Recovering a wiped drive after answer file started clean OS install...

[Rhothgar]

Hi

Newbie here but not a newbie to computing although I do have 'egg on my face' after a complete idiotic episode the other week.  I'm just hoping ALL is not lost.

So I read a good article on here about using MiniTool Partition Wizard so I gave that a shot with a deep scan on a drive (Let's call it Drive F: for argument's sake - DISK 0 in attached image) and it produced some encouraging results.  One existing partition and 8 lost partitions so there is data there.  I saved out the .rss file but maybe I should take some screenshots and post them up for advice.  This is the actual drive I need to recover.  It had something like 115000 files on it spread over all the partitions.  Is it actually possible to reinvoke the file tables?  What is the file name?  Would that be in the smaller 450Mb G: Partition or would they reside in the 480Gb J: Partition.

Of course, I have a load of files with the prefix "Recovered" in the above scan but also some healthy looking file structures.

But first let me give you a little insight into the way I operate.  My mode of operation is one of total chaos. I am totally disorganised, afraid of losing data, and rarely do backups.  I need to get a proper plan of action in place so this doesn't ever happen again.

So this drive I lost I actually backed up a couple of months ago, it turns out, using Reflect.  Like a complete idiot (again), would you believe I then decided I was going to use that drive to learn about Hyper-V and have probably formatted it several times.  If I can recover that mrimg file then all my troubles are solved (I think).

I am also guilty of swapping out drives etc so my PC rarely has the same drives in from week to week.  DON'T ASK!  Of course, I can never remember which channel I plug them into, it's just random.

My plan of action now is this:-

Run a Recuva Deep Scan on each of my drives to see what it finds.
Run a MiniTool Partition Wizard scan on each of my drives to see what it finds in terms of mrimg files and general deleted data.

I wonder if there is much difference between the Recuva process and the MiniTool Partition Wizard (which although it is mentioned in this forum somewhere) I do not know if this is even a Piriform product).

Only too happy to spend some money if I can be assured of a result in recovering the drive.  Personally, I think it is unlikely that it can be made bootable again but I am NO expert in these matters.

The scan using Recuva is only 50% of the way through and I am left wondering if I have selected the drive I am trying to recover as, so far, it has found over 672000 files!

Irrespective, if somehow, I am actually scanning the C drive (DISK 1) by accident I seriously doubt it has let's say 10 x the amount of files on then the older operational drive F:
 

[nukecad]

Its difficult to follow just what you have done, as you say it all sounds pretty chaotic.

A few points.

Recuva will often 'find' lots more deketed files on a drive than the drive could actually hold.
That's because it is finding any traces it can of any file that has ever been deleted from that drive, and if it's a drive that has been used a lot then that's going to be thousands of files. (Unless the drive had been totally wiped at some point).
Of course those files deleted some time ago have for the most part been overwritten and so won't be recoverable, but Recuva is still finding  a trace of them even if it's only a cluster or two or just a MFT entry.

I think that you may be looking for non=deleted files on a reformated (more than once) drive:
If you are looking for non-deleted files from a crashed or accidentally reformated drive then you have to do a different scan that normal.
A normal scan looks only for the deleted files.

Of course if you have used that drive since reformatting it then the files that were on it have probably been over written anyway, and once overwritten you have zero chance of getting them back.

Nobody is going to give you any assurance that you will be able to recover files - recovery by it's very nature cannot be guaranteed.

Recuva Free version can scan/recover exactly the same as the Paid version can, save your money which is only paying for support.

Mini Tool Software Limited is a company of it's own. (Not Piriform).

Good luck with your recovery attempt.
However I'm afraid that your methods sound pretty chaotic and TBH when attempting file recovery you really need to be more organised and do things carefully one step at a time. (and one recovery software at a time).
You say that you are not even sure that you are scanning the right drive? which shows a distinct lack of any kind of organised approach.

[Andavari]

If you're able to restore one of those Macrium Reflect mrimg disk image files make sure you start Macrium Reflect, and then Verify the mrimg file!

Edit:
You probably already know this however your backup drive such as where you store Macrium Reflect disk images, etc., isn't something to subject to testing other things on that can/may/will be destructive to the data on the backup drive.

[Rhothgar]

On 13/08/2024 at 22:29, nukecad said:

Its difficult to follow just what you have done, as you say it all sounds pretty chaotic.

Good luck with your recovery attempt.

However I'm afraid that your methods sound pretty chaotic and TBH when attempting file recovery you really need to be more organised and do things carefully one step at a time. (and one recovery software at a time).

You say that you are not even sure that you are scanning the right drive? which shows a distinct lack of any kind of organised approach.

Hi 

Thanks for the full reply.

Try being me...  I am the personification of chaos!

What would you recommend going forward in terms of programmes for backup?

As far as scanning the right drive is concerned, basically I was looking at the partitions in Recuva and was unsure what partitions belonged to what drive but I have worked that out now.

[nukecad]

I use Macrium Reflect to manually make a full disk image at least once a week to an external backup drive - which is only connected whilst making that backup, and then disconnected and kept in a safe place.
(Some will use a fireproof safe/box, some will keep their backup drives in a different building).

I also make a full copy/paste of my data files, documents, pictures, etc. to another drive which is plugged into my router and connects to my computers over wifi.
Again at least weekly. (My own 'cloud' backup if you like).

Generally I could stand losing up to a weeks worth of changes to my files, but when I do add anything important then I'll make new backups ASAP.

You do need to get into a routine of backing up regularly, and ideally making more than one backup to different drives/places.
eg. set aside an hour or two each Sunday, or another convinent day for you, to do your backups and general system maintanance each week.
Hopefully you never need them, but if you ever do then it's been worth the effort each week.

There are plenty of other backup options including those that do it automatically for you, and even save daily or more often if that is what you want.
Of course those need to backup to a drive connected to your computer all the time. (So that drive may still be susceptible to a virus or ransomware, not to memtion fire or flood).