D: drive wiped out HELP !!!!!

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

OK, for no apparent reason, xp took it upon itself to reset (or something)
my secondary hard drive (slave drive.) It is no longer shown in Windows
Explorer or My Computer!

Disk Management shows the disk as "Heathy and Active" but shows no volume
information, as though xp re-partitioned the drive.

Originaly, the drive had a ntfs partition and was full of nearly 2 years
worth of extremely critical data.

The machine was connected to the internet only briefly in order to download
all the critical updates and was then disconnected completely from internet
access. There's little chance that this is caused by a virus. Plus,
firewall and av was running during update process.

I've experience no problems, whatsoever, with this machine, except for this
problem.

I've seen other posts here where the same error has ocurred on extended
partitions, but have not seen a reply to the problem.

I've searched the MS knowledge base extensively to no avail.

PLEASE, ANYONE, POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!! AT LEAST LET ME KNOW HOW I
CAN GET MY DATA BACK!!

Signed,
Irate in Baltimore

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

"spooderstank" <spooderstank1@somewhere.net> wrote in message
news:CAqec.22471$hd3.20522@nwrddc03.gnilink.net...
> OK, for no apparent reason, xp took it upon itself to reset (or
something)
> my secondary hard drive (slave drive.) It is no longer shown in Windows
> Explorer or My Computer!
>
> Disk Management shows the disk as "Heathy and Active" but shows no volume
> information, as though xp re-partitioned the drive.
>
> Originaly, the drive had a ntfs partition and was full of nearly 2 years
> worth of extremely critical data.
>
> The machine was connected to the internet only briefly in order to
download
> all the critical updates and was then disconnected completely from
internet
> access. There's little chance that this is caused by a virus. Plus,
> firewall and av was running during update process.
>
> I've experience no problems, whatsoever, with this machine, except for
this
> problem.
>
> I've seen other posts here where the same error has ocurred on extended
> partitions, but have not seen a reply to the problem.
>
> I've searched the MS knowledge base extensively to no avail.
>
> PLEASE, ANYONE, POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!! AT LEAST LET ME KNOW HOW
I
> CAN GET MY DATA BACK!!
>
> Signed,
> Irate in Baltimore
>
>

I have successfully recovered several deleted partitions
with Acronis' RecoveryExpert.

After you've got this little problem sorted out, move out
of the "irate" mood (your word) into the pro-active mood,
and review your backup strategy.