Hard drive formatted, lost everything Topic is solved

How to use TestDisk to recover lost partition
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Fiona
Posts: 2835
Joined: 18 Feb 2012, 17:19
Location: Ludwigsburg/Stuttgart - Germany

Re: Hard drive formatted, lost everything

#11 Post by Fiona »

I tried to figure out, the HP-Partition layout.
But I didn't get it until yet.
Normally Windows7 uses the first partition as a boot partition.
Size is normally 100 MB but your one has about 300 MB.

Start testdisk, press enter to proceed.
Select your HDD.
Confirm at partition table type with enter also.
Don't confirm at Analyse, but Options.
Change Align partitions from yes to No.
Leave the menu Options at OK.
Check Analyse and confirm through until you see your partitions like on your screen;
Please check each partition and press enter to list your files.
If you were able to list your data on all partitions, you can recover them.
To get back to your previous screen easily press q for Quit.
If you see an error on one partition, please let me know.

If all partitions ok and you were able to list your files;
The first partition must be checked.
Use your right or left arrow key on your keyboard to change it to * (star) for primary active bootable.
You can see it at the left.
Only one partition can be active.
Check your next partition and change it to P for Primary only.
Do it to the third and fourth partition also, set them to P for primary only.

Then press enter to proceed.
Check Write and press enter and y.
Close TestDisk using Quit.
Restart your PC.
If it won't boot, please let me know.

Fiona

johnny194
Posts: 11
Joined: 27 Mar 2012, 19:35

Re: Hard drive formatted, lost everything

#12 Post by johnny194 »

I noticed these:
It couldn't find any bootable partitions, so I could just run quick search.
It could list my files, but in the partition "HP Tools" most of the files were red

johnny194
Posts: 11
Joined: 27 Mar 2012, 19:35

Re: Hard drive formatted, lost everything

#13 Post by johnny194 »

Is that a problem?

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Fiona
Posts: 2835
Joined: 18 Feb 2012, 17:19
Location: Ludwigsburg/Stuttgart - Germany

Re: Hard drive formatted, lost everything

#14 Post by Fiona »

Red files are deleted files.
They are listed in FAT32.
You can hide them by pressing h.
Did you try that procedure above in my last post?
It couldn't find any bootable partitions, so I could just run quick search.
Could you explain, what did you do exactly?
Could you send me another screenshot?

johnny194
Posts: 11
Joined: 27 Mar 2012, 19:35

Re: Hard drive formatted, lost everything

#15 Post by johnny194 »

I didn't try, because I didn't know if the red files were an error.
When I started abalyse, it said: there are no bootable partitions
There was no proceed, just qwuick search
After checking that, it found my deleted partitions

User avatar
Fiona
Posts: 2835
Joined: 18 Feb 2012, 17:19
Location: Ludwigsburg/Stuttgart - Germany

Re: Hard drive formatted, lost everything

#16 Post by Fiona »

Can you test my instructions and let me know?
It was from this screen;
WP_000173-1.jpg
WP_000173-1.jpg (61.61 KiB) Viewed 6314 times

johnny194
Posts: 11
Joined: 27 Mar 2012, 19:35

Re: Hard drive formatted, lost everything

#17 Post by johnny194 »

Thank you very much for your help, windows is working, and I have a basic disk

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Fiona
Posts: 2835
Joined: 18 Feb 2012, 17:19
Location: Ludwigsburg/Stuttgart - Germany

Re: Hard drive formatted, lost everything

#18 Post by Fiona »

Thank you for your feedback. :)
I'll set your topy as solved!

Fiona

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