Windows 8 + Ubuntu 12.10 dual-boot gone wrong, lost all my files?

[HugoHughes]

My laptop is a HP G62, i3, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD with Windows 7 pre-installed. I upgraded to Windows 8 Pro when it was released (I purchased it for £24.99). I have no disc what-so-ever for any back-up of sort.

I wanted to dual-boot with Ubuntu 12.10 OS. I followed this tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNCSbTyUzoM


BUT* When I was on the installing Ubuntu part, the free space was not showing, instead it said unusable. So I clicked on my C drive on the installation screen and pressed the - button to remove the partition I created and just created the swap space on the C drive and installed Ubuntu also on the C drive choosing to use 50GB. So I installed, rebooted and can no longer run Windows 8, where all my files are accessible.

I'm not just talking movies, tv shows galore that I have not watched. I'm talking about all the music I've collected over 3 years and all my pictures and important documents. I know I should have a backup, but I don't so that's that.

Now, can I do anything to access these files on my HDD on the Ubuntu OS, because I cannot find this 'host' folder containing my Windows 8 user where all my files would have been if I were to only try Ubuntu and not fully install it.


Basically, what I think I have done is installed Ubuntu OS in the same drive as my Windows 8 OS since I did not use a partition and I did a full OS install and not just the try-before install option.

On System Settings in Ubuntu it says my disk space is 49.2GB, which is what I set it to when I was installing. My HDD is 500GB, so if that helps in anyway.


When I first boot my laptop, I get the option of running Ubuntu first and it is already set as default if the 10 second timer runs out.

If I select Windows 8, it gives me a blue screen with one of them errors. I cannot continue from there and have to reboot.

What do I need?
I can only use this laptop in Ubuntu now, but I CANNOT access any of my files on the HDD like I could in Windows 8.

I do not care for Windows 8, I just want my files.

Am I doomed?


Thanks for your time, REALLY, thank you! I'm so sad right now, most of the files on my HDD are UN-replacable. Now I will backup in the future, but still,

[flyhigh@night]

I don't know if this matters at this point in time. Anyway, that sounds about right. Due to installing Ubuntu in the same partition as windows 8, you lost your data. The C drive is always where windows is installed. Create a new partition next time.

[Geek-9pm]

Yes, this is an old post. But this has happened so many times that I want to add something. Here are some things to consider.

Windows 8 does have a way to repair itself. However, this  does not work if you have made permanent and widespread changes o the hard drive file system.
Same for Windows 7. You have to make some kind of backup plan before the crime.

Tutorials can be given by anybody. They may or may not warn you of the trouble that  you will  face. One should have a backup of the whole system before trying anything that can change the hard drive.

If using a desktop it is so easy to just pop  in a spare hard drive to do an experiment. In general, using two drives for a dual i boot system is a  more conservative way to conduct experiments.

My personal recommendation. Get the Live Linux Minn disc.  boot it and see if it can read the data in the partitions. If that does not work, put in a second drive, disable the first, install a legit version of Windows. Then connect the original drive and the slave and see if you can recover the lost partition with one of the free partition or data recovery tools.

(Note: One must turn power off before  one would  plug or unplug anything, With exception of USB.)

Or, if  you have another another working Windows PC, slave the drive to it and recovery back lost data.

The link below has information about partition recover tools.
http://www.ehow.com/list_7454192_disk-partition-recovery-tools.html
One of my favorite is:
http://www.easeus.com/landing/file-recovery-software.htm

Hope this is of some help to others watching this thread.