Where are my files?

[Moochi99]

Okay here is what happened and what I did:

1. Windows Vista Home Premium wanted me to update so I did.
2. Update changed my desktop giving me new icons and a new wallpaper. But my files in My Pictures and My Documents were missing.
3. I used the Start Search to locate them and cut-pasted them into the My Pictures and My Documents folders in the new interface.
4. I shutdown my computer after I was done using it.
5. I turned on my computer again and Windows reverted back to the older (pre-update) interface.
6. I checked and to my luck the My Pictures and My Documents folders were empty again.
7. I used start search again, but this time it just gives me shortcuts and tells me that my files are missing.
8. I asked someone awesome and they recommended that I use Shadow Explorer (since Home Premium doesn't get to use Shadow Copy directly)
9. I opened up Shadow Explorer and it had 11/6/2009 as the earliest restore point date, so I chose that one.
10. I picked out my folders and exported them onto my desktop.
11. Halfway through the exporting it says that my last few folders had issues, would I like to skip or try again?
12. Eventually Shadow Explorer bugged out so I had to restart the application.
13. I turn on Shadow Explorer again 2 minutes later and now the earliest restore-point date is 11/9/2009 (well today the earliest date is 11/14/2009) and I cannot find my files since 11/6/2009 was the date that I needed.
14. My folders are still on my hard drive somewhere, I just don't know where, and...

Is there a method to extending the restore-in-point date to something earlier?

If it is not possible to change the restore-in-point date is there a similar program to Shadow Explorer that you recommend using?

I know for sure that my files are still on my hard drive, I am just not sure where exactly...

Are there any free and good file-restoration software out there that I can just have search for the folders specifically instead of having to sift through 273189372187138 things and picking out what I want?


Thank you for reading, and a happy turkey day to you! :D

 

[mblack]

You can use a tool called recuva from the guys who give us ccleaner this tool will collect find and sort out all your files and also tells you which ones are good to recover and which are bad, here's their link Piriform - Download CCleaner, Defraggler, Recuva - Millions of users worldwide! try it out it's a great tool to use !

 

[Imperfect1]

Moochi, please tell us specifically, which update caused the problem?

And, have you tried going to Windows Updates to either repair the update or uninstall it?

 

[Moochi99]

Thank you gus for the quick responses btw.

I'm pretty sure it was the Hotfix for Windows (KB954708) or the Update for Windows Vista (KB72145), one or the other. I called Microsoft and the guy kept recommending system restore so I tried but that kept failing, turns out Norton was cauing the problem so I tried a system restore to the restore point before those 2 updates and Windows just installed all of the updates again once I shutdown my computer. But I am more interested in extending how far back the Shadow Copy system goes inorder to retrieve the rest of my files or another method besides Shadow Explorer.

 

[SIW2]

Hi moochie,

Older ones get deleted due to the available space constraint.

To change the space allocated to shadow copies, use the vssadmin command.

Open an elevated cmd and type:

vssadmin resize shadowstorage /For=C: /On=C: /MaxSize=15GB

Replace 15gb with the amount of your choice.


By default, in Vista, SystemRestore is set to delete restore points after 135 years.

You can also change this . Change the value of
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore\RPLifeInterval


7,776,000 seconds is 90 days.

Hope it helps

 

[Moochi99]

^^^^ Thank you for your reply too, and that will allow me to access my previous Shadow Copies? I tried using the vssadmin command but it says taht I was authorized even though I used my Owner account and then I tried doing it in safe mode and it said that it was inaccessible.