Member Avatar for crazyman6699

Please help! all my files are gone. i was using my laptop then closed it then i came back and nothing was there!!!!ive tried restoring my pc but that didnt work, i tried looking in the recycle bin... not there! and they arent hidden either! it can tbe a virus because norton said i was okay before i closed my laptop. please help!!!!!!!!!! i am running windows 7 pro.

Edited by crazyman6699
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Dani AI

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The replies already touched on quick checks; following the points raised by , , , , and , the next steps should prioritize preserving recoverable data and running non‑destructive diagnostics. The practical workflow below focuses on safe actions that maximize the chance of getting files back.

  • Stop using the laptop. Continued booting or saving files reduces recoverability.
  • Create a full sector image of the internal drive to an external disk before attempting fixes. Use a trusted imaging tool (for example Macrium Reflect, Clonezilla or ddrescue). If you cannot image, remove the drive and attach it to another machine as a secondary disk.
  • Inspect the image (or mount it read‑only) from a separate system or a live USB environment to look for alternate user folders, leftover system folders, or evidence of moved/renamed data. Do not run repair utilities that write to the original disk until imaging is complete.
  • Run recovery tools against the image, not the live disk. Use metadata-aware tools (Recuva) first, then file‑carving tools (PhotoRec/TestDisk) if needed. Also check for Volume Shadow Copies / “Previous Versions” before restoring anything.
  • If files look renamed or have unusual extensions, treat that as possible ransomware: preserve samples, do not pay, and consult specialist resources or pros.
  • If the drive shows SMART errors or mechanical noise, stop and consult a professional data‑recovery lab; software attempts can make physical failures worse.

If these steps are unfamiliar or the data is critical, stop and get professional help. Keep a log of what you try and work only on copies or images so the original drive remains unchanged.

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Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

Obviously all of your files aren't gone or your system wouldn't be running. How is your system partitioned? Where were the files that you can no longer find? Have you run the disk management console (diskmgmt.msc) to see what the disk info is? What version of Windows are you running? Have you tried a reboot?

Member Avatar for khakilang

You can go to the folder where your files is loacted. Go to folder option and click show hidden files. If that fail I think you may need to use file recovery software to recover those files.

Member Avatar for tet3828

A good bit of information to provide would be what software you used to perform the restore. Windows has a built in restore and so does HP, Lenovo and other third party companies.

To share a horror story, I did a restore on my friends HP that promised to leave her personal files in tact when indeed -- it didn't. Lets hope this wasn't the case for you.

Member Avatar for arundlk

u can download hieren's v. 16 and recover any kind of files

Member Avatar for faroukmuhammad

Is your antivirus up to date and registered? For we need to acertain if there is a malware (if so) remove it before taking any other action.

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