Member Avatar for sarahlorrain

I don't know if this is even possible, but I have lost all of my digital pictures that I had saved on my computer. I deleted my account because it was messing up; my MSN browser wasn't working, etc. I didn't realize that it was going to delete all my pictures. I had system restore off because I read that spyware could "hide" in the files saved for system restore. (Not sure how that works but you get what I'm saying.) Is there any way at all to get my pictures back? I had so many important pics of the kids...births, birthdays, holidays, etc etc. I feel so horrible, and my husbands going to have a fit. This will teach me to not put off getting them printed.:rolleyes:

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by gerbil

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A deleted Windows account does not automatically mean the pictures are gone. In many cases the image files still live in the user profile folder or can be undeleted as long as they have not been overwritten. What helped here was the two-pronged approach already suggested by and : check the old profile location first, and only use recovery tools when needed. ’s report that the program “found them all” and that she recognized files by their date is a useful confirmation of that workflow.

Immediate, practical steps:

  • Stop using the PC right away. Every write to the disk makes recovery harder.
  • If possible, boot from other media or remove the drive and attach it to a working machine as a secondary disk or via a USB adapter. This keeps the drive read-only for recovery.
  • Look for the profile folder: on Windows XP it is under C:\Documents and Settings\<username>; on Vista/7/8/10 it is under C:\Users\<username>. If the folder exists, copy the Pictures/My Documents content using an Administrator account or by taking ownership of the folder.

If the profile folder is gone or files were deleted:

  • Run a file-recovery scan from external media (do not install recovery software on the affected drive). Recover files to a different drive or external disk.
  • Recover in small batches if the tool stalls; search by image file types (jpg, png, etc.) or by date ranges to speed results.
  • Avoid running disk-altering utilities (like defrag or some chkdsk options) before attempting recovery — they can overwrite deleted data.

After recovery, verify the files and set up a backup plan (external drive, optical backups, or offsite/cloud copies). If self-recovery fails or the images are critical, consult a professional data-recovery service rather than continuing risky attempts. For and others finding a “missing” account, the same profile-folder checks and Admin-copy approach usually solve it.

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Member Avatar for blud

Well, System restore wouldn't have helped you, because that only restores registry settings, and not necessarily files. One thing that I use personally to recover files that I've deleted can be found here:
http://www.pcinspector.de/download.asp?language=1#file_recovery
(This product is in no way supported by myself, or anyone here), but it is rather easy to use. Just open it, select the deleted files and restore the files that you want. Please keep in mind this only works if the inodes that the files *were* on, are still in tact.

Member Avatar for sarahlorrain

I downloaded this...and I have no idea what any of it means. how frustrating!

Member Avatar for gerbil

sarah, here is a lil file, REST2514.exe, which may help. don't use your normal pc on the net until you recover your lost files.... this file has the advantage of being downloadable onto a floppy, can be unzipped to the same floppy, and run from the floppy - no installation is necessary. And put sys restore back ON. you only need to clear old entries if you get infected in a certain way.... and sys restore can make avilable old files occasionally.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/restoration.html
[it's called restoration in this page..]

Member Avatar for gerbil

but read this site first!!!

..it may help with instructions for normal recovery. you have not lost the pictures, it's just that the profile which displays them is inactive.

Member Avatar for sarahlorrain

Well, System restore wouldn't have helped you, because that only restores registry settings, and not necessarily files. One thing that I use personally to recover files that I've deleted can be found here:
http://www.pcinspector.de/download.asp?language=1#file_recovery
(This product is in no way supported by myself, or anyone here), but it is rather easy to use. Just open it, select the deleted files and restore the files that you want. Please keep in mind this only works if the inodes that the files *were* on, are still in tact.

Thank You Thank You Thank You!! I finally figured this out, and this program FOUND THEM ALL!!! Of course like a big idiot I selected all the folders and tried to save them all at once and the program froze, so I had to close it out and I'm going to back to start over. But it did manage to save the first two folders, and I recognized the file names (the dates the pics were taken) So I know they are there, I've SEEN them!!! I am soooo excited!

Member Avatar for blud

Glad it worked for you :)

Member Avatar for bambacha

Glad it worked for you :)

hei!!how are u all there??I 've got a simple question!!How can I find a lost windows account??I didn't delete it but when I opened my pc it wasn't there!!!can anyone help me??It is very important because i had many significant digital pictures there!!Is it possible to recover only the pictures??I don't mind for the account but only for the pictures!!plz help me!!

Member Avatar for gerbil

Look up a bit to my lockergnome post. Do you see the lost profile in Docs & Settings?

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