A few days ago, my ten-year-old computer (running XP) would not boot. I could not even boot in safe mode. I also couldn't back up my files. I was advised to run a system recovery, which would refresh my OS, delete all my programs (returning it to close to factory condition) but keep all my files. I did the recovery successfully, but now I can't find my files. They must still be in the hard drive, as the drive shows that it is almost full (about where I left off). The files must also be in "hiding", as I can right-click on the folders, look at the properties, and the total GB space does not equal the space of the drive. I also can't do a search to find the file names.
Does anyone know how I can recover my files? I'm afraid to reboot my machine because I don't want my files to be deleted. That's what I really want to preserve. I tried looking for a restore point, but there doesn't seem to be any. Maybe they were deleted.
Can anyone please advise me about how I might recover my files?
I would be very thankful for any information you could give me.
Thanks,
BP