Mac users HELP! Data recovery!!!

pete4130

Ok, so I was backing up last months images to DVD and to an external HDD before deleting them from my macbook HDD. No problems there. I accidentally deleted this months images I've shot so far with them AND emptied my trash before realizing! Does anybody know of any good data/undelete software thats free or reasonably priced? I've stopped using the mac so no new data can overwrite the old data....I need help please!!!!!!

Thanks!

Pete.

Fajitas!

I've had an experience in this.


You did the right thing in turning the laptop off. Don't use it. Mac's constantly rewrite and rewrite.

I had the fantastic help of Roen at the time, he's not about these parts much anymore, so I'll go on what I know he did. Connect the Mac up via firewire to another Mac with recovery software, start up and hold T to boot it up as an external disk on the other Mac, and then run a recovery app, you might need an exturnal to pop these on to.

If it's only photos you're recovering, even the Sandisk prog will work as long as you boot the macbook as an external drive.

pete4130

Thanks Al,

My sister ha a mac but I've no FW cable! A guy in work is a total mac head so I'm hoping he can help me out! I just feel more stupid than anything!

Thanks,

Pete.

Fajitas!

Happens to the best of us

Let me know how you get on. If you're really stuck, there's a place out past Blanc called Critical Data Recovery that are supposed to be quite good. They do computer forensics, so I reckon if anyone knows how to get photos back, they will

pete4130

Thanks Al,

I was thinking of maybe ringing arounda few places tomorrow. Mactivate in Blanch are supposed to be really good with Macs (I'd hope so!).

Fajitas!

I must drop my own out to them when I get a chance. Heard good things about them, apart from their timing... From what I've heard, whatever they say, double/triple it, time wise!

stephend2006

Pete,

If your stuck with this drop me a pm and I will have a look at this for you, foc.

- Stephen

pete4130

Thanks everyone for the help and advice. Borderfox is going to give me a hand today, so hopfully it all goes well!

It's taught me to back up to my extrnal HDD right away rather than the end of the month.

Fajitas!

Time Machine ftw... As long as you use it!

pete4130

Ok, Here's an update. I got some data recovery software from Borderfox and went about recovering my files. It was fniding old files that I had removed from my mac months ago so I was confident it would find the files I wanted. I thought that they were being recovered to my external HDD but when I woke up this morning I discovered that they were being recovered to my Macbook HDD which filled up 100%. My bigger problem is now that my macbook won't even boot up. STRESS!!!!

I don't have/can't find the original CD/DVD to boot from that to sort the problem out. I'm thinking of going down the route Fajita suggested about firewiring it to another mac to free up the space or reboot it.

Anybody have more of an insight into this? I seem to be digging a bigger and bigger hole for myself trying to recover these files!

Thanks.

Pete.

Fajitas!

D'oh!

If you've filled up your Macbook HDD where the files originally were I reckon you're in serious trouble... There was a much higher chance of getting them back before you tried that.

I really wanted to stress not to use your Mac to recover the data.

pete4130

Thats what I was afraid of Al, I do have about 670 RAW files that I managed to get onto my External but haven't been able to check them on my RAW viewer yet. They might be there. I'm going to connect mac to mac tonight and see what I can recover. If they are gone, they are gone. Hard lesson learned! finger crossed I might have rescued some of them. My main goal is to get my mac working again and worry about recovery (if possible) after that.

Fajitas!

Guys in CDR are very sound. See what you can get outta it tonight - They do a free assessment which might be an idea if you've no luck?

pete4130

Well I eneded up having to install the OS again on my mac so thats working fine again now, but I didn't manage to recover any of my files.

Thanks to everyone for their help, especially Borderfox and Fajitas. I appreciate it.

*****

Thanks again.

Pete.