erased file problem

[seraph00]

Hello, I am stuck with a bit of a problem that I have never had to deal with before, so I am unsure of a solution. If anyone has any experience with the issue that I'm trying to work through, and/or experience with a good inexpensive or free software I could use, and could help talk me through the steps needed, it would be appreciated.

I have 2 computers that are both connected to each other on a network. Both computers are running Windows XP Professional, service pack 1.

The problem that i've run into falls into 2 seperate instances of file problems, and i'm unsure if either or both could be fixed. Initially, certain less experienced people did a reinstall of Windows Xp on both systems, and did not properly back up certain important files that I had on both computers. I am curious if there is any way to go about restoring those files that were overwritten by the new instal of Windows XP on my systems. Also, since their current installation, there have been a handful of needed files that have been accidently deleted by a few various users. I am curious if there is any way I can recover those files as well. I am fully willing to scrap the current install of Windows on both PC's if there is any way to recover either sets of files. I have backed up all currently needed information on both systems, so if needed I can easily considering wiping out the current OS on either comptuer. If anyone can help me with this problem, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Neil]

What types of missing files? What error messages do you get? You could try reinstalling XP over the top of your current installation... that might work.

[Raptor]

Unless you formatted, most files not installed in Windows directories should still be present.

[seraph00]

To be more specific, they were home made picture and movie files that I had been intending to burn onto CD to save, and many of them are not replaceable.

I'm not recieving any error messages, it's not a situation of missing system files, but personal picture and movie files, i.e. .jpg/.bmp/.mpeg/.avi files that were initially overwritten with a reinstall of Xp on both systems by someone who didn't know what they were doing and did not properly backup the files that were already on both hard drives. Likewise, the same person(unfortunately) has since deleted several files of the same sort of both hard drives on each system.

What i'm looking for is assistance with recovering either sets of files if that is at all possible. In the first instance, they were files that were erased by a reinstall of Windows XP onto both systems that also involved the person reformatting each hard drive in the process. In the second instance, it was a result of this person simply deleting other files to the recycle bin and then emptying the recycle bin.

I'm looking for assistance with recovering either, or both sets of files, if that is in any way possible. I am more than willing to do whatever it would take, even if that requires trashing the current install of Windows on either computer to do so. These files were personal to me and most of them are not something I can easily replace. So if anyone can help in any way, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Computer_Commando]

WinXP Clean Install - your files are still there.
WinXP Reinstall - your files are gone forever.

If you can't find them, they have been overwritten.

[Neil]

Try this

http://www.executive.com/undelete/undelete.asp

Unless you pay, there are restrictions on what you can recover. Try the trial version and use it to see if your files are still there. If they are, try to recover them. The free trial only lets you undelete files up to a certain size. There's no gaurantee that it will recover your files, but you can at least try the free.

[merlin_2]

http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/UK/welcome.htm  may or may not do it. this on will but at a cost>http://www.disk-image.net/products.htm...for future use> upload those files to a website...some isp allow the user to have five websites or burn them to cd disks or have a spare hard drive...