Plz HELP. Lost all my data

[webJockey]

hi guys,

i am in the worst situation ever. I have accidently formated my data drive through computer management. I have lost all my data (music, videos, personal pics, softwares) collected over the ages. i have merged the partitions. my system is running on a physically different HDD.

Plz help me recovering my data. Any idea about which is best software to do so. ANY HELP WILL BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.

THANKS IN ADVANCE

 

[brandonwh64]

did you do a quick format or a full format?

 

[webJockey]

quick format

 

[brandonwh64]

ok how big is the hard drive?

 

[webJockey]

i had 4 partitions before of this disk now i have one. its 1tb hdd

 

[webJockey]

sata 7200rpm 1TB

 

[brandonwh64]

do you have another 1tb drive to copy to?

 

[webJockey]

nope. my other hdd is 500gb. free space around 400gb. my data is less than 400gb

 

[burebista]

Try GetDataBack or TestDisk or File Scavenger.

 

[webJockey]

i am feeling completely f**ked an very nervous

 

[webJockey]

which one would you recommend the most

 

[brandonwh64]

well most programs that recover the files need the same exact drive size to copy to.
i messed up my 500GB drive once like that with a quick format. every program i tried i needed a drive of the same size or bigger to recover to. ended up buying another 500gb drive to copy to.

just for you info DO NOT COPY ANYTHING ONTO THE DRIVE UNTIL YOU HAVE RECOVERD

 

[Ptep]

GetBackData NTFS is your best bet, i use it regularly with good results, whatever you do though dont start using the drive until you have your data recovered from it, and also rather obviously dont recover your data to the drive you formatted.

Edit: Just an FYI GetBackData wont require a similar size drive to recover to, as it recovers folder and files rather than the whole drive structure, as long as you have enough room for the data you're good to go.

 

[webJockey]

i have nt done anything new to it yet. but i messed up 4 partitions into one. its clean one partion disk now

 

[brandonwh64]

Nice ptep! i wished i had that program when i formatted my drive

 

[webJockey]

i can buy another 1tb hdd. but do i really need to buy when using getback

 

[webJockey]

i can install getback. currently i am deep scanning my system with nero rescue agent for recovery. i had only that thing with me to start with. should i stop an install getback and do the wholething with it.

 

[Ptep]

No, if the data is less than the free space on your 500GB drive, then you'll be fine, as i say it doesnt recover the whole drive, just the folders and their contents.

 

[webJockey]

guys helping, i much appreciate your input. really thankful to you. any other comments about using getback etc....

 

[Ptep]

I would stick with GetBackData, i hadnt heard of the Nero Rescue Agent until you mentioned it, id stick with a known data recovery program, the results will most likely be better

 

[Mussels]

what you need to be careful of, is that ANYTHING that writes to the drive (that includes any recovery tools recovering files back onto the drive) WILL over-write your deleted data.

You definitely need to recover to another physical HDD.

 

[webJockey]

what you need to be careful of, is that ANYTHING that writes to the drive (that includes any recovery tools recovering files back onto the drive) WILL over-write your deleted data.

You definitely need to recover to another physical HDD.

thanks mate. but has it to be 1 tb??

 

[Mussels]

thanks mate. but has it to be 1 tb??

depends how much data you had on the drive. If you want 700GB recovered, then you need 700GB of free space on another drive to move it to.

 

[Ptep]

what you need to be careful of, is that ANYTHING that writes to the drive (that includes any recovery tools recovering files back onto the drive) WILL over-write your deleted data.

You definitely need to recover to another physical HDD.

thanks mate. but has it to be 1 tb??

No, you can use the free space on your 500GB drive with GetBackData, it doesnt write to the drive in any way that its recovering from, Nero on the otherhand may well do, hence why i recommended not to use it.

Edit: ^^ And what the man with the blue cat said

 

[webJockey]

No, you can use the free space on your 500GB drive with GetBackData, it doesnt write to the drive in any way that its recovering from, Nero on the otherhand may well do, hence why i recommended not to use it.

Edit: ^^ And what the man with the blue cat said

thank you so much guys. you have helped in the biggest trouble of my life. i wont forget that. thanks techpowerup. this is the best forum in the world. you get the quickest replies here. now i am gonna try that