Recovering deleted files

**Toad** · 11-18-09, 08:36 PM

TTP tech gurus, please help! A friend of mine upgraded from vista to windows 7 by (I think) doing a quick format (not low level) and just loading windows 7 the usual way... I realize hope is lost for almost everything but maybe there's a couple pictures left she can save. Any ideas for good free disk recovery programs? I see that there's a lot out there, but I'd like to know if someone has used one in particular that worked well/had no viruses/etc. Thanks!

**Kanati** · 11-18-09, 08:47 PM

Highly unlikely... formatting wiped the MBR and once windows started installing it could have overwritten everything.

I've never used any of the recovery tools as I never nuke anything I can't stand to lose... but I'd just say pick one and cross your fingers. It'll basically walk through the disk and see if it can find file fragments it can reconstruct... Just don't hold your breath.

**IRON MAN 2142** · 11-18-09, 08:51 PM

Computing 101, never nuke a drive unless you have the stuff you need backed up

**Cybs** · 11-18-09, 08:52 PM

I don't suppose any of it is on an iPod or iPhone is it?

**Arreo** · 11-18-09, 08:56 PM

http://www.active-undelete.com/

This is one of the better ones out there.

**Toad** · 11-19-09, 06:14 PM

I'll try that one, thanks Arreo. And yeah, she's very computer illiterate... spent 7 hours on the phone with Dell trying to go from Windows Vista to Windows 7, which culminated in that... even though it was 130 AM when it all finished I said if something like this ever happens in the future then first call me!