NTFS disaster recovery

[-=SoKrA=-]

Hello,
I accidentally allowed the Win98 CD to start formatting my hard drive, and when I realised what it was doing and pressed the reset button, it was too late. It had already started, so now I can't boot into windows, and the XP recovery console tells me there are unrecoverable errors.
So, do any of you know of any very-low-level utility that could be used to save some of the data I don't have backed up?
BTW, I can go into GNU/Linux on that same computer, in case there are app for that OS.
TIA.

[XSquared]

Are you able to mount the NTFS partitions via Linux?

[-=SoKrA=-]

>>Are you able to mount the NTFS partitions via Linux?
Nope.
It gives an error, something like wrong filesystem or superblock or something to that effect. nftsfix says I should run chkdsk, but that doesn't fix anything.

[Waldo2k2]

well short of spending a couple hundred dollars on professional tools...you're screwed, sorry man. I've been through this myself, you just can't put a price on damage like this.

[ober]

That's why we stress BACKUPS.

[-=SoKrA=-]

>>That's why we stress BACKUPS
Yeah, I know, I was gonna do it because I was gonna roll back to Win2K, but this just came too early. There wasn't anything irreplaceable, and I have some of the files in random CDs, but I had a piece of work for french with a couple of pictures I only have in printing, so I guess I'll have to scan them and look through tons of CD-Rs.
The biggest problem is gonna be the CD images, I'm gonna have to do them all again, which is gonna be a pain.

[ober]

Sorry to hear that. Stuff like this always seems to happen when you don't have fresh backups

[-=SoKrA=-]

Well, they "seem" to happen because when you do have fresh backups you don't notice

[RoD]

http://cboard.cprogramming.com/showt...ight=Data+loss

[Salem]

Just one reason why, after installing an OS on a machine, I go into the BIOS and set the boot devices to "C: only"
Then surprise bootable CD's floppies, networks, whatever can't get in unexpectedly.

[-=SoKrA=-]

The thing is, I wanted it to format, but I thought it'd ask me what partition to format. When I realised it was formatting the whole drive, I pressed the reset button, but it was too late.

[Waldo2k2]

that's what you download knoppix or mandrake move and use that to format

[-=SoKrA=-]

S|-|!+, why didn't I think of using GNU/Linux for formatting?
Oh, well, at least I'll be more careful next time.

[hern]

If you had windows installed...Just reinstall windows into the same directory...You shouldn't lose your files...Just don't format the partition...You can install windows on the current partition..Also if certain things were erased there is a program I bought called "recovery tools" or "r-tools" do a google search for it..It is an inexpensive program and it can recover programs lost from deleted partitions. Very neat..Found files from a year ago. Anyways good luck. I hate reformatting.

[Jez]

I can vouch for R.

I used their backup utility recently to image my hard disk. (used their demo version 15 day trial). Went without a hitch.

(I've got a backup as well - just in case all my data mysteriously disappears once the 15 days are up! - not that I'm cynical or anything)