Have a mess..

[n2gc]

I have this Optiplex GX270 with XP Pro SP3 installed. The unit slowed down a LOT and

was searching for the Control Panel setup, etc. It was a mess. I found some bugs

via HiJackThis and was extremely careful with deleting files. I ended up getting

the unit to run pretty fast considering it was missing MUI files and I couldn't

download 1.1Framework as a window would pop up with "Windows Installer"

not correct, framework could not be installed. I didn't have a CD and come to

fid out something went wrong with the BIOS as it couldn't locate the DVD/CD

media devise. I couldn't load anything to the hard drive unless I went through

the internet and downloaded things from there.

So here's where I screw up. There were a LOT of files on the drive. Important

files, [to me]. I wanted to get the unit right again. So I took the hard drive out of

this Optiplex and installed in another PC I have that uses IDE. I also located

an XP Home CD. I set the BIOS to boot from the CD drive in this unit, booted

up and the blue setup screen came up installing items from this XP Home

CD. It finally goes to the screen >

1. Do you want to go to setup : ENTER.

2. Do you want to repair C: Drive : R

3. I've forgotten what was posted.

I hit R and a screen came up asking me for the Admin's password. I didn't

know it.

It exited and started all over again. This time I believe I really blew it and hit

ENTER and it started a fresh install of XP home. It partitioned and formatted

and next thing I know I now have this fresh XP Home install, no working CD

and worse, NO files left over from the previous XP Pro setup.

My question is, really hope is, can I get the old files back that were on the HD

or am I officially scr*wed and have lost all..?

Before anyone says it, yes I messed up and yes I'm hearing about it here at the

house.

Thanks for reading my tale and thanks for any help or advise.

n2gc

Edited March 22, 2009 by n2gc

[Ponch]

This time I believe I really blew it and hit

ENTER and it started a fresh install of XP home. It partitioned and formatted

who's "it" ? What did you think "format" means ?

First thing, stop using that new OS you installed immediately. If possible, plug that drive as slave in your working PC.

Depending on what you really did when partitioning, and more important the amount of your previous data that has been physically overwitten by your new system files, you might be able to recover part of your files using recovery programs as Recuva or Testdisk (see last example on this page).

You will also have to find out what partition is on what harddisk and if any recovered files, save them on a partition of the other disk.

Don't forget that each time you boot your new system, more files will be overwritten permanently, that's why you must NOT boot it anymore.

[majormashup]

....also for future reference if you don't have the local admin password (something I have come accross at work where previous techs have not used a unified passwording system) download and burn ophcrack.

Ophcrack is a bootable linux image that will reveal all passwords (up to 15 chars) on a machine - hella useful

Remember to be responsible with this disc though - I keep mine locked away

[Tripredacus]

...

Edited March 27, 2009 by Tripredacus