HHEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP!!

I lost all of my data files on my PC. I am using Windows XP media edition on an HP laptop. Anyone here know how I can get them back? A few days ago i had a couple of windows that would not respond. I went to disk defragmenter and hit the analyze button and it said there was no need to defrag. It still was really slow though so I hit the start menu and selected restart.
Windows would not load and the only thing that came up was an error message that said "Windows can not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: windows\sysmtem32\config\system Insert original disc and press R to repair"

I am in Iraq and the original disc is in Louisiana. Soooooo, I tried to go into safe mode, no luck, last known good, no luck, and all the other options on the "F8" screen. I went to F10 and got into the BIOS menu and ran the diagnostics. Quick test, Comprehensive test, and Smart test all passed. I found out about the "F11" function and sure enough, it offered to reinstall Windows for me, but I would lose any applications that I had added after the original configuration, but I would be able to keep my data. I went ahead and re-installed Windows and guess what? It works but it killed ALL my data.
Now, when I look at My Computer, I can see that the C drive is still half full, like it was before the crash. I know that it's because my files are still on the hard drive. How do I recover those files, or at least get them onto an external drive for recovery later so they do not get written over?

 

Do you have access to any windows XP disk? it does not have to be the original to run recovery console.

YOu may have gottena virus that changed the master boot record on the disk.

If you can find an XP disk then get into recovery console..

First run CHKDSK /R or /P that may fix it.

as a last resort run FIXBOOT to repair the master boot record.

There is a program called recover my files that can recover files even if the disk has been formatted.. You should be able to buy it on line and download it..

Obviuosly you would have to install your HD into another PC.

On EDIT:

Just reread where you already installed windows..

Download the recover my data program and run that..

It does not preserve the file name but at least you will have them.

http://www.recovermyfiles.com/

 

Try this. Go to run and type {diskmgmt.msc} select ok and see whatthe paritions are. There is a very small chance that the windows os restore program created another partition. You should only have 3 partitions unless you have a dual boot. If this is the case what you want to do is if your laptop has a floppydrive or you can get an usb floppydrive you can make yourself a windows startup disk or a dos disk and try to copy the partition with your info to the newly created partition. If it works you then can delete the old partition. This does'nt happen often but dos 5 had a kink in the fdisk/mbr intructions. And a few machines where formatted with this kinked program. So kinda what happens {if I understand it right} when windows restore program runs it doesnt run fdisk it runs fdisk/mbr. Which is suppose to just write the "new" mbr. fdisk/mbr does'nt change the partition table at all it just writes the boot program the windows copys the restored os on top of the old windows, and what has happend some how another partition came about like a dual boot with out the mbr to support it. So the old os is hidden from the mbr and the new windows is booted. I understand this problem was fixed with dos 6.
I've seen this problem once and it was'nt untell after I reformatted the HD before I found the paper explaining the problem so I never got a chance to look into it. The box that had this problem was a PC so it was easier for me. A friend of my wife and I did what you did and restored her windows thru the restore partition on the HD thru F11. To the same end as you. I messed with it for a hour or so and was getting pretty agravated at it. You could plainly see there was about 8 Gbs taken up that you could'nt account for. Of course she did'nt know the names of her files or how big they where, but I knew that was an alwful like of space used up. On a hunch I went into diskmgmt.msc bam I found it. What was easy for me was I just installed a 20 gb hd and just formatted it and copied her files from the old partition to that hd. Then I copied the restore partition to the HD. Then using a windows startup floppy I reinstalled XP using XP disc. I never did anything with the restore partition she told me it really did'nt matter if it was on the machine or not. I think she ended up with around 3 gbs more space. I'm sorry this is long winded.

 

Boot computer into safe mode. Log in as ADMIN.
Go to My Computer. You should find a folder(s) (saved from the reload process) with name(s) for the previous owner(s).
Right click the folder, open Properties, click security tab, click advanced, click Owner tab and change owner to ADMIN or USER\XXX (if necessary).
Once this is done, simply copy/paste the folder (or sub folder items) into the new folder created for the users documents.
You may need to clean up the desktop and other personalized items such as program lists because they were lost in the reload, but it is a minor annoyance at best, and all files in the original My Documents folder(s) are preserved (unless damaged by virus and such).

Before doing any of the above, I would suggest a good virus scan and Spywase scan while in Safe mode. After all, most likely this is what hosed things up in the first place.

P.S. If you have not done so, now is the time to make those reload DVD's. If you fry a hard disk and have not made them, you will be buying a new OS for the system. I've reloaded 2 systems just like yours in the last 6 months.