I lost all my personal documents like photos, videos, office files etc , when I reinstalled Windows XP. Is there any way to recover my lost documents?

Yes, there is a good chance of recovering lost documents, if you have not used the hard drive to save any new data, after re-installation of Windows XP. In simple terms, you should stop using the hard drive. This is because, if the  lost data gets overwritten, it’s highly impossible to recover it either by using any data recovery software, or with the help of any data recovery specialists.

Usually, after re-installation of Windows, the ‘Documents and Settings’ folder will be reinitialized, and the files in that folder will be deleted. These deleted files are recoverable, provided they are not overwritten. Overwriting the data basically means, replacing previously stored data on a drive with new data. Recoverability is better for smaller, less fragmented files and data on larger drives.

So, remember, that reinstalling Windows does not lead to permanent data loss. Data can still be recovered using a powerful  recovery software.

REMO Recover (Windows) Pro Edition software, is an effective  software, that lets you recover all your lost data, from a deleted/lost  partition. It’s easy to use interface, and value added features, makes data recovery, a simple process for all types of users.

In order to recover files lost due to reinstalling Windows, follow the simple steps explained below:

Step1: Connect the drive from which data needs to be recovered,as a slave, to the system, where  REMO Recover (Windows) Pro Edition software has already been installed.

Step 2: Launch the application either by double clicking the desktop shortcut, or by selecting the icon from the Programs List in the Start Menu. The Main window pops up, as shown in the Figure a.

Figure a: Main window

Step 3: Click on the button. As you click the Recover-Advanced button, a new window is displayed, as shown in Figure b.

At this stage of the process, you need to decide, whether you want to recover data from a lost NTFS partition or from a FAT partition, as you would know which partition you had, before re-installation of Windows.

• If you have to recover data from a FAT partition, go through the article Recover files from a hard drive with FAT32 file system.
• If you have to recover data from a NTFS partition, then continue following the steps, as explained below.

Continue the recovery process by clicking the button, as shown in Figure b.

Figure b: Select  Partition for Recovery

Step 4: As soon as you click the NTFS Partition Recovery button, a new window is displayed, as shown in figure c. Click on the button. A Wizard window, with various options, is displayed, as shown in Figure c.

Figure c: Wizard Window

Step 5: Select the Recover your data option, and click on the Next button to continue, as shown in Figure d.

Figure d: Wizard

As you click the Next button, a window will be displayed to select the drive from which you wish to recover your data (see Figure e).

Figure e: Search for lost partition

Step 6: Select a source drive, and the processing mode to process the drive.

The software provides two processing modes.

• Display default partitions- This option displays the partitions already present on the hard drive.

• Search for lost partitions- This option displays the lost or corrupted partitions of that hard drive, which are not listed in the Display default partitions option.

Note: By default, the processing mode is set to Display default partition(s). If you do not find the partition(s) you are looking for, in the default list, then, you can search for lost partitions, by clicking the Search for lost partition(s) radio button.

Since you have to recover lost partitions, select the  Search for lost partition(s) option, and click the Next button.

You can use the Quick Scan or the Thorough Scan method, for finding the lost partitions, as shown in Figure f.  Quick Scan does a swift search for the lost partitions, and hence saves time. Thorough Scan does a detailed search, and therefore is more dependable.

Select the Thorough Scan method, and click the Next button.

Figure f: Select Disk Scan Mode

Step 7: On clicking the Next button, the software analyzes the drive, and lists all the found partitions in the partition table. Select the logical drive from which data needs to be recovered.

Note: You can identify the logical drive by its starting location in the drive.

Once the drive is selected, the software automatically scans the drive for files and folders, and displays the data in a tree format, as shown in figure g.

Figure g: Found files and folders

Step 8:Once the tree structure is formed, the final step is to restore the data to a safe destination drive.You can select the entire tree and click on the Save all option from the Tools menu, or right click on any required Folder/ File and select the Save option.

As you click on the Save option,a window to select the destination drive, to save the recovered data, is displayed, as shown in Figure h.

Figure h: Select destination drive

Data can be saved to any desired destination drive, in your local hard drive(s). Select a path and click on the OK button. Once saving process is complete, you will receive a pop up message intimating the same.

All the files will be saved in a folder by name “#” in the selected destination drive.

Important:

• If you do not find your files and folders in the tree structure formed, then use the Turbo scan option from Tools menu.Turbo scan performs rigorous search to find files and folders, and will list all the found files and folders.
• Never save  data onto the partition or drive from where you are recovering data, as it may result in overwriting of data, and would result in permanent data loss.

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