Member Avatar for putameister

Hello all-

I was trying to hook up an external ZIP drive(SCSI) to my old W98 machine. I didn't have the software disk for that drive, but that drive had been hooked up to that system before and worked fine.

I couldn't figure out why it didn't work, so I decided to go into the controll panel and RESTORE to a time when it DID work. There was only one date in the restore options window, and I chose it.

Now when I try to boot- it will go through the WINDOWS screen, then it comes to a "blank" PACKARD BELL screen (like a default desktop) only there is no menu bar or start button, no icons, etc. - just the blank screen.

I don't remember a warning that said I would lose everything on the computer- and I hope I didn't- HOW DO I FIND OUT?:?:

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by ckarnuth

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A short checklist and safe next steps so you can tell whether personal files are gone or just the Windows shell/registry is damaged.

As described, a “restore” operation often replaces system files or registry settings while leaving user folders intact — but don’t assume either way yet. The quickest, lowest-risk check is to inspect the drive from another machine (either install it temporarily as a secondary drive or use a SATA/USB adapter or external enclosure). If you can browse the disk and see your Documents/Desktop folders, your personal files are still there. (pcworld.com)

Important safety rules before trying anything else: stop using the PC (do not reinstall or run utilities that write to the drive), because continued writes can overwrite recoverable data. If the files are important, make a sector image of the disk first and do recovery work against the image; imaging tools that retry bad sectors (e.g., ddrescue-style workflows) are the recommended approach. Mount the original drive read-only when possible. (vps.do)

If you want an in-place attempt before removing the drive: boot to the startup menu/command prompt (press the startup key to get the text-mode menu), choose the MS-DOS/Command Prompt option, then run the Windows Registry Checker to restore a recent backup by entering scanreg /restore. That often fixes a blank desktop caused by a corrupted registry or missing shell. The tool must be run from outside Windows and you will be given a list of backup dates to choose from. (support.microsoft.com)

If the disk shows physical errors or won’t mount, ’s SpinRite suggestion is one option for low-level sector work, but it’s not guaranteed and can be slow; if the files are critical and the drive shows mechanical failure, consider a professional recovery service. If you’re not comfortable handling the hardware, have a tech perform the drive removal or image operation to avoid accidental data loss. (pcworld.com)

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Member Avatar for nizzy1115

Put that hard drive in another computer as a slave hard drive. Check out the folders of your computer for your files. Hopefully they will still be there

Member Avatar for putameister

OK I'll try that - THANKS!!

Member Avatar for ckarnuth

If you did loose everything, i recommend the program SpinRite 6 to try to recover it. It has worked wonders for me, with some of my customers.

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