Help, files have disappeared!

[Fumz]

At this point I'm at a loss? Sorry I could not be more helpful. At some point you may have to consider some sort of data recovery software if going back and searching doesn't help? In an almost perfect world, you'll find your files scattered about?

Data recovery takes an awful long time... 8 hours to search, then perhaps another 8 to actually transfer those files to another folder you set up. You don't have to spend $60.00 though. In the Software section they link to a free data recovery app that works well with Vista; although, it's the demo version and can only grab files 64kb or less: http://www.r-studio.com/

However, there are other free tools out there: Top 10 FREE Data Recovery Software » Raymond.CC Blog

I'm not sure whether or not you must remove the drive in order for these tools to work, but I'm guessing so; any software you add to the OS has the potential of overwriting those files you don't want overwritten... once you do that, they're gone... short of really really expensive options.

Do you have a friend who's familiar with machines? Maybe he can take your drive, dl one of these tools and recover the data for you?


***edit***

Just a last stab in the dark... did you check under all the user names in my documents or just yours?

 

[rb67]

Thanks--I've discovered another possibility that isn't vista related exactly but sort of.
I did a drag and drop when I created that disk, unlike I normally do where I browse for the files.
When I look at the disk it is showing an empty folder but under my computer it shows as having over 600 mb of info and the properties show it as a udf.
Any clue if this is a compatibiltiy issue with Vista and if there is a workaround? I looked at MS website and it all seemed to be what to do when making the disk rather than what to do if your disk is already made.

 

[rb67]

Well I figured out that disk. It gave me files 0-Z. But I am still missing more than half of the work files and all of the website files.

 

[rb67]

Also, there are 2 users on the computer, but I'm the only one who ever used it. I can't access the other user but again that user has never touched the computer. I did check under "default" and "owner" which are listed separately from my name

 

[Fumz]

Let's go another round or two?

Are you logging in as a user or as the Admin? With Admin rights, you should be able to view all folders on the machine.

 

[rb67]

I am.
I thought perhaps I could do some sort of run c: dir \more to see what is in the directory but the run command doesn't seem to work anything like the previous.
I went back into folder options, found that some of the os files were still hidden; I unchecked that and found about a dozen files.
Am wondering if perhaps vista overwrote files because of lack of space--I had an enormous amount of files and large photos, etc., and have only about 15 gb of 70 gb.

 

[rb67]

I managed to do the run but it just brings me to the exact same documents that going through c: or through my documents take me--in other words, just what I created yesterday.
I have gone ever directory in C: and opened up every file; I found about 50 files that were stored in a temporary file.
None of these were the files that I was looking for though.

 

[johngalt]

OK.

The reason I asked my question yesterday was simple - in Vista there is no *My Documents* folder - it is called *Documents* - no My - and is located in a completely different location than you'd expect it to.

In XP My Documents was in a folder called Documents and Settings, which then had your user name and then had the My Documents folder, similar to this: X:\Documents and Settings\{username}\My Documents, where X: is the drive letter where XP was installed and {username} was your login name to log onto the computer.

Vista changed that.

First of all, the directory structure has changed around. Documents and Settings is now called Users. The {username} stays the same, but My Documents is not called simply Documents.

Now, Documents is a special folder in Vista, usually a green colored folder by default. So, if you performed an in place upgrade from XP to Vista, then all those files should be there.

Now, here comes the $64,000 question: How did you get Vista on this computer in the first place? Did you buy it and do it yourself, or did you have someone else do it, or what? I need to know the exact methodology because, from what was written before, it sounds like you have made it through the entire Vista folder structure on C: and cannot find these files at all, and yet the file recovery software you are using is finding heaps of them - so probably it is finding them as deleted files....

Also, one quick way to have access to your local special folders is this:

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/83815-desktop-icons.html

Steps 1-3, option 1.

In Step 3 place a check beside User's Files if it is not already checked.

 

[rb67]

John,

Thanks for the desktop icon tip.

We were donated the product through a program Microsoft offers for non-profits. I'm the only employee for a local non-profit so I have no IT person to go to.

I used the disk Microsoft mailed me and the key that was given us online at eopen. I put the disk in my D: drive and followed the prompts for upgrade.

Late last night I found a number of files that were store in temporary under $WINDOWS.~Q\Data\Documents and Settings\Renee\Local Settings\Temp

They essentially were newer files that had been downloaded to my XP from email and were various types of .doc, .xls, etc. (I never could find that file by going through C: when I had xp, and hence found it very annoying because that is always where the downloads would default to until I changed it to desktop)

There were actually thousands of files but many of them I could not open; they were .tmp etc. Some of the plugtmp files had data I was able to extricate.

None of these files were the "missing" files from XP "My Documents".

I do not know if these are the same files that recova was pulling up or not but I suspect that they may have been.

A number of files recova was pulling up simply said "lost" on them too.

 

[johngalt]

Recuva does not look for files that already exist on your HD - it looks for 'deleted' files - as in files that you send to the Recycle Bin then empty out.

Windows is weird in that when you delete a file it is really not deleted (and in fact, DOS does this as well - and I think Linux too?). However, by changing a small part of the file (usually the very first bit in the file name) and doing a few other things, Windows makes it appear as the file has been deleted - IOW, it really makes it so the file is inaccessible to the system in any normal means.

Recuva is going to be looking for those chunks of file that are physically on the Hard drive but are not accessible through normal means to Windows - so those files found in that ~Q directory are still accessible through normal means. The files Recuva is finding are those that are not.

From that link that Fumz provided, I'd give Pandora a shot - another user here had many deleted files and tried several recovery programs before trying Pandora and it seemed to be the only one that was able to find the files.

Again, though, these are going to be *deleted* files. We still don't know the process that you used to install Vista - if it is was an Upgrade or a new install (without upgrade).

Did you perform the procedure yourself?

 

[Oblivion]

I'm having a similar problem with RB, only mine happened with my portable HDD

I installed an update yesterday while listening to some music that was stored in my portable. Today when I wanted to open the same folder, it was gone

However, my portable still registered the 40-odd gb taken up by my songs....so where is it?

A lot of the help i've read deal with missing folders in the main hard disk, but not in a portable one.

Edit: Sorry to necro this post, should I make a new thread?