Please Help! All my files have disappeared!

[Peace]

Originally Posted by JazzyK

mac-recovery-free 21-54-32-686.zip
mac-recovery-free.zip
Don't know what these are don't remember ever using these but the dates Jan 2011 13.08mb each

Where are those files located ?

Also please list the exact model of Macbook Pro you have and the year made.

Also were those recovery files in your trash ? They are recovery software. Have you been using them ?

[monokakata]

Do you have access to another Mac, preferably one with Firewire?

If so, then download Data Rescue III in trial mode on the OTHER Mac, or direct the download to a USB stick on yours.

Then connect the two Macs, start up yours in Target Disk mode, and run DR3 on the other Mac.

DR3 will show you what it can find and recover, in trial (free) mode. Let it. If it looks to be able to recover a lot of your files, then pay $ for the key and let it do its thing.

Have it recover your files to the other Mac. Then you can send them back to your Mac later on.

It's very important that you avoid doing anything on your Mac that will create new files right now, because these new files may overwrite your lost files.

Worry about what caused it later.

[JazzyK]

Originally Posted by Peace

How big is your hard drive and how much of it had stuff on it ?

It's 4GB I'm 99% sure that the amount used is the same so it gives me some hope the files are around somewhere hiding from me - but I'm an optimist

----------

Originally Posted by Peace

Where are those files located ?

Also please list the exact model of Macbook Pro you have and the year made.

Also were those recovery files in your trash ? They are recovery software. Have you been using them ?

Mac OS X Macbook Pro7.1 Think it was about 2010
The files were in the trash no i've not been running them but I am running minitool mac data recovery at the moment to see if that works maybe that had dumped it in the trash? It hadn't been used since Jan 2011.

running version 10.6.8

[Peace]

Originally Posted by JazzyK

It's 4GB I'm 99% sure that the amount used is the same so it gives me some hope the files are around somewhere hiding from me - but I'm an optimist

----------



Mac OS X Macbook Pro7.1 Think it was about 2010
The files were in the trash no i've not been running them but I am running minitool mac data recovery at the moment to see if that works maybe that had dumped it in the trash? It hadn't been used since Jan 2011.

running version 10.6.8

Those files you have in the trash were recovery utilities.

When did you download them and did you use them ?
They didn't appear there by themselves.

[JazzyK]

Originally Posted by Peace

Those files you have in the trash were recovery utilities.

When did you download them and did you use them ?
They didn't appear there by themselves.

they must have been used when it was a school laptop as I've never used them and i didnt have it in Jan 2011

[JazzyK]

I've run a data recovery program and it has found all the files that are missing - they are now in RAW format - the data recovery wants $90 to rescue them and unfortunately I haven't got that sort of cash. Is there any way of retrieving them myself?

[monokakata]

Originally Posted by JazzyK

I've run a data recovery program and it has found all the files that are missing - they are now in RAW format - the data recovery wants $90 to rescue them and unfortunately I haven't got that sort of cash. Is there any way of retrieving them myself?

You said that you're friends with the school IT folks. Maybe they can help you. Most IT departments have various kinds of maintenance software floating around. If they have a paid-up copy of DR3 (assuming that's the one that worked for you) then they can run it. Once it's paid for, there aren't any restrictions on who the licensee can help with it.

It's been a long time since I was a cash-strapped student, but I do remember what it was like. Even so -- those are your files, they're important to you, and getting them back is why you came to MacRumors.

Now that you're set (it seems) for the recovery, doesn't it seem foolish not to do everything in your power to complete the recovery? At least ask the IT people.