BoxRec

I know sympathy is no use to you Terry. But you have mine you poor fkker.

Hello Terry,

Firstly, don't do anything silly. Slitting your wrists or stringing yourself up from your speedball bracket isn't going to solve anything.

All is NOT lost (hopefully). Here is a method that could enable you to get your missing documents back.

This method reverses recent operating system changes to your PC, such as the installation of new software or virus, and takes the computer back to a previous working state. This method may uninstall or remove the software/virus that is causing the problem.

1. Start Windows in the Safe Mode as follows:
* Remove any disks or CDs, and disconnect any external devices or peripherals.
* Press and hold the Power button for 5 seconds to turn off the computer.
* Press the Power button to turn on the computer.
* Press the F8 key repeatedly when the first screen appears.
* From the Windows Advanced Start-up menu, select Safe Mode and press ENTER.
The computer may run slower in the Safe Mode and the desktop will not look as nice due to reduced colors.
2.
Click Start, then click Help and Support.
3.
On the Help and Support home page, click System Restore.
4.
On the System Restore page, select the Restore my computer to an earlier time option and click Next.
5.
Navigate through the calendar looking for a highlighted date and select a restore point date and time that is earlier than when you started experiencing the problem, then click Next.

The computer should shut down and turn back on by itself after the restoration completes. When the Restoration Complete window appears, click OK to continue.

Hope this helps.

Claire xx

http://www.recovermyfiles.com/

You can try this for free to view your old old files and then pay for the prog to recover them.

Costs $70 (£35) so not bad for all that stuff. There are free ways of doing it too but I'm a bit busy right now to research for you!!

Interested to hear how this happened through using torrent software. Did you download something and then run it and it turned out to be a virus or did you actually get infected through the torrent program itself i.e a worm crept in and infected you?

The other thing I'd say is once you've got your files back, back them up and then format and re-install your pc. It could be a rootkit etc which you really need to re-install to be sure it's gone.

The problem with Clare's suggested method is it will restore the operating system to previous settings but won't recover 30gb worth of files, at least I don't believe so.

Goswald,

Isn't it scary how all the stuff you have ever 'deleted' from your hard drive is actually still in there. I've got some really dodgy bits and bobs dangling in my hard drive closet. I dread to think what some of you boys have.

Claire xx

Goz wrote:The problem with Clare's suggested method is it will restore the operating system to previous settings but won't recover 30gb worth of files, at least I don't believe so.

You could very well be right. All my advice is just that, advice. I don't have all the answers.

Claire xx

GOOD LUCK BUDDY

Terry D wrote:Thanks for the advice, trying that download Goz as I had restored my system but got nowhere.

I was downloading a version of Adobe Photoshop and when finished checked it for viruses and then took it from the U-Torrent for setting up, my plan was to put the set-up back on the U-Torrent immediately afterwards.

The set-up went tits-up and the U-Torrent reported that the file was being put back onto the torrent and after that all my programmes, applications and work started to disappear.

I re-started and my user icon was back to the generic windows one. I had then lost all my data so tried to restore the system to the night before but all the data was gone still.

I went to get my back-up discs, noticed they were cracked and would not work. A years writing for my diss is gone, all stuff on boxing and other word documents I had going back three years.

25GB of fights also.

I managed to re-install the virus protection so I could get online and am scanning my PC before runnnig the recover my files programme.

I am not holding out much hope but if I can get my work back then at least something is salvaged, if not I am well and truly done.

Don't know where you live, but I have a whizz kid who has got me out of the shit before now. Personal message me

What a bastard.

As Goz says you can get 3rd party software that may be able to recover the deleted files. Try Download.com to get some ideas of what is the better of these. The files when deleted are still there, as our resident agony aunt has said, but whether they are recoverable or not is another matter.

Also do not install anything to your hard disk, because this will overwrite the space that your files occupy. The 3rd party software can be run from the CD-Rom drive.

Good Luck pal.

Can you tell us what torrent and site it came from?

Also if you lost 20GB of fights, how much porn did you lose?!!!??

as mentioned already there is software out there to help out in these situations, google for 'file recovery' or 'data recovery' they might not recover 100% of stuff but with any luck your important docs should be ok. theres a freebie one here never tried it tho so not sure how good it is : http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/uk/download.htm

Claire Raynor wrote:Goswald,

Isn't it scary how all the stuff you have ever 'deleted' from your hard drive is actually still in there. I've got some really dodgy bits and bobs dangling in my hard drive closet. I dread to think what some of you boys have.

Claire xx

You naughty girl Claire, 8) ...tell us more!...

Terry D wrote:Thanks for the advice, trying that download Goz as I had restored my system but got nowhere.

I was downloading a version of Adobe Photoshop and when finished checked it for viruses and then took it from the U-Torrent for setting up, my plan was to put the set-up back on the U-Torrent immediately afterwards.

The set-up went tits-up and the U-Torrent reported that the file was being put back onto the torrent and after that all my programmes, applications and work started to disappear.

I re-started and my user icon was back to the generic windows one. I had then lost all my data so tried to restore the system to the night before but all the data was gone still.

I went to get my back-up discs, noticed they were cracked and would not work. A years writing for my diss is gone, all stuff on boxing and other word documents I had going back three years.

25GB of fights also.

I managed to re-install the virus protection so I could get online and am scanning my PC before runnnig the recover my files programme.

I am not holding out much hope but if I can get my work back then at least something is salvaged, if not I am well and truly done.

My sympathies Terry, I've had simular woe in the past happen... my advise would be to get in touch with a reputable technician who would possibly be able to take your 'lost' files from your harddrive... its possible that theyre still there... I think PC World may do a files salvage like this...

Damn, what a nightmare. This type of thing has happened twice during my 15 years on the internet, once, my outlook express e-mailed everyone in my address book and screwed up their computers which cost me a few grovelling pints. The other time I visited a ... ahem... "gentlemans leisure" site which mangled my software so bad I couldn't even start the computer. I had to ask a mates teenage son to help me reinstall my software and he took the opportunity to lecture me on appropriate internet surfing which was very painful.

I have vista home premium now and have tried to make a backup on dvd but it won't let me and it came with no disks. If the arse falls out of this lot I'm deep in the sh*t.

Good luck with your file recovery mate.

Another tip, set up a gmail account and mail your important documents, essays, reports to it. You get 2gb for free so it's more than enough.

Sure you might lose your porn etc but that can always be downloaded again, obviously your work is the most important.

stepper wrote:Damn, what a nightmare. This type of thing has happened twice during my 15 years on the internet, once, my outlook express e-mailed everyone in my address book and screwed up their computers which cost me a few grovelling pints. The other time I visited a ... ahem... "gentlemans leisure" site which mangled my software so bad I couldn't even start the computer. I had to ask a mates teenage son to help me reinstall my software and he took the opportunity to lecture me on appropriate internet surfing which was very painful.

I have vista home premium now and have tried to make a backup on dvd but it won't let me and it came with no disks. If the arse falls out of this lot I'm deep in the sh*t.

Good luck with your file recovery mate.

Just out of interest how does Vista compare with XP???.... besides sounding quite a bit sexier....
regarding the naughty stuff I tend to stick to the old fashioned mags rather than dodgey sites on the net, ...then my only worry is the missus finding them!!.... :x

silkov wrote: I think PC World may do a files salvage like this...

It worked for Gary Glitter

I have used knoppix in the past to rescue files from corrupt windoze systems :- http://www.knoppix.org/
If you burn the CD and then boot into it you <b>might</b> find your files. When you are back on your feet take a look at Ubuntu http://www.ubuntu.com/ it's what I use now after many years of pain with crappy microsoft OS's and apps. It's well written, quite easy to use, has loads of apps, is virtually virus and worm proof and is free.

Here is a FREE root-kit program should you need it http://www.computeractive.co.uk/compute ... ti-rootkit

this is f..ing tragic. i feel for ya terry, i do straight.
its gonna be hard work but good luck anyway.

word of the day is "Backup"

i'm happy for you and the outcome, terry, but i really dont know what to make of that last statement. its not funny, and nor is the follow up in brackets! i cant understand why you said it. especially someone who is meant to be a writer. i'm not angry or put out, just a bit nonplussed about such a wasted, ill-informed statement. oh well

i'm a bit sceptical about macca - i'm too much a lennon man i suppose. but RAM is my mates fave album so maybe i should check it out. its probably brilliant. let me know.
my earlier grouch was about the gay reference in your post though, terry, not mccartney.

although, i thought the comment was crude and slightly off, i take my hat off to anyone who uses language free of PC constraints. i too am a writer and i am constantly amazed at how often i have to negotiate barriers when i want to express myself.
do you feel like me though that being a writer is both a blessing and a curse? george melly once said about his sexual impulse that it was like being chained to a lunatic, i feel that way about writing. you just have to follow it wherever it wants to go, forget sleep, forget family life, forget friends. YOU WILL WRITE!!! and if you refuse it feels like a betrayal.

best of luck to you, terry.