Vista - Anyone know how to recover lost partitions?

"Bernie" <bernie@nospam.org> wrote in message
news:uPHJPPatGHA.4748@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>I have all the most important data backed up. But I have a huge number of
>downloads (utilities and lots of other stuff) that would take a long time
>to replace. It is worth it to me to spend some hours and even some money
>not to have to replace those things. So...
>
> I had four partitions; XP, Vista, Linux and a Linux swap. The XP partition
> is the important one.
>
> So I can see there are sites promising partition recovery software for a
> fee. I don't mind a smallish fee but I want to know what works and what
> doesn't first.
>
> So anyone out there good at data recovery?
>
> More data: I have another drive in the machine with a lot of free space
> but it is also my data drive. It is okay but doesn't have an O/S on it.
>
> There isn't a working O/S on the main drive and it is the main drive that
> I want to recover. So the ideal solution is something that can work from
> a bootable CD.
Have you tried "Barts PE" or any of the similar bootable roms ?

Bernie--


Check out the apps from Sysinternals and Wininternals (who now have gone
over to MSFT as of a couple weeks ago--the apps are tremendous quality but
not cheap).

www.sysinternals.com

CH

"Bernie" <bernie@nospam.org> wrote in message
news:uPHJPPatGHA.4748@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>I have all the most important data backed up. But I have a huge number of
>downloads (utilities and lots of other stuff) that would take a long time
>to replace. It is worth it to me to spend some hours and even some money
>not to have to replace those things. So...
>
> I had four partitions; XP, Vista, Linux and a Linux swap. The XP partition
> is the important one.
>
> So I can see there are sites promising partition recovery software for a
> fee. I don't mind a smallish fee but I want to know what works and what
> doesn't first.
>
> So anyone out there good at data recovery?
>
> More data: I have another drive in the machine with a lot of free space
> but it is also my data drive. It is okay but doesn't have an O/S on it.
>
> There isn't a working O/S on the main drive and it is the main drive that
> I want to recover. So the ideal solution is something that can work from
> a bootable CD.

I have all the most important data backed up. But I have a huge number
of downloads (utilities and lots of other stuff) that would take a long
time to replace. It is worth it to me to spend some hours and even some
money not to have to replace those things. So...

I had four partitions; XP, Vista, Linux and a Linux swap. The XP
partition is the important one.

So I can see there are sites promising partition recovery software for a
fee. I don't mind a smallish fee but I want to know what works and what
doesn't first.

So anyone out there good at data recovery?

More data: I have another drive in the machine with a lot of free space
but it is also my data drive. It is okay but doesn't have an O/S on it.

There isn't a working O/S on the main drive and it is the main drive
that I want to recover. So the ideal solution is something that can
work from a bootable CD.

Have you considered mounting the drive in an external usb enclosure and just
attaching it to your other computer for purposes of copying files over?

"Roges Hyspeed Internot Slurport" <Internet.support@rogered.you.com> wrote
in message news:uAUTBTatGHA.2260@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>
> "Bernie" <bernie@nospam.org> wrote in message
> news:uPHJPPatGHA.4748@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>I have all the most important data backed up. But I have a huge number of
>>downloads (utilities and lots of other stuff) that would take a long time
>>to replace. It is worth it to me to spend some hours and even some money
>>not to have to replace those things. So...
>>
>> I had four partitions; XP, Vista, Linux and a Linux swap. The XP
>> partition is the important one.
>>
>> So I can see there are sites promising partition recovery software for a
>> fee. I don't mind a smallish fee but I want to know what works and what
>> doesn't first.
>>
>> So anyone out there good at data recovery?
>>
>> More data: I have another drive in the machine with a lot of free space
>> but it is also my data drive. It is okay but doesn't have an O/S on it.
>>
>> There isn't a working O/S on the main drive and it is the main drive that
>> I want to recover. So the ideal solution is something that can work from
>> a bootable CD.
> Have you tried "Barts PE" or any of the similar bootable roms ?
>

Roges--

Maybe I'm misreading, but I thought this was more of a lost data recovery
than simply repairing XP. Bart's PE is excellent, but if simply repairing
XP would do the job, I'd do a repair install booting from the XP CD if
Bernie has one.

CH


"Roges Hyspeed Internot Slurport" <Internet.support@rogered.you.com> wrote
in message news:uAUTBTatGHA.2260@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>
> "Bernie" <bernie@nospam.org> wrote in message
> news:uPHJPPatGHA.4748@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>I have all the most important data backed up. But I have a huge number of
>>downloads (utilities and lots of other stuff) that would take a long time
>>to replace. It is worth it to me to spend some hours and even some money
>>not to have to replace those things. So...
>>
>> I had four partitions; XP, Vista, Linux and a Linux swap. The XP
>> partition is the important one.
>>
>> So I can see there are sites promising partition recovery software for a
>> fee. I don't mind a smallish fee but I want to know what works and what
>> doesn't first.
>>
>> So anyone out there good at data recovery?
>>
>> More data: I have another drive in the machine with a lot of free space
>> but it is also my data drive. It is okay but doesn't have an O/S on it.
>>
>> There isn't a working O/S on the main drive and it is the main drive that
>> I want to recover. So the ideal solution is something that can work from
>> a bootable CD.
> Have you tried "Barts PE" or any of the similar bootable roms ?
>

One of the Linux distros, either Ubuntu or SUSE (CRS disease!) is bootable
from the DVD as a trial and may provide a way to view the data on the
computer drives, but not having ever tried it, I don't know if this actually
will work in practice.

"Bernie" <bernie@nospam.org> wrote in message
news:uPHJPPatGHA.4748@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>I have all the most important data backed up. But I have a huge number of
>downloads (utilities and lots of other stuff) that would take a long time
>to replace. It is worth it to me to spend some hours and even some money
>not to have to replace those things. So...
>
> I had four partitions; XP, Vista, Linux and a Linux swap. The XP partition
> is the important one.
>
> So I can see there are sites promising partition recovery software for a
> fee. I don't mind a smallish fee but I want to know what works and what
> doesn't first.
>
> So anyone out there good at data recovery?
>
> More data: I have another drive in the machine with a lot of free space
> but it is also my data drive. It is okay but doesn't have an O/S on it.
>
> There isn't a working O/S on the main drive and it is the main drive that
> I want to recover. So the ideal solution is something that can work from
> a bootable CD.

Thanks Chad I'll check them.

Chad Harris wrote:
> Bernie--
>
>
> Check out the apps from Sysinternals and Wininternals (who now have gone
> over to MSFT as of a couple weeks ago--the apps are tremendous quality but
> not cheap).
>
> www.sysinternals.com
>
> CH
>
> "Bernie" <bernie@nospam.org> wrote in message
> news:uPHJPPatGHA.4748@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> I have all the most important data backed up. But I have a huge number of
>> downloads (utilities and lots of other stuff) that would take a long time
>> to replace. It is worth it to me to spend some hours and even some money
>> not to have to replace those things. So...
>>
>> I had four partitions; XP, Vista, Linux and a Linux swap. The XP partition
>> is the important one.
>>
>> So I can see there are sites promising partition recovery software for a
>> fee. I don't mind a smallish fee but I want to know what works and what
>> doesn't first.
>>
>> So anyone out there good at data recovery?
>>
>> More data: I have another drive in the machine with a lot of free space
>> but it is also my data drive. It is okay but doesn't have an O/S on it.
>>
>> There isn't a working O/S on the main drive and it is the main drive that
>> I want to recover. So the ideal solution is something that can work from
>> a bootable CD.
>
>

Files? That would be nice.

Yes I could remove the drive and fire it up on another machine if need be.


Colin Barnhorst wrote:
> Have you considered mounting the drive in an external usb enclosure and just
> attaching it to your other computer for purposes of copying files over?
>
> "Roges Hyspeed Internot Slurport" <Internet.support@rogered.you.com> wrote
> in message news:uAUTBTatGHA.2260@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> "Bernie" <bernie@nospam.org> wrote in message
>> news:uPHJPPatGHA.4748@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>> I have all the most important data backed up. But I have a huge number of
>>> downloads (utilities and lots of other stuff) that would take a long time
>>> to replace. It is worth it to me to spend some hours and even some money
>>> not to have to replace those things. So...
>>>
>>> I had four partitions; XP, Vista, Linux and a Linux swap. The XP
>>> partition is the important one.
>>>
>>> So I can see there are sites promising partition recovery software for a
>>> fee. I don't mind a smallish fee but I want to know what works and what
>>> doesn't first.
>>>
>>> So anyone out there good at data recovery?
>>>
>>> More data: I have another drive in the machine with a lot of free space
>>> but it is also my data drive. It is okay but doesn't have an O/S on it.
>>>
>>> There isn't a working O/S on the main drive and it is the main drive that
>>> I want to recover. So the ideal solution is something that can work from
>>> a bootable CD.
>> Have you tried "Barts PE" or any of the similar bootable roms ?
>>
>
>

You read it right Chad. And yes I do have an XP CD. Three of them in fact.

From the XP CD recovery console I can see the partitions but they are
"unformatted".


Chad Harris wrote:
> Roges--
>
> Maybe I'm misreading, but I thought this was more of a lost data recovery
> than simply repairing XP. Bart's PE is excellent, but if simply repairing
> XP would do the job, I'd do a repair install booting from the XP CD if
> Bernie has one.
>
> CH
>
>
> "Roges Hyspeed Internot Slurport" <Internet.support@rogered.you.com> wrote
> in message news:uAUTBTatGHA.2260@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> "Bernie" <bernie@nospam.org> wrote in message
>> news:uPHJPPatGHA.4748@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>> I have all the most important data backed up. But I have a huge number of
>>> downloads (utilities and lots of other stuff) that would take a long time
>>> to replace. It is worth it to me to spend some hours and even some money
>>> not to have to replace those things. So...
>>>
>>> I had four partitions; XP, Vista, Linux and a Linux swap. The XP
>>> partition is the important one.
>>>
>>> So I can see there are sites promising partition recovery software for a
>>> fee. I don't mind a smallish fee but I want to know what works and what
>>> doesn't first.
>>>
>>> So anyone out there good at data recovery?
>>>
>>> More data: I have another drive in the machine with a lot of free space
>>> but it is also my data drive. It is okay but doesn't have an O/S on it.
>>>
>>> There isn't a working O/S on the main drive and it is the main drive that
>>> I want to recover. So the ideal solution is something that can work from
>>> a bootable CD.
>> Have you tried "Barts PE" or any of the similar bootable roms ?
>>
>
>

Bernie wrote:
> I have all the most important data backed up. But I have a huge number
> of downloads (utilities and lots of other stuff) that would take a
> long time to replace. It is worth it to me to spend some hours and
> even some money not to have to replace those things. So...
>
> I had four partitions; XP, Vista, Linux and a Linux swap. The XP
> partition is the important one.
>
> So I can see there are sites promising partition recovery software
> for a fee. I don't mind a smallish fee but I want to know what works
> and what doesn't first.
>
> So anyone out there good at data recovery?
>
> More data: I have another drive in the machine with a lot of free
> space but it is also my data drive. It is okay but doesn't have an
> O/S on it.
> There isn't a working O/S on the main drive and it is the main drive
> that I want to recover. So the ideal solution is something that can
> work from a bootable CD.

I have used Active@Partition before with successful results. It was a long
time ago. I can't remember details other than I saved the link because the
program worked.

http://www.partition-recovery.com/

--
Kerry
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
www.VistaHelp.ca