Solved Any way to recover data from before an image backup?

[Neil2305]

My Windows 7 computer crashed today... and would not load Windows at all... the only option I could get into was the F8 help screen.... and having tried everything... and with a stressful day... what seemed to be a good idea at the time.... I installed Windows 7 from an earlier 'Windows 7 image'...

I have now 'lost' many personally valuable photographs that I didn't have backed up... is there any way to recover data that was saved before installing the 'image restore' and after the 'Windows 7 image' creation date?

 

[Ranger4]

Did you install the image to the same hard drive that had your old Win 7 on it & what program did you use for the image install.
I would say if you reinstalled to the same HDD then the chances of any recovery are probably nil.

 

[Ztruker]

Try Recuva, it may find some of them.

 

[Neil2305]

The restore image was on an external hard drive... and thanks I will have a look at Recuva

 

[AddRAM]

In the future, if this type of problem occurs, use Linux off a flash drive, you can go in and explore, copy and paste, etc, any data on any hard drive in your system.

Download - Linux Mint

Universal USB Installer ? Easy as 1 2 3 | USB Pen Drive Linux

Rufus - Create bootable USB drives the easy way

And from now on, make sure you backup your data

 

[Neil2305]

Thanks ADDRam... but any help for the current problem?

 

[AddRAM]

Did you try Recuva yet ?

https://www.google.com/webhp?source...&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=recover data after format

 

[SIW2]

http://www.sevenforums.com/software/319952-data-recovery-puran-works-great.html

 

[Neil2305]

I will try the above and let you know how I get on.... Many thanks

 

[Neil2305]

Update... I am working my way through recovery programmes.... I can view a large number of files and just looking at which softwrae gets the most....

HOWEVER:

Having engaged my brain... I remembered I have been taking backups using the Windows Backup utility.

However, when I go to restore backups (from my C drive Cpanel etc.... I guess Windows data says this is January 2013 and no updates have been made.... apart from the one in January 2013.

which is frustrating, as on my external Hard drive I have "Neil's PC"
Double click on this and I get 3 options.... including "Manage Space used by this backup"
I can then view backups and the dates...
The dates run up to 6th June 2014 but there is no option to restore from here.

so... is it possible to restore from the backups on the External hard drive? or where to view the files?

 

[Brink]

Hello Neil,

If you are referring to files in a Windows Backup, then you may be able to use the method in the tutorial below to manually extract them from the backup.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/174270-backup-manually-extract-files-vista-windows-7-a.html

Hope this helps.

 

[Neil2305]

Thanks Brink.. the title makes this look very promising! Many thanks

 

[Neil2305]

And this has worked Backup - Manually Extract Files from in Vista & Windows 7

Thanks to all have contributed... need to work on how to store backups etc....

 

[Brink]

Great news.

Depending on what you need to back up, I've always just made a direct manual copy and paste to a backup drive. This way there's no problem restoring the files as needed.

 

[Neil2305]

Yes I think that will be the way to go.... I will let the backups run... but also make manual backups...