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Question

Previous Version of my hardrive is gone

Feb 21, 2013 7:09AM PST

i had a previous version of my hard drive i was trying to recover a file from it that file i cannot get into. beacues i dont have permission.

thats another story that i have to deal with but the thing is i told my brother to copy the back up version before trying to do anything to it

no idea if its a stupid of me or not but for some reason the
previous version of the hard drive is now gone.....

i have not even the faintest idea of what to do now.... how do i get it back?
is it possibe to get it back?
the copy of the backup store that my brother made is there ,complete with one thing missing....
the file that i want... i assume thats beacuse i had no permission either way any way to fix this? please guys im begging you i need that file ! please guys T_T.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
What version of Windows?
Feb 21, 2013 7:11AM PST

But wait, I'm guessing it's Windows.

As to the permission, that's a very old well discussed issue. Google this and alter it to change which OS.

-> Windows XP Take Ownership.

Bob

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windows 7
Feb 21, 2013 7:54AM PST

yeah its windows and its a windows 7

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(NT) So why not change the search term and take ownership?
Feb 21, 2013 8:30AM PST
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hmm
Feb 21, 2013 10:54AM PST

im sorry but maybe your misunderstood what i meant with my question

what i need is not how to gain access to the file i dont have permission but im working on that its not the problem

The problem is that the file i want to try to gain access to is gone!

i have a hard disk that hard disk have a previous version or a backup save if you like that copy is gone ! and i need it back! Sad i wish you understand what i mean :S

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Just a guess
Feb 21, 2013 11:46AM PST

I'm thinking that when you told your brother to copy the old file before doing anything to it, he might have MOVED it instead. That can accidentally be done if he was holding down the [shift] key when dragging it over to the new location.

If it was moved or even deleted you can use undelete tools (there are many) to restore the file.

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still need help.
Feb 21, 2013 12:14PM PST

well the file is actualy in side a hard drive and the whole copy of the hard drive is gone.

im fully aware how to recover a deleted file but a deleted hard drive? (a deleted copy of a hard drive)

i dont think i know how to do that beacues up untill now when i try to use any kind of recovery program it scanns for deleted files on a hard drive did not yet see a program (or a way) to scan for deleted versions of the hard drive .

if you can help me with that i would be really greatful ChuckT .

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So the drive is no more.
Feb 21, 2013 1:20PM PST

Sounds like some magic is required. Sorry, fresh out.
Bob

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hard drive gone
Feb 21, 2013 6:39PM PST

When you backed up a hard drive it becomes a file representing the contents of that hard drive. It isn't a hard drive that was deleted, it is a file, a huge glob.

If your undeleting tools do not see a file that was there, but now isn't, I can't help you.

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Re: drive
Feb 21, 2013 6:45PM PST

What exactly do you mean with "copy of a hard drive"? And how did you make that copy? And why did you delete it?

Kees

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.,
Feb 22, 2013 1:35AM PST

that copy ....

when you right click on a hard drive >click Properties> then i find many tags
on of them called *previous versions* im not sure what it suppose to be called in english since im just translating it from another language but in that tag you find your hard disk on its previous state

example : D on 2012/5/8

with the date thats the hard disk exactly like it was in that date

that(copy) is gone.

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Re: previous version
Feb 22, 2013 2:23AM PST

I don't have that in Windows XP and I don't have that in Windows 7. So I think it isn't a standard Windows feature. So it must be something you installed yourself. Better contact the maker of that software to see if he can help you.

Kees

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didnt deleted it
Feb 22, 2013 1:57AM PST

i didnt delete it it disappeared on its own.

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Answer
Now that a lot more has been told.
Feb 22, 2013 2:43AM PST

The backup copy of your files are not done automatically in any version of Windows. It appears you were hoping there was a copy here or there but as the discussion progressed it appears you were guessing that Windows does this in that previous version area.

No. That's not how such works. We could discuss "Previous Versions" and how it works but it does not apply to this system so I won't go further down that dead end.

-> Yes. We only lose what we don't backup.

Again, if you don't keep copies of what you want then it's likely, one day you'll lose something. If this is a file, and it was for school or such, then you should have a hard copy of the document or photo that you can use to recreate it.
Bob

PS. Just a story. A long time ago a soon to be PHD had their thesis on a floppy disc. Because they were a little paranoid they had never printed a copy or put another copy on another floppy. One day the disc could not be read. Luckily I had an app that would vacuum up all the ascii letters on a diskette and put that into a text file. He told me it took a month but he was able to get 90% of his work back with that. But all formatting and such was lost. For a PHD, well, they learned the lesson the hard way.

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no ;[
Feb 22, 2013 2:55AM PST

no man ^^

i actualy have the backup! i checked it and i even opened it before ;]

it exists! i saw it myself didnt assume didnt think that it was there. IT WAS there Sad

sorry if im having a hard time explaining the question Sad
sorry.

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It did exist. It does not now.
Feb 22, 2013 3:05AM PST

After all this it appears you are still in the learning/grieving phase.

If you didn't save a copy elsewhere where you could copy it back, then you were not ready for when this copy went away.

Sorry to read about your loss. Take the lesson and don't let it happen again.
Bob

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Just what are those previous version
Feb 22, 2013 3:33AM PST

I looked at the Help of Windows, and I think you may be confused as to what those other versions are.

Here are the details I found:
What are previous versions?
Previous versions are either copies of files and folders created by Windows Backup or copies of files and folders that Windows automatically saves as part of a restore point. You can use previous versions to restore files and folders that you accidentally modified or deleted, or that were damaged. Depending on the type of file or folder, you can open, save to a different location, or restore a previous version.


Show contentHide content How are previous versions created?
Previous versions are automatically saved as part of a restore point. If system protection is turned on, Windows automatically creates previous versions of files and folders that have been modified since the last restore point was made. Typically, restore points are made once a day. If your disk is partitioned or if you have more than one hard disk on your computer, you need to turn on system protection for the other partitions or disks. Previous versions are also created by Windows Backup when you back up your files.

So, not all your files are going to be in those other stored versions, only the files needed to restore the operation of a prior condition of your computer. Those are the restore points.
====
I guess there is a possibility of your personal files also being there if you use the Windows Backup program. But I wouldn't use it, since (at least in the past) all the files being backed up were stored off in one big glob of a file, and you could not easily retrieve just one file from the inside of it. Another disadvantage of it was that as you upgraded your Windows OS, the backup file from any other version of Windows was not compatible. It only worked with the version of Windows that created it. A real bummer.

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Thanks ChuckT.
Feb 22, 2013 3:45AM PST

Thanks for posting this. I didn't because I could not see how this would bring the file back.
Bob

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Re: previous versions
Feb 22, 2013 3:56AM PST

Maybe he means shadow copies, as discussed in http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2342534,00.asp

That's one of the lesser used features of Vista and Windows 7 I'm afraid. I've never seen anybody using it. The OP is the first ever, for all I know.
And I'm afraid that gone (for whatever reason) really means gone. In that case, I have to agree with Bob, when he said "Sorry to read about your loss. Take the lesson and don't let it happen again."

Kees

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long story short
Feb 22, 2013 4:02AM PST

long story short...
im screwed ?

thank for trying at least Sad.

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Here's something to try
Feb 22, 2013 4:09AM PST

Since you've lost the backup image, you could try right-clicking the folder that had the file(s) you want to get back. Then click Properties and click the Previous versions tab. Windows 7 keeps these in sync with the System Restore images. Since the oldest of these rolls off when new ones are created, you might be able to recover your stuff if it hasn't been too long. It's worth a try.

Good luck.

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I'm surprised nobody suggested at least..
Feb 22, 2013 2:15PM PST

...posting a few screen shots/screen grabs of precisely it is you are seeing on your end. Might be worth it even though we think you are more than likely SOL and backups are unavailable.