Windows 7: How to regain personal certificates after System Repair?

Hello

Week ago just experienced something very strange: while casual surfin' - PC crashed - rebooted and opted 2 options: normal start, system repaire (recommened).
I don't know exactly what was written,but that's basically it.



The startup repair always failed to identify the problem. And normal boot hanged at logo screen.... Something like: Startup repair - Certificate recovery so I had to do something to get PC going again.

Then after reading forums,... tried repair with install DVD - I put it in: and it offered repair... everything went well. It's just that I lost profiles of 2 users I had

Now... Programs are all there up and working fine: profiles, and data in "My Docs" is lost - along with certicates... It said it won't touch personal settings... so I went on with repair from DVD

Now: can I get these data back: certificates from certificate store (imported via IE), would be great, even better if I would get Documents for each (previous) users - the pics, word,.... is it all lost: is it anywhere on the disk? Or lost forever...? I really would need at least certificates

I would be very glad for any help...

Also: WHY? Why thid this happen? It was not a virus or malware (99% sure).... I think it have something to do with sytem updates and system (Windows 7) not some setting or similar.

Zorzi

oh yeah: if it helps - since I don't remember every step - but it did show a list of "corrupted" files and offered a fix/replacement.

also, now there is no restore point before that "repair" date...

but I don't get it: it's supposed to be repair, not something in-between: it presevrved apps, but not user profiles, and data saved there - so it's basically useless: data is by far more important then apps....

Anyone? Please...

Are you sure the data was lost and not just the profiles themselves? Have you checked under C:\Users?

I'm sure.
Profile is empty and olny one - previous administrator; which I mostly used. Others are gone.

but... I'm not following you here: "are you sure the data was lost and not just the profiles themselves?"
Hmm... Data was a part of profile, under c:\Users\... - so if a user/profile:that is folder at filesystem level is not there anymore - so are not documents associated with the profile.
Correct me if I wrong... (I would be glad that I am wrong).

So: yes, c:\users is empty -welll: now only have 1 profile - the new one that win repair created.
To be honest I don't remember if I had to type the name of user... I know it was kinda strange repair: it discovered "corrupted" files - offered a fix, and then also I had to set language for keyboard, and a few (not all!) things - that are part of blank installation...

And here comes the question again: can I somehow get old profiles? (System restore points are not there anymore - so no going back in time ).
Or at least certificates (that is most important right now).

It strange to me: because "repair" did offer files that were somehow "corrupted" - but I ended up with more or less fresh install - graphic drivers gone,... that was not what repair "said"

Has it anything to do with win version? I have msdn (via job, and academic via masters program): so I installed (without thinking too much ) - enterprise edition.

I am not incredibly familiar with the Enterprise edition, but I would be very surprised if what you described was normal behavior in any edition.

Let's see if the files still exist but are hidden from you. Open an Elevated Command Prompt and type in the following commands:

cd %userprofile%
cd ..
dir /a

Are your user profiles listed?

@writhziden

thanks for the advice - I did not try that: I forgot: did not even think about it

But: something even wierder happened couple of days ago: It was a storm outside, I don't have UPS, so for a second or two electricity was out (lightning)... The computer rebooted itself: it showed two "instances" of Win... :
1. Windows 7
2. Windows 7 Enterprise

2nd one said like "repaired" or "recommended" in brackets - I boot-ed in first: it was to quick to change it to 2nd - and voila there was my "old" desktop.... profiles... So: all was there (probably the whole time, just hidden like writhziden said).

Now... I'm sure : the windows were installed and repaired from same CD - what happened and why... (?) - I hope it's not one of the tons of updates that just isn't compatible (somehow): since I have updates for win, sqlsrv, visual studio.

Yes, files were hidden from "other" instance/boot of windows obiously. It's kind a strange... I must get rid of this "second" one...

I believe you are looking for: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...list-boot.html

Also, have you ever had another installation of Windows 7 besides your current installation on your system? I wonder if it picked up an old install or something when it repaired...