Forum Discussion
KevinRamirez
Dec 20, 2024Iron Contributor
Unresolved system crash and recovering files after Windows restore
I know that most of you will be shaking your heads at what a text-book rookie mistake this was, but I beg you, please be companionate and understanding. The situation is dire and ongoing and I'm not thinking clearly. I can get into more detail on the system crash, but my first priority is data recovery.
The short is that something serious has happened to my desktop PC that has severely impacted performance and had been getting increasingly worse over the last week or so. As of last night, it became unusable. In my frustration and panic, I performed a Windows restore with Macrium Reflect. In my haste, I forgot to manually backup some folders and files on C. Is there any chance at all that I might be able to recover those items?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone—many have been in a similar situation, and there’s still hope for recovering your files. Here's what you can try:
- Check for a "Windows.old" Folder:
If your restore process didn’t fully overwrite everything, there might be a Windows.old folder in the root of your C drive. This often contains files from your previous installation. - Look for Shadow Copies:
If System Restore was enabled before the crash, there might be previous versions of your files. Right-click the affected folder, go to Properties > Previous Versions, and check for older copies. - Consult Macrium Reflect Backups:
Depending on how your backup was configured, Macrium Reflect might have created incremental or differential backups, which could contain the files you need. Explore those if available.
- Check for a "Windows.old" Folder:
- BenjaminBlazeIron Contributor
Don’t worry, you’re not alone—many have been in a similar situation, and there’s still hope for recovering your files. Here's what you can try:
- Check for a "Windows.old" Folder:
If your restore process didn’t fully overwrite everything, there might be a Windows.old folder in the root of your C drive. This often contains files from your previous installation. - Look for Shadow Copies:
If System Restore was enabled before the crash, there might be previous versions of your files. Right-click the affected folder, go to Properties > Previous Versions, and check for older copies. - Consult Macrium Reflect Backups:
Depending on how your backup was configured, Macrium Reflect might have created incremental or differential backups, which could contain the files you need. Explore those if available.
- Check for a "Windows.old" Folder: