So, turns out that you shouldn’t drink and compute.

Having run many various Linux apps to make a bootable USB stick, all of which have had a massive flashing warning that they’re going to hose your device’s Partition, I managed to breeze past the equivalent warning on the W10 USB Media Creator….

I pointed it at one of my HDD’s, thinking it would save the downloaded file there and then I would abort the process before it did a format. NOPE.

I now have a single 32GB partition showing and the rest is unformatted. 3.43GB is used, and 900-odd GB is Unallocated.

So-far, I have tried a Recuva session, however it is only looking within the allocated space, so finds nothing.

This data was my “Other Video/Downloads” drive, containing mostly things like Blackadder, Red Dwarf and GoT, so it’s not the end of the world.

It was not backed-up as it didn’t fit on the backup drive. I allowed this because the backup HDD was too full with versions and backups of the other data, OS, Movies etc.

Doesn’t mean I don’t want the data back if it’s possible.

The way I see it, 4GB is hosed and probably most of the rest is OK…. if I can recover it. There’s probably enough space on the other drives, if I share the recovered data out manually between them.

So…errr, help?

What software can I point at the unallocated space? Or should I resize the partition back to the full drive volume and then use Recuva etc?

Since seeing the mistake, I have not written anything to the drive, obvs.

I’ve had good results with GParted for various partition tasks. I AM NOT AN EXPERT and I don’t know how well it’ll do in your circumstances

It can be used to attempt data rescue (did I mention, IANAE)

you should be able to use testdisk to recover the old partition table.

The steps are all detailed here: TestDisk recovery

it’s a powerful bit of kit; so be careful 🙂

Another vote for TestDisk, if that can’t find the partition and repair the filesystem your probably gubbed and you’ll end up running PhotoRec to find photos/videos.

Hi,

I’m guessing the new partition table will have overwritten the old one, but all of the above are looking useful. Never noticed gparted could be used like that.

Hmmm….

(and thanks everyone)

testdisk should be able to find the signatures of the old partition even if the backup partition table has been modified … fingers crossed !

Odd that – I did something similarly stoopid the other day (SDD failed but I forgot that it wasn’t showing up any more and so merrily deleted the partition on the top-showing drive when I started the reinstallation – that’ll be all my data then)

Googled and saw that gparted might work but the page I found seemed complicated and didn’t actually say that the content would be retained. I was in a rush (course, I could’ve used the back up copies but didn’t really have time to create a time-machine and set that up 😳 ) and a bit scared so I paid for minitools partition wizard

Worked fine, but £30 stupidity tax

(should add – I had deleted the partition but NOT reformatted the drive)

Hmmm.

So far neither photorec nor testdisk have found any trace of the files, or the previous filesystem despite appearing to scan the entire drive, cylinder by cylinder. This is downright odd.

I’m pretty busy at the minute, but will provide some more info when I am back in front of the machine.

Getting tempted to expand the partition and set Recuva onto the case…. Though that will doubtless damage more files.

Bugger-all.

I have no idea what the installer did(!!!), but nothing remains. Maybe it’s offset the position of the allocation table, or summit, nothing’s readable except an old linux swap. Certainly no NTFS.

Even tried Recuva and partition resize….not a dickybird.

*gets the Mint installer ready*

Sorry, I’ve only just seen this.

You’re doing all the right things but NTFS isn’t FAT, it’s b-tree based. I’d hazard that recovering this will be like trying to plait sand.

It’s OK lad, I’ll just have to get some more stuff to watch 🙂

Only downside is I also planned to strip the machine, every single heatsink and regrease CPU, IOH, PCH, MOSFETs and both GPUs about now as well!

May take some time before that’s done, then onto organising the data that’s left, fixing the fact that one of my HDD’s is still pointing at the SSD (hence a random extra boot delay and why I haven’re submitted my start>STW score on the other thread)…

Then installing Mint and W10 again…like the good ol’ days.

Should keep me busy 😉

Drinking and computing is bad.
I trashed a motherboard when refitting a cpu. Ruined the socket as I bent one pin by dropping the CPU right onto the pins in the socket.

I then attempted to straight the pin and bent loads more in the process. And managed to get thermal grease all over the place.

That was a £120 mistake.

I wonder if there’s a porno neich for this. I could make serious money!