Question Can I recover data from beneath an OS install?

[klear6]

I had a Kali/Win 7 Aero Blue Lite install.
Some fool installed XP over top of that whole thing.
Can I get any data back?

 

[DSzymborski]

You can try and use something like Recuva or EaseUS to see what scraps remain. But you don't want to actually be RUNNING this drive rather than using it as a secondary drive; every second Windows is running on it, areas with old data that still exists but was indexed are overwritten. I wouldn't get my hopes too high, though.

As for your C drive properties, since none of us can see this information and you haven't provided anything specific about the readouts or even information as to what the drives are, it's hard to say anything at all about this.

 

[USAFRet]

The entirety of your previous Win 7 install, in a usable state? That's not happening.

At best, you may recover some fragments of text files.

 

[klear6]

The entirety of your previous Win 7 install, in a usable state? That's not happening.

At best, you may recover some fragments of text files.

Actually ... the majority of what I need to recovery are txt files. How would you suggest going about it? All the media is on external hard drives. I am looking for some notes, personal writing, and if I am lucky enough some bookmarks and things of that nature. No pictures, music, video, etc.

 

[klear6]

You can try and use something like Recuva or EaseUS to see what scraps remain. But you don't want to actually be RUNNING this drive rather than using it as a secondary drive; every second Windows is running on it, areas with old data that still exists but was indexed are overwritten. I wouldn't get my hopes too high, though.

As for your C drive properties, since none of us can see this information and you haven't provided anything specific about the readouts or even information as to what the drives are, it's hard to say anything at all about this.

Now I am afraid to run it to get screenshots. I might have an empty SSD drive I can try installing an OS on for this purpose. Any suggestions as to which OS to use?

 

[klear6]

You can try and use something like Recuva or EaseUS to see what scraps remain. But you don't want to actually be RUNNING this drive rather than using it as a secondary drive; every second Windows is running on it, areas with old data that still exists but was indexed are overwritten. I wouldn't get my hopes too high, though.

As for your C drive properties, since none of us can see this information and you haven't provided anything specific about the readouts or even information as to what the drives are, it's hard to say anything at all about this.

And I do have a copy of easeus and I think minitool if that would help

 

[USAFRet]

Actually ... the majority of what I need to recovery are txt files. How would you suggest going about it? All the media is on external hard drives. I am looking for some notes, personal writing, and if I am lucky enough some bookmarks and things of that nature. No pictures, music, video, etc.

From some other, known good PC....connect these external drives.
See what happens.

Bookmarks from the original OS...not happening.

 

[DSzymborski]

Now I am afraid to run it to get screenshots. I might have an empty SSD drive I can try installing an OS on for this purpose. Any suggestions as to which OS to use?

Depends what the hardware is. Generally speaking, the most recent version of Windows it can run well (though I'd hold off on 11 for this purpose).