Recuva not showing any results after scan

[RadioactiveRetard]

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[Augeas]

Check that there's nothing in the File/Path box. Have you checked Scan for Non-deleted Files?

[RadioactiveRetard]

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[Alan_B]

Dont know if it helps to say that what im looking for is a file called "Dream Log" with a bunch of .txt's in it that was on my desktop

difficult for me to believe that.

 

What I can believe is an archive file such as Dream.log.zip (and perhaps the .zip extension is hidden by Windows).

Or alternative a folder which had been given a name such as Dream.log (extensions on the names of folders are a little unusual but not particularly rare).

Perhaps you will have better luck when using Recuva to look for the *.txt files that had been contained in whatever Dream.log may have been.

[RadioactiveRetard]

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[Alan_B]

By "bunch of txt's" I understood more than one file.

 

I think a "Quick Format" would leave the files available for Recuva to detect,

but there are other ways to format than "Quick",

and perhaps FAT32 or NTFS has an effect,

and perhaps your system was damaged causing you to choose to format,

or perhaps your system was so badly damaged that it made it look to you as if it was formatted.

 

Data Recovery is good

Data backups are best

[RadioactiveRetard]

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[hazelnut]

Sounds like the list of your deams may have gone but dreams are in you head.

 

Make a new list and let's hope some of them come true for you

[Guest Keatah]

But i have no idea what he did so i assume he just formatted and installed windows again.

 

I guess i cant get anything back then.

it was worth a try

 

That's exactly what happened - I hear this story 100,000 times a day. And they inevitably involve the exact same "some guy". But if he had a backup, like any good tech would, why not see what he still has at the shop. When I was fixing computers "back in the day" I'd hang on to my customer's backups for a few weeks to prevent this situation.

 

I suspect your "dream log" would have been a file folder full of text files. I know many people that do that sort of thing. And more.

 

From the earlier message it sounds like for some reason the disk was formatted and a new windows install placed on it. Depending on exactly how the format was done and if the new windows install didn't overwrite the text files then a professional forensics service might be able to do something. And I can promise you it will run several thousand dollars just to get the ball rolling.

 

Some lessons to be learned by others reading this thread:

 

1- Never entrust any irreplaceable data to anyone but a genuine professional that has a good reputation. And GOOD HEAVENS KNOWS there aren't a lot of good PC repair professionals out there these days. Especially not since hardware has become closed up and disposable with Windows8 and tablets all the rage. It just doesn't pay. Computers are toys and appliances today. They are not the special machines they once were years ago.

 

2- A professional whom is thorough and reputable **WILL** ask you what is on the drive if they have to format. They will inquire as to whether you have backups. And if you don't they should offer to make you one on the spot (at additional cost). And they should image it prior to wiping it, erasing, repairing, updating, or whatever work they need to do. Cuts down on liability and makes for awesome service when a customer comes back and says they forgot something on the old configuration, is there anything you can do? If they want to charge you extra up front because it will take time to image (and thus protect) the drive, and you refuse, they should refuse to work on the machine. Or make you sign a waiver.

 

3- Backups are king! THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE.

 

4- Once a hard disk shows signs of giving up the ghost. The first thing to do is stop whatever it is you're doing and grab the important data if you have no backups. The disk could last 5 minutes, the disk could last all week. Who's to say? But one thing's for certain, the disk's mechanical integrity will go downhill at much faster pace.

 

5- There is no magic software to repair a disk. Any software that claims to do so is snake oil. There are niche circumstances where software does work "magic" but you as a consumer won't have the knowledge and skills to make use of it.

 

6- A genuine PC tech that can recognize his or her limits and abilities (or lack there of) in dealing with drives that are on the edge of dying is as good as gold. Or better! A good tech would recommend you send a disk to a data recovery operation. These are specialty shops that do nothing but repair failing or failed drives. They can go to extraordinary lengths to get a bad drive functioning long enough to capture the important data. They then typically keep the old drive for parts or trash it - while giving you your data on another new drive or CD or USB keydrive. Sometimes these services are as little as $200 - $300. Sometimes they can go to $800 - $2,000 for more involved cases. And $3,000 and up for entry level forensics work. Serious work? If you're asking, you ain't gonna be able to afford it.

 

I would rather a tech tell me he doesn't know how to handle something and needs to seek a greater power than to proceed blindly into a job and mess things up even worse.

 

I'm afraid *all* these consultant outfits fail at this point. When it comes to working a on a disk they just don't understand jack! I don't give a hoot if they present themselves in a 3-piece suit and have an expensive storefront. All they see are $$$. And have a gung-ho image we can fix anything!

 

I've had to repair drives that a pro-looking consultant "firm" had disassembled and thrown away some of the parts. It isn't a pretty sight.

 

7- Sypware removal is iffy at best. Most modern (and it's getting worse) spyware and malware integrates itself inside your operating system and has to be very carefully removed. Typically not all traces are zapped and it soon returns to haunt you again. Running a few magic utilities (I don't care what name publishes them) can't possibly blast all variants of all viruses. Much research needs to be conducted. It is best to use a foreign operating system and "lift" the customer data off. And then reinstall the previous os and applications.

 

The goal of viruses in the heyday of computing years ago was to destroy files or render a system inoperable. Since back then it could take considerable expertise and resources to restore a system to working order.

 

The goal of most malware and spyware today is to steal your information through social engineering. Systems are complex enough, and your personal information prevalent enough, that this activity is more profitable than just shutting down your desktop or laptop. Ssytems are complex enough that this activity can be done without your immediate knowledge. And today, you'd likely throw the system away, or resort to a backup or the cloud or something - you'd be back in business in no time. Steal your identity and conduct transactions with it? Now you're getting into buku bucks and a world of hurt.

 

If a full disk backup image had been made prior to infection, then it's a matter of you restoring the system yourself. You become the technician! All the while enjoying Sunday Morning Tea.

 

7- I lied about there being no magic software to fix drive errors. The only case where a consumer can fix an ailing drive is if the drive was in the process of putting down information to the platters, and it lost power due to electricity brown outs or it got turned off. Rewriting the "damaged" sector or formatting over it will typically fix that problem. And only that problem. Understand it's not exactly damaged. Just improperly written. Scrambled to where the disk controller gets an ADD-like fixation on trying to continually read and read and read the same spot over and over and over again. And even here it will take a bit of technical knowledge to pull it off.

 

Well I hope you all found this useful. Maybe it's redundant or picayune to some. Maybe not. But it comes from direct real-world experience.

 

 

 

P.S. There was a time when I couldn't afford extra backup media. So I printed out the important stuff. While I never need to manually re-enter it I certainly slept better knowing that if my system died all wouldn't be lost.

[Guest Keatah]

Take this "opportunity" to re-write and re-organize everything. If you had them before, you'll eventually remember them and perhaps the second log book will be even better.

[DennisD]

An outside chance for you is that when whichever version of Windows is being reinstalled over an already present version of Windows, then Windows itself usually creates a folder called "Windows.old" which is usually placed in the C: directory.

 

This folder contains the users data files from the previous installation.

 

I'm not sure as to whether the data "saved" before the reinstall is purely from the "My Documents" folder (My Music, My Pictures etc), or whether other stuff is also protected from the reinstall, but it's worth having a look in your C: directory for a "Windows.old" folder. Most PC restoration programs do this nowadays whereas at one time it was gone if you didn't do it yourself beforehand.

 

Or any other folder you don't recognize as whoever did the reinstall may have done this manually.

 

As mentioned above, try asking the guy who did it.

[RadioactiveRetard]

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[DennisD]

I'm just 15 i can still write tons more of my dreams.

 

"My Book Of Dreams"

 

What a title for a book one day!

[hazelnut]

 

I'm just 15 i can still write tons more of my dreams.

 

I will want my book signed when you write it

 

Good luck with everything you do in life.

[Guest Keatah]

And backup your stuff! A cheap $10.00 USB keydrive will hold hundreds of files. Be sure to have 2 copies of everything important.