Missing files after re-install Windows

thank you all for speedy response!!!
very good suggestion, John but i agree with Wakeup. i already did one recovery and it gave me a huge file with tons of #Dir999 folders which contains nothing, lots of system files and application files but the actual user files found were the manual backup from my co-worker... i'm crossing my fingers that the huge file did not overwrite her important emails...

unfortunately, it's a carbon laptop and it's very difficult to take out the hard drive, i afraid i will break it... we are totally ran out of ideals on how to get back the file...
i'm thinking of giving it to Lenovo to try to recover by sectors but i think it will cost a fortune...
i would like to know if there's any other way that i could try...

=(

thank you John, that's what i'm thinking of too.
yes, Wakeup, i would like to try EaseUS but i have to take the hard drive out first, just in case i may overwrite the sector...
yes, Noxcho, according to the user, it's email files but she's not really good in computer and didn't organizing her files, she doesn't have a clue where the files locate and my coworker just assumed all files are all in default outlook archives folder...

i'm heading to the repair store now, will take the drive out and will try your recommendations...

thank you all again!!!

=)

Ask the user if she can get access to her emails via web browser. Or ask her what is her full email. If something like user@gmail.com then all of her emails should be yet online as well.

Hi noxcho, i asked, she's using our corporate email account but she doesn't know where the archives files locate, she created a lot of folders under archives and manually dragged the emails over to corresponding folders.
when i checked with her, she said all gone are gone (7 years of work), not even one folder left...
i looked into the "backup" that my coworker saved and the recovered files, found nothing

i bought the laptop to the repair store, and the repair guy said he doesn't have a machine to take out the ssd but will try to extract the data again and save the result in the external hard drive... but the chances to find them are low...

sadly, nothing much i can do, just waiting for his result...

I doubt the repair shop will succeed as well. Isn’t your corporate mail server database being backed up? If yes then all her backups should be in mail server backups.

yes, we do but only for the emails in her inbox, the emails that she manually moved out are all in her local archive files... in case she travels to other countries, she can quickly view all the emails when needed...

what laptop model is this?

sorry for the late reply...
Hi nobus, it's X1 carbon.

that's cool, thanks for the links, Wakeup. i will keep those links if i have to do replacement on other machine.

the user is very upset and nothing much i can help her on this short period of time.
i already sent the laptop to another coworker, who maybe able to help to calm her down when explaining the situation...

thank you all for the speedy and helpful suggestions!!

sorry, didn't really solve the problem because we are on a timeline. the laptop already sent out and off my hands.
thank you all for speedy response and helpful suggestions/links, i really appreciated!!

=)

Thanks for the update and you are very welcome

Yeah you are very welcome.  Sorry you were unable to satisfy the client.  Hopefully lessons will be learned by all.  Backups and redundancy is important!

totally agree!!!
unfortunately, they came to me when damaged already done, they learned in a hard way.
anyhow, this topic is in our next group meeting...

=)