Lost all my data help windows xp

[bbaran]

I got the blue screen and was trying to boot with my OS disk. Frankly, I was unsure exactly how to do this. I was trying everything and booted in partition mode. Finally, I booted with disk and ran chkdsk/r and was able to log in to windows. But, all of my files and pictures are gone. I have no backup and all im sick to think that I lost the last seven years of pictures of my kids...can anyone please helpI got the blue screen and was trying to boot with my OS disk. Frankly, I was unsure exactly how to do this. I was trying everything and booted in partition mode. Finally, I booted with disk and ran chkdsk/r and was able to log in to windows. But, all of my files and pictures are gone. I have no backup and all im sick to think that I lost the last seven years of pictures of my kids...can anyone please help

 

[nhasian]

you had 7 years of data on your computer and you didn't have a backup? that's a shame. I don't know what you mean by "booted in partition mode" hopefully you didn't wipe the partition. See if you can boot from an Ubuntu or Fedora LiveCD and then access your data on the hard disk that way. If you did wipe the partition or format the partition do not make any further changes to it. do NOT install windows on it or your data will become unrecoverable. You can try to recover your data with the free tools TestDisk and PhotoRec.

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

 

[hang-the-9]

What exactly did you do to get back into Windows? Did you format the drive? Did it re-install Windows? Did you even do a search to see if the files are there but in a different location?