Help, help, help please!!!

Slack_Alice

Just turned my laptop on, and it automatically shut down. When finally restarted (took ages), I find that everything has been wiped out completely. There's still a couple of photo's on there but nothing on my user account. There's also some music left on the e drive. But nothing - absolutely nothing left on my documents. All files, word documents, pictures, you name it have been deleted

Have spoken to my mum who is in work and she told me that she ran malware last week as there was a virus on it. And says she's done nothing since. So I've turned off my laptop for the time being.

Is there anyway of recovering any of the files? There's 4 pictures in the recycle bin but other than that nothing. So upset! Please can anyone help?

And I really don't need to be told of the need for backing up as we have an external hard drive but the stuff I've lost isn't on there. I know how important it is to backup (definately learnt the hard way during A levels)

Thanks in advance x

thescouselander

I think you've done right switching the computer off - that will give you more chance of recovering the contents. If you did start the computer up there's a chance the deleted files will be overwritten making recovery extremely difficult or impossible

Probably the best way to get your stuff back is to connect the drive to another computer as a second drive and try to recover the data using data recovery software. If you're not sure what you're doing it might be best to get someone to do it for you.

macman

If you've backed up, how come the stuff you've lost isn't on the external hard drive?
Or have you not backed up recently-in which case, having a back up drive is a bit pointless.
Hopefully you can recover the files though-what 'malware' program did you mum run, and what AV are you using?

Hammyman

RussJK wrote: »

Slack Alice, the files are likely still there but just set to hidden.

Seconded. I posted earlier I'd had one of these in just the other day.

phxweb

thescouselander wrote: »

If you did start the computer up there's a chance the deleted files will be overwritten making recovery extremely difficult or impossible.

Its very unlikely that this will be the case. Unless the hard drive is very full. And if any of the files are not recoverable due to the OP startin up the machine, the vast majority should still be there.

OP - if you are reliant on your data on the hard drive i would suggest you take it to someone who knows what they are doing, you could make things a whole lot worse playing with data recovery software

santer_2

This might help, though it says it is best to make sure the PC is malware free first

http://www.tangosoft.co.uk/re-enable%20v2.html

RussJK

santer wrote: »

This might help, though it says it is best to make sure the PC is malware free first

http://www.tangosoft.co.uk/re-enable%20v2.html

Nice one! I've been after a simple tool like that. Hijack Hunter does it all too, but it's relatively bloated and probably confusing to most people since it's primarily a diagnostics tool.

santer_2

RussJK wrote: »

I've been after a simple tool like that.

Maybe there should be a " I wish there was a programme that did this " thread.

We might all be sitting on programmes which others could do with