Computers, the Bane of mankind, the evils of Microsoft

zathros

zathros

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For some reason, the Registry of my computer got corrupted, and I could only boot in "Safe Mode". No matter what I did, even restoring a backup of the boot file, no luck. I decided ro reload the system. I keep all my data on two separate other hard drives, 2 Terabytes each.

I got Windows 7 loaded again, everything went smoothly, but I noticed the computer would not recognize the hard drives. I went to the disc manager, and both were there. The common thing to do is to rename them, usually I use the same letter, which I did again, this is not the first time I have done this. Be aware, Microsoft, in one of it's updates, decided if you rename a hard drive, without telling you, it does a quick format, it happens in the blink of an eye, no way to stop it, no other choices given. I didn't find a supposed work around till after.

If I had unplugged the hard drives, this may not have happened, but there's no way to know as I would have to have plugged them back in eventually.

I have lost every model I have $1000's of dollars of programs, some which I can reinstall, but other I can't, because they were part of a network, and it is no longer allowing activation, even if you had it running. (Yes, Adobe sucks).

So, I have to start over. I have spent 48 hours going through the main hard drive taking every file I can take and will have to manually see what they are. I lost everything. Thank You Micro$soft.

(and you Apple users, I've seen the same thing happen for different reasons). :)
 
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John,

switch the HDD on "READ-ONLY" immediately when you plug it into a PC to avoid any data from being overwritten when you work on them. There might be some casualties but as long as no new data has been written the old files are still there. A quick format onlyerases the contents of the drive, not the files stored on them. They are only hidden from regular view.

If you remember I had the same issue with the HDD of a Panasonic DVR:
http://www.zealot.com/threads/trouble-with-panasonic-dvd-recorder.174751/

Another issue I had was a corrupt memory card.

In case of the memory card I retrieved EVERY SINGLE FILE using a smart program called Recuva. It is free for personal use. Unfortunately my Google only gives me German search results so you'll have to find it yourself.

If you can't access the drive properly (which is likely) I suggest that you make a copy of the drive first using a hex editor the way I described in the other thread. That gives you a bit-by-bit backup to mess and play around with. Then run Recuva and see what it finds. If you are not pleased with the results just try another program (there are quite a few out there) but don't pay anything before checking it out first. ;)

I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Regards

Marcell

P.S.: Other ways to recover lost files require Linux, so that may be worth checking out, too (haven't tried it yet, so I can't report on that). ;)
 
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Use the thumb drive version here so that you don't overwrite something...https://www.ccleaner.com/recuva/builds good luck...
Like I do I keep a drive image on an external... something happens... reformat and map the image to it..or a new HD... saved my ass many times! GOOD LUCK...FINGERS CROSSED!!
 
I built this computer years ago. It's not much, an AMD X965 Black Edition 4 core, with 8 Gigs of Ram and an AMD R290 with 2 Gig's of Video DDR5 ram on it. An M5A97 R2.0 MoBo
Great for CAD. I have done this procedure so many time, I have never had this problem. Googling I have found that this problem crept up on 2017. I cannot believe how many people this has happened too. The bummer is I know I can't get CS3 back, because it was given to me by a friend that works for a huge company. All the slots are used up, and they closed any new and re-activation. I wasn't good with it, but I could do some important things with it, that actually I could do with Rhino, come to think of it, a lot of what I did with CS3, I could do with Rhino. That shows you how little I understood the program.

I just posted this so anyone like me, stuck in their ways, might reconsider them. :Smartass: I should have removed the hard drives, but I routinely reinstalled the O.S., and that hard drive was dedicated to that, the others to storage. I can honestly say I have done this at least 8 times since I have built this computer, and this never happened. All I am interested in is my .3dm files, and I just recovered a sh*tload of them, everything that was on that hard drive. Now, I have to see what they are as the names are not right.

My problem, just thought I'd share it. I had Oral Surgery, and my jaw feels like Mike Tyson punched me in the jaw. The pain just doesn't go away.:noteeth:
 
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Looking into it, Thanks! :)
 
I use Acronis True Image software. It is a paid program but it allows you to make a mirror image of your C-drive (or whole computer). You can put this image across many DVDs or on another hard drive. I put my image on a "hot swap" drive which I (electrically) turn off each night. This drive is automatically updated monthly to include all new things on my computer. When booting up then your image can not be changed; so, if something happens you can turn on the hot swamp drive, boot from the Acronis Recovery disc and reinstall your C-drive in about 10-15 minutes (depending on how big it is). Still, I'm running XP which is becoming obsolete via Microsoft continually rewriting basic things to make you up grade continuously. I use 3rd party software for many things that can no longer be upgraded in XP. Music, video and other research files I burn off to DVD on a regular basis. Still, you always seem to lose something.

Have fun modeling, Swamp Daddy
 
Yes, I remember. I am going to buy a 4 Terabyte Hard drive, because to look through everything, I need to spread it out, then rename it. Since one of my 2 Terabytes is what I am trying to recover, and my main drive, also 2 Terabyte, seems to be getting full fast, it comes down to mo money mo money and, mo money. :Computer:
 
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Yep even though a 4TB Seagate external is around 70$ its still 70$ toss-up whether to eat or by another! I have to do the same... by a new main drive as it is FULL... I already re-assigned what I could to externals... everything that is installed gets a bunch of stuff copied to the vast uncharted roaming/AppData/blah blah blah...I HATE MICROSOFTS FILE STRUCTURE !!!
 
None of the programs run the software I use, or I would have jumped ship a long time ago. I actually used to do code, the first code I did was APL, in 11973. Back then your monitor was this loud as hell IBM ball printer. I went on to BASIC, some Fortran, ASCE, then it was all proprietary code, for the aerospace companies I worked for. :)
 
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COBAL for me in mid70's Military Grade Portable (?) steel cased OD Green with the obligatory stencil here and there, 2 51/4 floppies, 6x4 green screen, that already had the top menu burned into the screen. Did field reports and spreadsheet of the Batallion as NO ONE would touch the damn thing! Net say's the KaproII came out in 82 but I sware it is exactly like ( minus the rounded corners on the case ) that I used in the 70's. Short time programming a plotter base CAD system, all data entered as coordinates... REAL FUN...had my own refrigerated room for that!
upload_2018-12-12_9-9-42.jpeg
27080-004-3D09DDD7.jpg
Net say's these both came out in 82, so maybe we had a special relese and after we dumped them for something else they could be sent to the general public<?>

I then later started programming in REXX and ARexx for BBS I ran PW (Pre-Web) as well as of course BASIC..a bit of C, C+, C++ just to hack the software into something I wanted it to do... ahhh Fun Times...

1 COMPARE PART-NUMBER (A) TO PART-NUMBER (B);

IF GREATER GO TO OPERATION 13;

IF EQUAL GO TO OPERATION 4;

OTHERWISE GO TO OPERATION 2.
 
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My God, remember how heavy those things were, and the heat they generated. The way images burned in, I bet people left secret stuff burned into the screen. I took one of those apart at electronics school, and got it working, but it was to weak to run the most basic DOS programs of the day. All those programs to me, really showed how based of APL, the Texas Instruments TI-66 was a truly ground breaking calculator, in that you really could write programs.but you could see how much was being put together and possibilities arising. Great boat anchor. Even back in school you cooldn't give those things away. I will never forget that horrid green tint the CRT screen had. :)
 
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Hauling it around...was about 35lbs! At least ours had a detachable keyboard, hardwired to the case with a telephone cord, but at least you could move it around some.
 
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I started with the BBC Mirco at school, at least they looked vauguely like the PCs of today :) Home computer was the MSX! It came with a single floppy drive or, wait for it...

Cassette loader!!! :)
 
Just imagine, the AGC of the Apollo spaceships had a size of 36 kb ..! ;)
 
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