Lost all my files and folders can it be retrieved?

Question

Had a real bad problem with my pc this morning. It downloaded an update as it has done before. Asked for a restart which I did then an error page came up blue background said if I continued there would be damage to my pc. I turned off again and started in all sorts of ways but still nothing. I eventually started in safe mode and did system restore point to yesterday. Had another restart and now the pc has lost all my data, documents, pictures everything even printer drivers and broadband connection. Can all the data be retrieved please someone put my mind at rest. The pc is a compaq.

Answer 1

was this a simple blue screen of death? most of the time there nothing anyway. There may be a way to recover the data. You will need to get software which can retrieve it from the harddrive as no data is truely lost.  

Answer 2

http://www.download.com/Pandora-Recovery...

This is good

Answer 3

Maybe yoy had a virus attack.

I had the same problem with a virus and when i restarted the compu i did´nt work again.

You can restore everything with the program easy recovery.

Yo need another hard disk internal or usb external.

First use easy recovery and save the files to the second disk.

Then format the first disk with xp or vista and when all works well reinstal your documents to the disk and install the programs you use again.

Thats all.

Answer 4

What we really need is the information that was on the blue screen. Daniel D’s suggestion they mean nothing is quite wrong. The error message at the top and the STOP: code at the bottom can be very helpful in diagnosing a problem. Admittedly, the windows suggestions between them are often just a work-around as opposed to a fix.

First, I suggest you try undoing the restore point, as it seems this is what has initiated losing your stuff. (While we’re here, are they really gone or just the shortcuts? If just the short cuts, do nothing and let us know. There are ways of fixing this.)

If they are really gone then undo the restore point and let us know what happens. Even if everything is back to normal (unlikely, but possible) let us know so we don’t worry about you! No, really, it may help somebody else.

Ok, Mollygirl. I'm sure the shop will be able to help, however I could have directed you to some free software you could have used at home first. Still, I suppose the main thing is you get your pics etc. back.

Whether the shop puts them back where they were is really up to them. If they do retrieve your lost files, you can always move them yourself.

Burn the important stuff to cd/dvd in future. At least you won't lose anything.