Recovering data from a formatted drive.

_Jimlad_ · 15 Apr 2007 at 17:09

My friend just called to ask me about lost data, he formatted his laptop and forgot to take a backup of some important data, he has since reinstalled windows xp.

Is there any recovery programs that you guys know of that can get this data back? Or is it gone gone now he has reinstalled?

Will_3rd · 15 Apr 2007 at 17:11

Some of it should still be there, unless the sectors where the deleted data is have been overwritten.

As for programs cannot think of any at the moment, would advise him not to use his computer until software is found as well

|Ric| · 15 Apr 2007 at 17:51

getdataback is something a friend once recommended and I've seen it suggested on here a few times as well.

teaboy5 · 15 Apr 2007 at 21:48

First things first, tell him to stop using windows and get the drive out into an external caddy and run getdataback. The longer he runs windows the less of a chance he has getting his data back.

bledd · 15 Apr 2007 at 22:08

teaboy5 said:
First things first, tell him to stop using windows and get the drive out into an external caddy and run getdataback. The longer he runs windows the less of a chance he has getting his data back.

yup

getdataback or file scavenger are both excellent

Avalon · 16 Apr 2007 at 12:13

Get Data back saved my skin when I wiped the other half's pen drive (she had 3 that looked identical and gave me the wrong one!). As stated the more the drive is used the greater the chance that he won't be able to recover the data he wants.

_Jimlad_ · 16 Apr 2007 at 12:45

thanks for all the info guys, i have passed this on to him,

so i take it he needs to slave the drive? as it's a laptop or can he just install 'getdataback' on the primary drive he wishes to recover data from?

Avalon · 16 Apr 2007 at 13:21

As said before by others he needs to stop using the drive and pull it for the best chance of recovery, it's possible to run GDB from the drive you want to recover but it's strongly discouraged for a good reason.

ronaldreed48 · 13 Aug 2014 at 12:04

Recovering lost files on quick formatted drive can be done with a recovery software, which I found very useful. Just have look here, http://youtu.be/pKkf9MKGFpE

snakefood · 13 Aug 2014 at 12:15

Hate to be the one to point out, but I think his chances of success are pretty damm slim, to say the least, as he as overwritten the drive by installing windows. Did he delete / recreate the partition when he installed, or just format / install?

fingers crossed you manage to salvage something

UnworthyBean · 13 Aug 2014 at 14:30

15th Apr 2007, 17:09.

Not bad!