Recuva will not open

[BlackBart2012]

I have been using Recuva for 3-4 years on both my Windows XP desktop and my Windows 7 laptop, but now that I've changed my motherboard, video card, sound card, and printer, and have changed from Windows XP Professional to Windows XP Media Center, I cannot get Recuva to work. It just flashes on the screen and then it closes, so quickly, that it fhere is an error number, I can't even see if there is one. What woulkd cause that? and how can I fix it?

 

It works fine on my Windows 7 laptop. On my Windows XP Media Center computer, I have already tried installing previous versions, going all the way back to 1.30.435, but they all do the same--just a flash in the pan. I have also tried using msconfig to disable all the services, and even in Safe Mode, and then I tried running a system scan with both AVG and with SpyBot, but neither comes up with any malware threats.

 

Here's what my system looks like:

 

Motherboard: ASUS M2N-SLI-Deluxe

Memory: 8 GB DDR2

Video Card: ASUS EN8800GTS 320MB PCI-E

Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi

Printer: Canon Pixma MG5250

Webcam: Logitech Webcam Pro 9000

I'm not sure what the processor is, but it IS an AMD.

[Winapp2.ini]

can you run recuva in debug mode? I think you just need to add a -debug or /debug handle onto the launcher, and it should output a crash report.

[BlackBart2012]

I tried both options, first the one like -debug, and the second with the /debug option, but neither generated any report.

The only report I have is a file that is named: Recuva_log[1_43_623][18-10-2012_20-5].txt

and it says:

2012-10-18 20:05:51] [iNFO ] Recuva v1.43.623

[2012-10-18 20:05:51] [iNFO ] System Info: MS Windows XP Professional SP3, AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5600+, 3.0GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS

 

There are only 3 files in the folder, that one, the uninstall file, and the Recuva.exe file, and that's it.

[Alan_B]

A lot of new hardware but you say nothing about the HDD.

 

Are you using the old HDD and did you perform a secure erase before a clean installation of Windows XP Media Center ?

Or did you do some sort of in-situ upgrade from "Windows XP Professional to Windows XP Media Center" ?

[BlackBart2012]

I'm sorry. I forgot about the hard drive. I changed that too. It's a WD Caviar Green 1.5 TB hard drive. Brand new. I formatted it before using it and sectioned it into 5 partitions, a 15 GB Acronis Secure Zone (big enough for one backup), a 300 GB drive for all my other backups, 2 x 500 GB drives for data (1 of which is empty and the other has hardly anything on it) and what's left over (82.25 GB) as my C drive. I did it that way because I found that if the partitions are any larger than 500 GB, the computer seems to go a bit slow and sluggish.

 

I formatted and partitioned the brand new hard drive, and then I did a clean installation, directly from the Windows DVD. The DVD is, by the way, a Genuine Microsoft Windows XP Media Center disk and it passed all the Genuine Advantage valadations. I have it completely updated, with SP3 and all the other Windows Updates installed. When I use Microsoft Update, it shows that I don't have anything to install.

[Alan_B]

I knew it was a long shot but I had to take it

 

I suggest you launch CMD.EXE and issue the command

ECHO %TIME%

That will display the current time.

Do not close this DOS window,

You will have to repeat this command a bit later

( which I perform by clicking on the DOS window and using the keyboard "up" arrow. )

 

Wait for a few seconds so that Windows can calm down - i.e. no further frantic disc activity.

 

Launch Recuva and immediately click the DOS window to restore focus and repeat the DOS command to capture time T_Launch

When Recuva crashes again repeat the DOS command.to capture time T_Crash

 

Now you can open Event Viewer and inspect every entry with a time stamp between T_Launch and T_Crash.

With a bit of luck you may find clues upon what went wrong.

(I think I remember needing to inspect 4 different logs in the Event Viewer when I had XP Home edition).

[BlackBart2012]

Thankyou for your time and trouble to help me and to write all that, but it didn't work. It didn't even make an entry in the event viewer, even though I did what you said. I didn't know, however, what you meant by the T_Launch and T_Crash because when I typed those in, it said they are not recognised as either an external or internal command. I found only two logs (Application and System) that had any entries, but they were both entries long before I did your test. Apparently, it opens and closes so quickly it doesn't even have the chance to write a crash log.

[Alan_B]

Your DOS command window should have finished with something like

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Alan>echo %TIME%
15:57:56.59

C:\Users\Alan>echo %TIME%
15:58:02.81

C:\Users\Alan>echo %TIME%
15:58:08.02

C:\Users\Alan>echo %TIME%
15:58:13.46

C:\Users\Alan>

By T_LAUNCH I meant the Time Recuva launched e.g. 12:58:08, and

By T_CRASH I meant the Time Recuva,Crashed e.g. 15:58:13

Hence the Events of interest would be in the range 12:58:08 and 12:58:13

 

I think the event viewer in XP Home had not only Applications and System but also Security and something else I no longer remember.

 

I think it unlikely that an application crash could be so quick that Windows could not capture and record the event,

unless the crash actually crashed Windows as well.

 

Is it possibly that you launched Recuva with standard User Privileges ?

A lot of tools need to be run by an Administrator ( or even Higher level Hidden Super Administrator ),

and this may apply to Recuva and other Piriform products.

Perhaps Recuva was aborted because it did not have authority to do what it needed to do.

If you need further information on this please ask and some-one will help you (not me - I no longer use XP).

[hazelnut]

Does it do the same if you add a new user to the machine and try install and run Recuva in that account?

[BlackBart2012]

You're right, there are other logs in the Event Viewer, but there is absolutely nothing in them--no logs, I mean. They are: ACS, Application, Internet Explorer, Media Center, Microsoft-Windows-Forwarding/Operational, Security, System, and then Windows Power Shell, but only the Application and System have logs in them.

 

I am trying to run it the way it was installed, by using the icon, as I've always done. However, this is the first time, since I've upgraded my computer parts and changed to Windows XP Media Center. I know what you're talking about, concerning running it with administrative priveleges, but I'm not sure that that applies to Windows XP. When I right-click on the icon, no such option appears, as it would in Windows 7.

 

The funny thing is that on my old computer setup, and using Windows XP Professional--and even on my laptop, using Windows 7, it works fine, but on this new computer setup with Windows XP Media Center, it's a no-go.

 

Thanks again, Alan, for trying to help.

[BlackBart2012]

Hazelnut, I tried using it from another user's account, but I got the same results.

[hazelnut]

Just as a bit of info have a read of this thread. It clearly explains the admin setup on xp media center edition.

 

http://help.lockergn...pict586544.html

 

Does the same happen if you use Recuva portable edition?

 

Also try a quick test and disable AVG and spybot for a minute and try recuva. (Don't forget to turn them back on!)

[BlackBart2012]

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I created a new account, but it doesn't work there. I have used TweakUI to activate the Administrator account, but it doesn't work there either. It just doesn't work.

 

Revo Uninstaller Pro shows that I have 130 programs found, and of those, I've installed 107 of them (The numbers are out of synch because some were installed by Windows Updates, while others are a part of a package. For example, my printer shows one on the "Traced Programs" tab, but on the "All Programs" tab, it shows 10). All of the programs are working perfectly--except for this one.