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Recover data from a formatted HDD

  • 25-11-2010 8:05pm
    #1
    Grim_Wreeper
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 273 ✭✭


    Hi all,
    I've just been given a friends PC to fix, but they formatted the HDD. I was wondering if there was any way of getting back any of the files that were on it before they formatted it?

    I haven't re-installed windows on it yet, and I've tried a linux live CD, but when I mount the volume it's blank (obviosly cause the HDD's been formatted). As formatting only really writes over the first and last ~300MB of the disk (or so I'm led to believe), is there any tool that comes in the form of a boot disc which will be able to see the files that were present on the disk?

    Please let me know if I'm not being clear enough.

    Thanks


Comments

  • #2
    danjo-xx
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,393 ✭✭✭danjo-xx


    If they formatted the drive then everything is gone but if only a partition was formatted then only that part is wiped clean. afaik.


  • #3
    Canis Lupus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,893 ✭✭✭Canis Lupus


    Try hooking it up to a pc and using something like Recuva on it.


  • #4
    Dey were Sooted
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 296 ✭✭Dey were Sooted


    Yes try Recuva and do a deep scan .. Good luck !


  • #5
    Saganist
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,333 ✭✭✭Saganist


    danjo-xx wrote: »
    If they formatted the drive then everything is gone but if only a partition was formatted then only that part is wiped clean. afaik.

    Thats not true.

    Formatting the drive DOES NOT delete the data blocks on the disk.

    All it does is clear the VTOC ( table of contents ) that link you to your files.

    If you run Linux you could make a disk image of the drive using dd

    Then, run a utility like PhotoRec ( which ignores the filesystem ) and looks at the actual blocks of data to try and recreate pictures / documents / video clips etc.


  • #6
    Saganist
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,333 ✭✭✭Saganist


    bedlam wrote: »
    It does if the user has either Vista or Windows 7 and did a long / full format.

    Since Vista, a long format zeroes out the hard drive, prior to Vista a long format only looked for bad blocks. A long format is the default action in Windows 7 and iirc Vista also.

    Ah, thats what you get for running a crappy OS so..

    According to this its not the default, a "quick" format is the default ?

    http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/4391-windows-7-format.html

    ;)

    I've never used either of those, thank god.


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