Can I get data from old HD partitions, after reinstalling XP

I used All programs-accessories-system tools- backup which also contains restore..
Looks like this is legacy tool from NT days and is known for problems

So far I can't tell what's different from the old install to the new install. You didn't answer my question directly but it appears you did install XP Backup.

Telling us why you had to reinstall the OS may yield a clue. Some find trojans on the machine and those do untold damage. Including backup files.

-> Let's skip forward to what backup is. It's copies of files in some form you can retrieve and these copies are not stored on the machine since the entire effort is how to recover from a disaster such as hard disk loss and so on. Many are calling some methods "backup" but fail the common definitions of what we defined backup as for many years.

Bob

Type XP TAKE OWNERSHIP into google.com. Take ownership of those .BKF files.

Bob

available and that you have installed NTBackup with which to restore it you should be getting some error message if the restore process isn't working. ARE YOU, and if so what are the messages?

Assuming the message isn't about ownership (which is easy to fix as Bob noted) it may indicate other problems.

Did you take the time to verify the backup when you made it?

Which type of backup did you make, Normal, Differential, Incremental, Copy, or Daily?

Something else to consider because it is potentially the culprit is that you originally noted "previously there was only one partition and now I made them into two.. " but Restore will want to return your data to the location it occupied during the original backup. For example, if you backed up data from D:\ and no longer have a drive D:\ when you want to restore, the process will fail.

You might also try the Advanced option on the restore. Start Backup and in the initial window opt for the Advanced rather than the Wizard. Now choose the Restore and Manage Media tab, select the backup you have then click the Tools menu and select the "Catalog a Backup File". Then after cataloging completes go ahead and again attempt to select the file you want restored (be sure you check the box) and restore it.

If that fails, you might consider:
http://pcperformancetools.com/repair-bkf-backup-files.htm

Since you appear to not be familiar with NTBackup you might want to review this link which can offer many pointers while you make some TEST backups to file, verifications, and restores of the test backups.
MCSE/MCSA Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003

I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM BUT I WROTE A COMMAND LINE ON THE PERMISSIONS ISSUE IN ORDER TO TAKE BACK CONTROL OF MY OTHER DRIVE PROBLEM SO THAT I MAY ACCESS MY FILES.

1. I made backup of only 'My Documents' & settings.
2. This was in Normal mode if my memory serves right.
3. The backup was directly made in the server-not in any local partition
4. Unfortunately I did not verify the backup when I made it..
5. I had only C: before ( one logical partition) and now I have both C and D logical drives..So, non existence of C Drive is not the problem
6. I have ownership of the backup file
7. I have NT backup and when I catlog, the error I receive is The selected backup file not found or is corrupted.
8. I have already tried with some of the Bkfrepair tools -including the one mentioned by Edward- and they did not show any directory structure or files after searching for some time..
9. I had tried with two different backups from our server-one made in May and another in March- both both had similar problems.

Use another machine to restore from. Your PC might have an issue we can't see yet.

Bob