ben2267
asked on
file recovery
Hi,
I have a gateway computer with a 10gig hard drive with windows 98 on it. The other day my friend was typing a word document and the computer frooze so she powered it down to restart it and the computer came back up to a window with the logo that reads GO BACK BY WILDFILE, and a box with a message that reads
GO BACK ( 118 )
Your computer crashed or was shut down while go back was in the middle of recovery on disk 1. Unless there was a serious problem and recovery continues to fail, you should allow go back to continue the recovey process.
Do you wish to continue recovery?
YES NO
When I click yes nothing happens and if I click no nothing happens. I booted the computer with a windows 98 start up disk to check if all our files are still in drive c:\, and all I get is a message that states that Windows 98 has detected that
drive C: does not contain a valid fat or fat32 partition
1) the drive may need to be partitioned
2) you may be using a third-party disk-partitioning software
3) some viruses also cause your drive c: to not register
Is there a way to rebuild the partition or something? OR a software that we may be able to recover all of our word documents back? Alot of these files is work that has to be turned in to school by the month of may. I think it would be alot easier if we could recover these files as oposed to sitting down and sorting throu a bunch of referenced notes and typing all those pages again. ( Very time consuming ). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You in Advanced.
I have a gateway computer with a 10gig hard drive with windows 98 on it. The other day my friend was typing a word document and the computer frooze so she powered it down to restart it and the computer came back up to a window with the logo that reads GO BACK BY WILDFILE, and a box with a message that reads
GO BACK ( 118 )
Your computer crashed or was shut down while go back was in the middle of recovery on disk 1. Unless there was a serious problem and recovery continues to fail, you should allow go back to continue the recovey process.
Do you wish to continue recovery?
YES NO
When I click yes nothing happens and if I click no nothing happens. I booted the computer with a windows 98 start up disk to check if all our files are still in drive c:\, and all I get is a message that states that Windows 98 has detected that
drive C: does not contain a valid fat or fat32 partition
1) the drive may need to be partitioned
2) you may be using a third-party disk-partitioning software
3) some viruses also cause your drive c: to not register
Is there a way to rebuild the partition or something? OR a software that we may be able to recover all of our word documents back? Alot of these files is work that has to be turned in to school by the month of may. I think it would be alot easier if we could recover these files as oposed to sitting down and sorting throu a bunch of referenced notes and typing all those pages again. ( Very time consuming ). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You in Advanced.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
and since Go back is installed, you may need to reinstall it again - it is a real nuisance when things go wrong. . .
With GoBack installed you cannot access C:\...
See this solution on how to uninstall and reintall GoBack:
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/20856676/GoBack-WONT-uninstall.html#10160652
Good luck,
Zee
ASKER
HI irwinpks,
I booted the computer with windows 98 start up disk, ran fdisk /mbr and restarted the computer and now I get this message
Starting Windows 98
Type the name of the command interpreter ( e.g., c:\windows\command.com )
A> prompt. What do I do next.
I booted the computer with windows 98 start up disk, ran fdisk /mbr and restarted the computer and now I get this message
Starting Windows 98
Type the name of the command interpreter ( e.g., c:\windows\command.com )
A> prompt. What do I do next.
that is ALMOST a good sign.
Boot from the windows 98 floppy again... at A:\
type in
SYS C:
Boot from the windows 98 floppy again... at A:\
type in
SYS C:
I fear you are on your way to a full reinstall of Windows.
To recover the data/files you need, you MUST, and do it now before any further damage is done, slave the HDD in a working PC.
Access the disk and copy everything you need to a safe place (HDD, pendrive, CD).
Then fdisk, format and reinstall Windows.
Again, be aware that your troubleshooting as is being done may lead to the total loss of the files you want to recover.
Zee
ASKER
Hi,
I typed sys c: and I get invalid function
I typed sys c: and I get invalid function
are you using the Windows 98 startup/boot disk?
ASKER
yes
ASKER
downloaded from bootdisk.com
is it a Microsoft Windows 98 disk?
if so, do a directory listing
A:\
type "DIR"
do you have SYS.COM?
if so, do a directory listing
A:\
type "DIR"
do you have SYS.COM?
ASKER
I did a dir on A:\ and I do not have sys.com
ASKER
Hi irwinpks,
I downloaded windows 98se and booted with that disk and I still get invalid function
I downloaded windows 98se and booted with that disk and I still get invalid function
did you type
SYS C:
???
SYS C:
???
ASKER
when I click on ebd.cab that where sys.com is located
but you have to extract the file so that it is available for use.
ASKER
How do I do extract the file? Where do I extract it to?
http://www.allbootdisks.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=42&func=fileinfo&parent=folder&filecatid=1843
Did you run the Win98se.exe file?
It will prompt you to insert a floppy disk
Did you run the Win98se.exe file?
It will prompt you to insert a floppy disk
and the sys.com file will be extracted.
ASKER
yes I ran win98se.exe and provided a floopy and booted with it and I still get invalid function
and SYS.com is NOT in there? (just have to confirm)
ASKER
I did exactly what you sugested. I did a dir on A:\ prompt and I do not see sys.com
Ok.. I just ran the Win98Se.exe..
review the readme.txt file on how to extract the sys.com file.. you need that.
review the readme.txt file on how to extract the sys.com file.. you need that.
if you have winzip, select sys.com and extract it.
you can download it here : www.winzip.com/
you can download it here : www.winzip.com/
@nobus..the Win98se.exe file contains an extractor for the .cab file.
i know, but winzip is sooo much easier to use . .
true.. but the extractor file is specific for the .cab
ASKER
Hi,
sorry I took long to reply. O.k this what I have done, I typed EXT and this is what I get:
Please enter the path to the windows cab file (a:) : what do I type Here?
Please enter the name(s) of the file(s) you want to extract: what do I type here?
Please enter the path to extract to ("enter" for current directory) : what do I type here?
sorry I took long to reply. O.k this what I have done, I typed EXT and this is what I get:
Please enter the path to the windows cab file (a:) : what do I type Here?
Please enter the name(s) of the file(s) you want to extract: what do I type here?
Please enter the path to extract to ("enter" for current directory) : what do I type here?
"Please enter the path to the windows cab file (a:) : what do I type Here?"
a:
"Please enter the name(s) of the file(s) you want to extract: what do I type here?"
type the name of the .cab file
"Please enter the path to extract to ("enter" for current directory) : what do I type here?"
a:
a:
"Please enter the name(s) of the file(s) you want to extract: what do I type here?"
type the name of the .cab file
"Please enter the path to extract to ("enter" for current directory) : what do I type here?"
a:
ASKER
Hi irwinpks,
I typed A: as the path
ebd.cab as the file to extract
and A: as the path to extract to and I get this message ERROR: Cannot open file: a:\(null)
I typed A: as the path
ebd.cab as the file to extract
and A: as the path to extract to and I get this message ERROR: Cannot open file: a:\(null)
ASKER
correction I typed ebd.cab not .com
hmm...
tell you what...
download this version
http://www.allbootdisks.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=42&func=fileinfo&parent=folder&filecatid=38
lot simpler to work with as the sys.com file is exposed.
tell you what...
download this version
http://www.allbootdisks.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=42&func=fileinfo&parent=folder&filecatid=38
lot simpler to work with as the sys.com file is exposed.
ASKER
O.K downloaded that file booted the computer and know I am at the A:
promt. WHATS NEXT?
sys c:
ASKER
Typed sys c: and now I get this message Invalid drive specification
that's not good
what do you get when you type in (at the A:\ prompt)
dir c:
??
what do you get when you type in (at the A:\ prompt)
dir c:
??
ASKER
same message Invalid drive specification. I am going to try one of the recovery software that nobus sugested. Hopefully I would still get some of the data out. I'll keep you posted
ok.. will wait... the SYS C: transfer the OS to the hardrive.. Being that you got as far as the command interpreter.. that was promising.. but nada..
ASKER
Yea nothing worked actually the hard drive started doing a clicking sound. that is why I am going to try one of the recovery software ASAP so that I can try to salvage what ever data is left to recover.
if the first data recovery doesn't work.. i strongly suggest you stop right there and consider data recovery as you may further damage the unit...
http://www.gillware.com $379
http://www.gillware.com $379
for every recovery software, you must be able to access the disk - otherwise it cannot work, as you've seen.
but it seems to me you are still trying to boot from the drive - not good !
Did you try the knoppix cd? if you boot from that, you can still check if you can access the drive, without doing something to it; but it does not look good. you can even connect the disk to the other IDE cable, to be sure it is not a controller problem, but in most cases, the clickong sound is referred to as the "click of death" for disks
but it seems to me you are still trying to boot from the drive - not good !
Did you try the knoppix cd? if you boot from that, you can still check if you can access the drive, without doing something to it; but it does not look good. you can even connect the disk to the other IDE cable, to be sure it is not a controller problem, but in most cases, the clickong sound is referred to as the "click of death" for disks
You must slave the HDD in a working PC.
Again, I must repost that you will not be able to access the HDD partitions because GoBack creates a special partition to "protect" your system.
Without uninstalling GoBack, you're death.
I have posted this right up the comments, but it seems you missed it.
Zee
Again, I must repost that you will not be able to access the HDD partitions because GoBack creates a special partition to "protect" your system.
Without uninstalling GoBack, you're death.
I have posted this right up the comments, but it seems you missed it.
Zee
You can also try creating a bootable CD/DVD and follow the instructions here:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/goback.nsf/docid/2005111514174058
Zee
And this may also be useful:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/goback.nsf/docid/2001101713193807
But, again, slaving the HDD is, IMHO, the way to go.
Zee
ASKER
Hi Guys,
I reviewed some of the software that nobus sugested, in perticular GETDATABACK by Runtime. I have read the specs on it and decided to give it a try. This software did exactly what it stated on the specs. I downloaded the free trail and it worked like a charm. So I purchased it and I was able to retrieve all of my data except for two documents, but thats o.k I could live with that. Thanks guys for all your help and Thank you nobus.
I reviewed some of the software that nobus sugested, in perticular GETDATABACK by Runtime. I have read the specs on it and decided to give it a try. This software did exactly what it stated on the specs. I downloaded the free trail and it worked like a charm. So I purchased it and I was able to retrieve all of my data except for two documents, but thats o.k I could live with that. Thanks guys for all your help and Thank you nobus.
and run fdisk /mbr and reboot the system.