Hey all.. A computer question.


I have a laptop drive that had photos on it. It was formated and windows was reinstalled. I now need to recover the photos that had been on the first windows install before format. I tried a few programs already (Pandora, EASUS and some others) They all seem to be recovering some of the photos but every one of these programs has slowed the computer I am using for recovery to a halt they hammer the processor to 100% !!! and estimate run time at over 2 months at times I let one run for 4 days and it still had 600+ hrs remaining. 

Anyway.. they do seem to be working, after I stop the program I recover some of the photos. So I know it works.

Anyone try anything similar? how long did it take? got a better solution? free programs??

Thanks!

 

forever man. it's going to take forever. with a fragmented, formatted, and then (partially) written over disk, it's going to take forever. maybe get a 2nd hand computer to run 24/7 until it finishes, then resell hte 2nd hand one ?

one of the caveats of huge harddrives, is huge data recovery times, or even worse, huge data losses.

i'm imaging drives now, and running raids. nothing like dumping a updated install (with user accounts) onto a machine in 20 minutes total, and having exactly what you -thought- you lost.

Yea, I have other PCs to run it on its just the idea that all the programs seem to run the CPU at 100% for weeks at a time! 

Have you used any programs recover data?

I back up to my important stuff like pics to a portable hard drive.  you should use your fastest pc to do it on, it may go faster.  or give it to the police department and tell them there are recipes for making bombs on it, they will recover everything for you quickly!   lol

I have to ask what possesed you to format a drive that you had any data that you would have intentions on recovery?

FYI: You can reinstall Windows with out formating the drive and all of the data not applications are safe.

Also there are LINUX OS's out there like Ubuntu that if you burn the ISO to CD you can do a local boot and recover the pictures to a USB device (for laptops) or another drive before reinstalling the OS

Oh yeah there is also a program called ERD Commander that will allow you to do the same thing in a familiar Windows environment.

Just a thought.  

Its a long story but it was for a client. The laptop was used as a POS system and I was told by the owner that he had nothing of value on (just the POS software) and that ran from a server... the laptop would not boot so I told him the easy fix was to just re-install.. He said fine. Next day he freaked cause his wife had their wedding pics on it! 

So.. yea, I know all about installing w/o format and PE-loaders etc... I was doing this because I was told there was no data on it so I dont even bother to look for any I just re-install.

Im covered cause I have all customers sign a form that im not responsible for data loss.. I am just trying to help now so this dude doesnt have to take his wife back to the Virgin Islands for another wedding 

LMAO, a Honey Moon redo! Um yeah data recovery would be my choice and good call on the Liability Release Form!

Quote from: scottpA_GS on January 30, 2010, 09:21:10 AM

Yea, I have other PCs to run it on its just the idea that all the programs seem to run the CPU at 100% for weeks at a time! 

Have you used any programs recover data?

ya, but it was back in the xp era. couldn't recall the names now. since then, it's:

image dump with linux > some external
install whatever/reinstall whatever
dump image with linux > some directory named something like "THIS IS WHERE THE OLD CRAP IS"

works purdy good usually. except for the really f%&ked up mess that vista is.

Ha teach you to listen to customers!

Have you looked at any of the hardcore, send it away data recovery services?  He might be interested in doing that...

Quote from: PachmanP on January 30, 2010, 07:44:58 PM
Ha teach you to listen to customers!

Have you looked at any of the hardcore, send it away data recovery services?  He might be interested in doing that...

OK lost me in translation! Teach=Who? And if you are talking about remote backup? I recommend and use "IronMountain" no worries! Guaranteed up to 1 million $ per drive.

Quote from: scottpA_GS on January 30, 2010, 09:21:10 AM

Yea, I have other PCs to run it on its just the idea that all the programs seem to run the CPU at 100% for weeks at a time! 

Have you used any programs recover data?

should have removed err copied the photos before the reformat, if it were at all possible. you can take the drive to a place, ( most pc type service places can do recovery, btu it IS pricy)

well call me parinoid but I have on my main PC a mirrored system that backs up to a mirrored system. Then I move the real pictures to my laptop. But that is just me.

Quote from: JB848 on January 30, 2010, 10:27:07 PM
well call me parinoid but I have on my main PC a mirrored system that backs up to a mirrored system. Then I move the real pictures to my laptop. But that is just me.

essentially a double raid?

the only RAID that is truly fault-tolerant in itself is RAID-5. minimum 3 disks required, however, one of those disks could fail and you wouldn't even know the difference. That being said however, RAID is NOT an excuse not to do back-ups. It's up to the consumer to decide how important their info is. Personally, I have never backed anything up on my own home pcs or laptops. But, at the same time, I know the risks I'm taking should one of my computers fail. I don't feel at this time that there is anything on them worth backing up at this point. but, to each his own.

always teh cheap option of a free photobucket acct or 2 or more

That sounds like a nightmare. - Maggie backed up all her old family stuff on a seperate hard-drive which her grandson dropped off a table and the stuff was not recoverable - some of the stuff she did not have on the P.C.
I also use a seperate hard-drive but having learned a lesson I now back up my pictures, music and business stuff on memory sticks on "bite size chunks" as it were, so that in the event of a disaster a total loss is unlikely. I am also looking at on-line storage like Yama suggests or even activating the webspace that my provider gave me about 5 years ago and I still have not bothered with!