Member Avatar for RikTelner

There's a preview released of Windows 10, for developers. I downloaded it, managed it to work, shut down got an error, started right after and all my partitions were gone.

And again, Microsoft messed up my hardware
http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/617/851/56d.gif

But that's not the strangest. I also had Ubuntu .iso, I deleted every partition (all were "crashed") and installed Linux on my computer, I tried to install MS Win 10 again, but it wouldn't let me, so I thought, well, let's return to our old friend Windows 8.1, but nope, it can't be installed either. It prompts error that files are corrupt and until I provide complete files, setup can't continue. This is not a question, but this is a warning for everybody out there, don't test software on real machine, just try it on VM instead.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by RobertHDD

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Sympathetic note for and follow-ups from and — here is a short, practical recovery + reinstall checklist that stays useful years later. It focuses on actions that preserve recoverability, checks that commonly cause installer corruption, and safe next steps if the drive is damaged.

Stop using the affected drive immediately (no reinstalls, no DBAN yet). If the data matters, make a raw image of the disk to an external drive first — imaging preserves evidence and lets you work on a copy. From an Ubuntu live USB you can install GNU ddrescue and create an image:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install gddrescue testdisk smartmontools
sudo ddrescue -f -n /dev/sda /media/external/drive/disk-image.img /media/external/drive/disk-image.log

After imaging, try partition recovery with TestDisk (runs on the image or the raw device). Typical flow: run sudo testdisk, choose the disk/image, Analyse -> Quick Search -> Deeper Search, and Write if partitions are found. If files are the goal, use PhotoRec on the image to carve files. If recovery is beyond these tools or the drive shows physical failure, stop and consult a professional — further writes reduce chances.

If reinstalling Windows fails with "corrupt files" errors, rule out bad install media and memory/drive faults before blaming the OS: verify ISO checksums (sha256sum), recreate the USB installer with a reliable tool, try a different USB port/drive, check BIOS UEFI vs Legacy and Secure Boot settings, and confirm SATA mode (AHCI vs RAID). Run sudo smartctl -a /dev/sda and a memtest (bootable memtest86+) to check hardware.

Final note: is right — VMs and full disk backups are the safest place to test preview OS builds. If you decide to proceed, make a verified image first so a single experiment doesn't become permanent data loss.

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Member Avatar for RobertHDD

Did you try windows 7 bcauz windows 10 managed to almost wreck my PC

Edited by RobertHDD
Member Avatar for RikTelner

bcauz windows 10 managed to almost wreck my PC
Same story over here :D

Did you try windows 7
I haven't tried Windows 7, this time Microsoft pushed over limits. I can understand flaws here and there, but entire HDD erased is WAY too far. Instead I don't think I'll install Windows EVER until I hear overwhelmingly good feedback, but so far, they're on the bad way.

Edited by RikTelner
Member Avatar for RobertHDD

Only option is Linux

Member Avatar for RikTelner

Or Mac, but why pay extra money for new laptop, when you can use current one to put Linux into it? ;)

Member Avatar for RobertHDD

If you look up on youtube to see how you can install Mac OS on a Pc

Member Avatar for rubberman

This is a situation where "I told you so" is correct, but not particularly helpful... IE, NEVER install new OS versions directly on your system. This is what virtual machines are for! If they mess up (they will, inevitably), then you can just remove the VM and files, and start over if desired.

Member Avatar for RobertHDD

thats why im DBAN my HDD

Edited by Reverend Jim because: Added link to DBAN website
Member Avatar for RikTelner

This is a situation where "I told you so" is correct,

YES DAAAAAD!

Member Avatar for RobertHDD

Ive got an itchy head on 8.1 reason why bcauz i want to stay 1 step further of my dad

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