'Millions' of missing files HELP

Gents,

I took my PC to PC World today for its second annual 'healthcheck'.

All they did was install the latest version of Norton Security, and add a bit more RAM. They found no viruses.

However, on setting it up again at home, my daughter has found that her ENTIRE account is missing. There is nothing in it at all.

Prior to the maching going in, she had in excess of 300 songs, 500 photos, and a serious amount of college work, All gone!!

The other three accounts on the system are fine.

My boy has spent ages looking for all her stuff on the PC, to no avail.

Is there any way that I can recover all of her files, or should I return it to PC World. Would they be able to do anything?

Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks

Dave 07835 599225

Ouch!

I'm guessing from the fact that you say 'her account' that she logged in as a seperate user????

IS she still able to do that or is her user profile gone as well as the stuff that was in it???

Make sure that you are logged in as an account that's got full 'administrator' priveleges, or it may be that the login that you're using can't see any other files from anyone else.

I'd doubt PC world would have actually deleted anything.....there'd be no reason to do so, so I suspect this is where your problem lies.

Go to 'control panel', 'user accounts' and see if her account is visible.....if not, check that the the login you're using has the correct admin settings, or log in as the administrator.

I presume you're on XP??

ALso, check C:\Documents and Settings (cut'n paste that into the address bar of Explorer) ....you should find seperate folders for each user, as long as they're not hidden by the lack of account priveleges.

Report back on your progress......Alcohol befuddlement right now isn't helping this end but hopefully you'll be able to imterpret these ramblings

It's there

David Price said:

Gents,

I took my PC to PC World today for its second annual 'healthcheck'.

All they did was install the latest version of Norton Security, and add a bit more RAM. They found no viruses.

However, on setting it up again at home, my daughter has found that her ENTIRE account is missing. There is nothing in it at all.

Prior to the maching going in, she had in excess of 300 songs, 500 photos, and a serious amount of college work, All gone!!

The other three accounts on the system are fine.

My boy has spent ages looking for all her stuff on the PC, to no avail.

Is there any way that I can recover all of her files, or should I return it to PC World. Would they be able to do anything?

Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks

Dave 07835 599225

Click to expand...

The information will definately still be there if it's the same hard drive. It depends on how the information was deleted as to how easily it will be recoverable. I'm no expert but a friend of mine is and he tells me that even if the hard-drive is damaged the info on it remains recoverable. Mind you he's on the porn & vice unit and regularly deals with paedophiles and the like. If PC World don't have the ability to do it I'm sure someone can. The cost may be an issue though, I'm not sure what is involved and whether the authorites have software that is not available to the general public.

there are programs available on the net for recovering deleted files. the less you write to disc now the better though as new may overwrite old.

i think i have one somewhere. i can send it to you, if i can find it.

you big mistake was going to those tossers at pc world

I use Ontrack easy recovery. Works quite well as long as the files are still intact.

Let me know if you need it.

Thanks gents.
I tried the above suggestions, but no luck.

I then took a deep breath and phoned the £1 a minute PC World helpline.

They suggested exactly the same, and said if they were not there all of the files must be corrupted, and therefore lost in cyberworld forever.

David Price said:

They suggested exactly the same, and said if they were not there all of the files must be corrupted, and therefore lost in cyberworld forever.

Click to expand...

Just the result I would expect from a PC World Health Check

you've tried recovery programs & found nothing? pc world must have overwritten them then somehow. seems unlikely even for morons of their magnitude.

if you've not tried such progs, i've had a look, and i have a copy of recover my files v2.5 that i can email you.

it's worked for me in the past