visa deleting the XP partition would cause this if the boot manager was on that partition (which it probably was).

You may have to use a recovery program as mentioned. I would post a bit longer of a response but I am heading out the door work calls. Will check back tonight good luck with it.

[hobo]eclipse · Mar 10, 2009, 12:17 PM

mos, i too learned this the hard way a few years back, when a disk has multiple partitions, you never want to completely delete the partition. just format it and install, in my case (xp i think) i deleted the C: partition, remade n installed, except upon install the storage partition was bumped to C: and windows installed on D:

if all u did is mark the partitions to delete and and didnt do any type of format i willing to bet the partitions could be remapped.

a friend of mine just did this on his sons rig, i'll hit'em up n see what it was he did, i recall it was actually and easy fix, i hope the same for you.

EDIT:
got txt message out to him, hopefully ill here from em soon, hang tight, dont be hasty

mos2k · Mar 10, 2009, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac Daddy

Even if you didn't install Visa deleting the XP partition would cause this if the boot manager was on that partition (which it probably was).

You may have to use a recovery program as mentioned. I would post a bit longer of a response but I am heading out the door work calls. Will check back tonight good luck with it.

Now as you mention it. sorry for changing my statement. i had installed vista but the partition was only 14.9 GB i wanted to increase the partition so i emptied one of my 70.8 GB partitions and halved it. i thought if i deleted the partition the 70.8GB one it in will merge with the 14.9 GB one which would be a combined unallocated space.

Now the Partitions that got deleted were my other two 70.8 GB partitions i didnt touch them. I guess that explains it why when i deleted the Vista Partition of 14.9 GB the two 70.8 GB partitions got deleted and merged together.

Okay i understand that now. but seeing that i didnt do anything more as in i didnt write anything or install anything. My question is can i fully recover my data?

mos2k · Mar 10, 2009, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [hobo]eclipse

mos, i too learned this the hard way a few years back, when a disk has multiple partitions, you never want to completely delete the partition. just format it and install, in my case (xp i think) i deleted the C: partition, remade n installed, except upon install the storage partition was bumped to C: and windows installed on D:

if all u did is mark the partitions to delete and and didnt do any type of format i willing to bet the partitions could be remapped.

a friend of mine just did this on his sons rig, i'll hit'em up n see what it was he did, i recall it was actually and easy fix, i hope the same for you.

EDIT:
got txt message out to him, hopefully ill here from em soon, hang tight, dont be hasty

Yes i didnt do anything the harddrive is just sitting in my rig i didnt touch the harddisk i am really tempted as you know we people realy depend on the Data .. its just frustrating..

ET3D · Mar 10, 2009, 12:41 PM

I had a partition deleted once, due to a bug in a partition manager program. IIRC the program that helped me restore it was TestDisk (TestDisk - CGSecurity). I'd suggest you give it a try.

Tyrsonswood · Mar 10, 2009, 12:42 PM

The data is still there but with the partitions changed around like that nothing can find it........ I'm sure there is a utility for this, it's what data recovery services do, but I don't know of a particular software as I've never done this......

If you didn't format, then the data is still on the drive

mos2k · Mar 10, 2009, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ET3D

I had a partition deleted once, due to a bug in a partition manager program. IIRC the program that helped me restore it was TestDisk (TestDisk - CGSecurity). I'd suggest you give it a try.

yeah i've been searching and reading about data recovery for a few hours now.. and they say test disk works.. but i havent done any data recovering the past. and i'm very hesitant as i dont want to ruin anything ..

mos2k · Mar 10, 2009, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyrsonswood

The data is still there but with the partitions changed around like that nothing can find it........ I'm sure there is a utility for this, it's what data recovery services do, but I don't know of a particular software as I've never done this......

If you didn't format, then the data is still on the drive

no i didnt format anything.. as soon as the partition got deleted i didnt touch anything i just shutdown my pc

CDsDontBurn · Mar 10, 2009, 09:59 PM

I suggest that you use a program called ACTIVE@Undelete that you can get from NFTS.com

they have a free trial version which you can use. I have the pro version of the program. it works really well. provided of course that the sector(s) have not been formatted. not sure if doing a quick format will have the same effect though.

I suggest that you pull the fubared drive out of the machine and place it as a slave drive in another machine or put it in an external enclosure for the data recovery process.

this is a two step process, and each step can take several hours depending on how much data is on the drive.

Mac Daddy · Mar 10, 2009, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mos2k

Now as you mention it. sorry for changing my statement. i had installed vista but the partition was only 14.9 GB i wanted to increase the partition so i emptied one of my 70.8 GB partitions and halved it. i thought if i deleted the partition the 70.8GB one it in will merge with the 14.9 GB one which would be a combined unallocated space.

Now the Partitions that got deleted were my other two 70.8 GB partitions i didnt touch them. I guess that explains it why when i deleted the Vista Partition of 14.9 GB the two 70.8 GB partitions got deleted and merged together.

Okay i understand that now. but seeing that i didnt do anything more as in i didnt write anything or install anything. My question is can i fully recover my data?

As mentioned above this post if you haven't written anything else to the disk it can. I would suggest trying the free trial version of the program CD's suggested I have a couple but they have to be purchased.

Sorry for getting back to you so late been a long day here ... Good luck with it and I will be following along until you get it sorted

[hobo]eclipse · Mar 11, 2009, 03:09 AM

my friend recommended Active@ partition, which looks similar to what cds said, here are links to both

Active@ Partition Recovery. Recover Deleted Partition. Undelete NTFS & FAT partitions.

Active@ UNDELETE NTFS FAT32 Data Recovery Software. Restore deleted files on Windows XP VISTA 2003 2008.

mos2k · Mar 11, 2009, 03:48 AM

Thanks Guys.. will run the recovery program as as soon as i come back from the university. i'll keep everyone posted about the recovery..

CDsDontBurn · Mar 11, 2009, 06:20 AM

no problem. keep us posted!

Cow_160483 · Mar 11, 2009, 11:26 AM

good luck dude withe file recovery, be prepared as most probably things are going to be jumbled up after the file recovery process so you are going to need to sort through them afterwords, use any of the softwares mentioned above personally i like "recover my files" coz it works well.

Mac Daddy · Mar 11, 2009, 11:39 AM

As the other guys said keep us posted and best of luck

mos2k · Mar 11, 2009, 06:12 PM

*DRUM ROLL* I'm BACK....!!!! the recovery was done in 45mins... a friend of mine used partition doctor and recovered the deleted partition on another pc running winxp. he explained that the MFT got deleted when you deleted the Vista Drive causing the partitions to disappear.. so he just recovered the partition and the data was there.. no harm done...!!!!?????

Tyrsonswood · Mar 11, 2009, 07:29 PM

Right on!

Glad you got it sorted out.

mos2k · Mar 11, 2009, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyrsonswood

Right on!

Glad you got it sorted out.

i was surprised how fast and easy it was.. but its great to have it sorted.. THANK YOU GUYS... you people are the best

Mac Daddy · Mar 11, 2009, 09:03 PM

Good stuff dude glad ya got it sorted

mos2k · Mar 11, 2009, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac Daddy

Good stuff dude glad ya got it sorted

thank you and the rest who kept me SANE...

CDsDontBurn · Mar 11, 2009, 09:46 PM

awesomeness man! congrats!

Cow_160483 · Mar 12, 2009, 11:31 AM

glad to here that you managed mos2k

ChaosMinionX · Mar 16, 2009, 06:22 AM

Just to add to this.... if you happen to delete an NTFS partition... GetDataBackNTFS is a fantastic program. All you need is a HDD >= to the size of the data you are recovering.

I have had to recover data a few times with reinstalling and changing hardware so much

Mac Daddy · Mar 16, 2009, 11:39 AM

A nice addition to the toolbox Cheers on the link

Mar 10, 2009, 08:08 AM	#1
mos2k HH's Hermit Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lahore Posts: 865 Rep Power: 69 System Specs	Recovering Data need HELP..! okay so hey guys.. i was installing vista and you know in the Vista setup it lets you choose the partition on which you are going to install Vista. I had XP earlier. okay when i was in the Setup choosing the Partition i deleted the Windows XP partition which was the primary partition and i dont know what happed with it my 2 partitions of 70.8GB got deleted and now showed up as 141 GB of unallocated space. I had Data on Both Partitions. I didnt do anything i just restarted and took the DVD out and Turned my PC off. SO NOW my question is can i recover my Data if so? how? it had alot of my personal and important data. Where i live there arent any data recovery labs so please help me. Thanking you in advance . P.S. I'm using my Laptop atm. __________________

Mar 10, 2009, 10:52 AM	#2
charm_quark incognito Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: BoTsWaNa Posts: 2,437 Rep Power: 140	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! ... there is a thread on recovering files somewhere on this site.... but you can use "recover my files" and do a sector scan NOTE: will take a very long time to complete,,,,,also it will only work if your filling table has not been changed. Some version of vista had a filling table called Ex-fat or some thing

Mar 10, 2009, 11:21 AM	Thread Starter #3
mos2k HH's Hermit Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lahore Posts: 865 Rep Power: 69 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! I did not install VISTA.. i exited the setup and shutdown my computer.. __________________

Mar 10, 2009, 11:46 AM	#4
Mac Daddy DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 7,950 Rep Power: 79 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! Even if you didn't install Visa deleting the XP partition would cause this if the boot manager was on that partition (which it probably was). You may have to use a recovery program as mentioned. I would post a bit longer of a response but I am heading out the door work calls. Will check back tonight good luck with it. __________________ "My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance." - Tim Allen

Mar 10, 2009, 12:17 PM	#5
[hobo]eclipse ...just bummin 'round Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 2,907 Rep Power: 112 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! mos, i too learned this the hard way a few years back, when a disk has multiple partitions, you never want to completely delete the partition. just format it and install, in my case (xp i think) i deleted the C: partition, remade n installed, except upon install the storage partition was bumped to C: and windows installed on D: if all u did is mark the partitions to delete and and didnt do any type of format i willing to bet the partitions could be remapped. a friend of mine just did this on his sons rig, i'll hit'em up n see what it was he did, i recall it was actually and easy fix, i hope the same for you. EDIT: got txt message out to him, hopefully ill here from em soon, hang tight, dont be hasty

Mar 10, 2009, 12:41 PM	#8
ET3D Hopeless Dreamer Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Dreamland, near the pool of infinite graphics cards Posts: 3,057 Rep Power: 105 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! I had a partition deleted once, due to a bug in a partition manager program. IIRC the program that helped me restore it was TestDisk (TestDisk - CGSecurity). I'd suggest you give it a try.

Mar 10, 2009, 09:59 PM	#12
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,779 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! I suggest that you use a program called ACTIVE@Undelete that you can get from NFTS.com they have a free trial version which you can use. I have the pro version of the program. it works really well. provided of course that the sector(s) have not been formatted. not sure if doing a quick format will have the same effect though. I suggest that you pull the fubared drive out of the machine and place it as a slave drive in another machine or put it in an external enclosure for the data recovery process. this is a two step process, and each step can take several hours depending on how much data is on the drive. __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Mar 11, 2009, 03:09 AM	#14
[hobo]eclipse ...just bummin 'round Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 2,907 Rep Power: 112 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! my friend recommended Active@ partition, which looks similar to what cds said, here are links to both Active@ Partition Recovery. Recover Deleted Partition. Undelete NTFS & FAT partitions. Active@ UNDELETE NTFS FAT32 Data Recovery Software. Restore deleted files on Windows XP VISTA 2003 2008.

Mar 11, 2009, 03:48 AM	Thread Starter #15
mos2k HH's Hermit Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lahore Posts: 865 Rep Power: 69 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! Thanks Guys.. will run the recovery program as as soon as i come back from the university. i'll keep everyone posted about the recovery.. __________________

Mar 11, 2009, 06:20 AM	#16
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,779 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! no problem. keep us posted! __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Mar 11, 2009, 11:26 AM	#17
Cow_160483 HH's only cow moooooo... Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: BOTSWANA Posts: 6,817 Rep Power: 300 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! good luck dude withe file recovery, be prepared as most probably things are going to be jumbled up after the file recovery process so you are going to need to sort through them afterwords, use any of the softwares mentioned above personally i like "recover my files" coz it works well. __________________ Decode! Muhahahahah!

Mar 11, 2009, 11:39 AM	#18
Mac Daddy DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 7,950 Rep Power: 79 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! As the other guys said keep us posted and best of luck __________________ "My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance." - Tim Allen

Mar 11, 2009, 06:12 PM	Thread Starter #19
mos2k HH's Hermit Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lahore Posts: 865 Rep Power: 69 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! DRUM ROLL I'm BACK....!!!! the recovery was done in 45mins... a friend of mine used partition doctor and recovered the deleted partition on another pc running winxp. he explained that the MFT got deleted when you deleted the Vista Drive causing the partitions to disappear.. so he just recovered the partition and the data was there.. no harm done...!!!!????? __________________

Mar 11, 2009, 09:03 PM	#22
Mac Daddy DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 7,950 Rep Power: 79 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! Good stuff dude glad ya got it sorted __________________ "My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance." - Tim Allen

Mar 11, 2009, 09:46 PM	#24
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,779 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! awesomeness man! congrats! __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Mar 12, 2009, 11:31 AM	#25
Cow_160483 HH's only cow moooooo... Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: BOTSWANA Posts: 6,817 Rep Power: 300 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! glad to here that you managed mos2k __________________ Decode! Muhahahahah!

Mar 16, 2009, 06:22 AM	#26
ChaosMinionX USB 3 dot oh Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,911 Rep Power: 47 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! Just to add to this.... if you happen to delete an NTFS partition... GetDataBackNTFS is a fantastic program. All you need is a HDD >= to the size of the data you are recovering. I have had to recover data a few times with reinstalling and changing hardware so much __________________ ::Heatware:: How you can help DriverHeaven by using Digg!

Mar 16, 2009, 11:39 AM	#27
Mac Daddy DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 7,950 Rep Power: 79 System Specs	Re: Recovering Data need HELP..! A nice addition to the toolbox Cheers on the link __________________ "My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance." - Tim Allen