Urgent Urgent HELP!!!!!

[jbrown]

MacbookPro 2.4 - Leopard 10.5.7 150gig harddrive


I'm an idiot.

I moved my iphoto library to my second partition. I then forgot I had done this and deleted the partion - merging it back with the main startup partiton. There has been some subsequent writing to this ( now single ) - partition.

These photos are VERY important - so I need to retrieve whatever I can.

How can I do this??

I have the following programs

Data Rescue

Techtool Pro 4

Are there better ones available?

The partition I deleted was 60gig - I had about 7 gig of photos - on the now merged partition I've written about 4 gig of data.


PELASE HELP ME ASAP

cheers

 

[toolbox]

Was there a backup done prior to you moving the iphoto library into that second partition? Say with time capsule?

 

[jbrown]

Sadly not

 

[i.shaun]

I guess you can try something like Data Rescue II but I'm not sure if it will work.

Usually they recover deleted files because the files are still there, but all info acknowledging their existence is gone. They are in the "free space" on the drive, and are overwritten when the space is required which is why you should do as little writing to the drive as possible if you want to recover files.


This situation seems different as it was on another partition entirely and that partition was erased, then that space merged. I don't know how any file can survive that. .



Professional data recovery services may be able to somehow get at it though.

 

[jbrown]

Thanks for the replies - I assume ( hopefully correctly, that some of the files are still there, just that they have been relabelled as 'free space' -

 

[surflordca]

Thanks for the replies - I assume ( hopefully correctly, that some of the files are still there, just that they have been relabelled as 'free space' -

I would think any files would be there. Remember BACK-UP is your friend... To bad users learn that the hard way.

 

[jbrown]

I hope so Surflordca - I'm not having much joy with data rescue - it says I have 145gig to recover - but I can't see the files in an obvious place, like say a folder called 'iPhoto Library'

 

[MacDawg]

Are you attempting to recover to a separate disk?
You shouldn't use your computer for anything other than recovery at this point

Professional data recovery is probably your only hope right now
It isn't cheap, but it depends on how valuable the photos are to you

IIRC no data recover software is going to make is as simple as finding an iPhoto Library folder
They will come as individual files and they won't have the original names

Woof, Woof - Dawg

 

[jbrown]

I am thinkiung I may need to go professional.

What should I look out for ( never used their services before ) - I don't want them to spend a day not being able to recover anything and then charging me a fortune!!

 

[MacDawg]

I am thinkiung I may need to go professional.

What should I look out for ( never used their services before ) - I don't want them to spend a day not being able to recover anything and then charging me a fortune!!

They won't know what can be recovered until they try... and yes, they will charge for their time. Not likely they will be able to get everything, but they may be able to get something. Like anything else, you get what you pay for.

Woof, Woof - Dawg

 

[Guiyon]

I hope so Surflordca - I'm not having much joy with data rescue - it says I have 145gig to recover - but I can't see the files in an obvious place, like say a folder called 'iPhoto Library'

You won't, all that information is gone. With any of the data recover tools all you'll get is a set of file of various types. Some will be gibberish (most of them, probably) and your valid files will be interspersed with those. As for professional data recovery, I've heard a lot of good things about DriveSavers and they have a 1-800 number you can call and talk to them beforehand. Also, if you are currently booting off that drive, STOP; each second you use the drive you are destroying any chance of recovering any useful data.

 

[jaikob]

Once you delete a partition, and expanded the system partition to the maximum size of the disk, You might as well say RiP to your files, because they were overwritten. If you deleted the partition, but did not expand the master partition, then there will be some hope for you. A pro will be able to recover files, but they will not have names or extensions, and no file info I believe, but the picture itself will be retained.

 

[Guiyon]

Once you delete a partition, and expanded the system partition to the maximum size of the disk, You might as well say RiP to your files, because they were overwritten.

This is usually not the case unless he did a "Erase Free Space" or "Zero All Data" option. When doing modifications like this most implementations take the path of least resistance and usually just deletes the necessary information from the partition table and re-adjusts sizes where needed. The file data is still there, it's just hanging around in the free space until it's overwritten by something else. If the drive is in use, however, then yes, the data is most likely being destroyed as we speak.