Missing files?

[Anime2019master]

I had a Hard drive about to fail, so I removed it an manually connected it to a second pc, copied all my files to it and cleaned and formatted a new drive I had laying around. I put the new drive in my original pc, installed Windows, and aside from being a bit buggy for not installing the drivers yet, no issues at this point. I removed the drive again, and reconnected it to my old laptop, and copied all my personal files back to the drive now that it has Windows on it. I put all my files in individual folder so I would know where to sort them once I put the drive back in the main pc. I put them in users/public/downloads and from there created folders named desktop, documents, pictures, videos, and downloads, and sorted my personal files accordingly. That done, I reinstalled my new drive back in the main pc, booted Windows, and here's where my issue began. I navigated to where my files should be, but nothing. The folders I created in public/download are there, but they are all empty. Over 200gigs of stuff vanished in a puff of smoke. More confusingly, the c drive in this oc is shoulding the space is used. I ran a file recovery program, and i was able to detect the files, but the dang program only allows 1 gig to be restored. More than that would be 70 bucks a month. Thats straight robbery. Whats confusing is if they are deleted, why is the space still used? I already have show hidden folders on, so they aren't just hidden. Please help, this represents like 10+ years of my life. Much of the files are irreplaceable.

 

[Bree]

Permissions. You probably need to take ownership of those folders then grant your account permission before you can see them.

Take Ownership of a File, Folder, Drive, or Registry Key in Windows 8

Permissions - Allow or Deny Access to Users and Groups in Windows 8

 

[Anime2019master]

I did consider this, and have already gave myself ownership of the entire public folder. this didn't solve my issue sadly.

 

[Anime2019master]

heres a pic if this helps

 

[Bree]

You say you created these sub-folders in Public while the drive was attached to another machine. You may need to check the ownership and permissions of each one, the original owner will be an 'unknown account' on this machine. When setting permissions on each of these sub-folders, tick the box to 'Replace child object permission entries...'.

 

[Anime2019master]

I did try plugging the drive back to the old pc I copied them from, they weren't there on that on either.

 

[Bree]

In that case they may well have truly got deleted somehow.

I ran a file recovery program, and i was able to detect the files, but the dang program only allows 1 gig to be restored. More than that would be 70 bucks a month.

Try this one, free and Open Source.

Kickass Undelete - a free, open source file recovery tool for Windows

 

[RolandJS]

$70, is that all? You gain a program that you can use "forever" -- and you just get everything back in usable form.

 

[pbcopter]

I am truly sorry if you are unable to retrieve your files. I must ask, though, how can you store 10+ years of your life and irreplaceable files in only one place? Hardware fails, that is undeniable and mistakes can be made. If you get your files back, set up a backup scheme that will make any future failure or misstep just an annoyance not a catastrophe. JMO.

 

[ChristianMorris]

If disk space is occupied but the files don’t show up, it might be due to access rights or hidden data. Start by checking permissions: go to the folder properties, add yourself as the owner, and update the permissions for all nested files. Sometimes this helps restore access.

For data recovery, you can try several programs

Recuva: A simple and user-friendly tool for recovering deleted data. It scans the drive and searches for deleted files that haven’t been overwritten yet. It’s great for beginners and works best in straightforward cases.
DiskGenius: A more advanced tool. Besides recovering files, it can handle damaged partitions, fix file system errors, and even restore partition tables. This is especially useful if the issue involves corrupted partitions.
Photorec: This tool has a text-based interface but is highly effective. It bypasses the file system entirely and searches for files based on their signatures, making it capable of recovering data even from damaged or inaccessible drives. It’s perfect for deep scanning.

Run these programs from another device or a bootable USB to avoid accidentally damaging the data. If they find files, recover them to another drive—this reduces the risk of overwriting.

If these tools don’t work, you might want to seek professional help. Companies like Salvagedata specialize in recovering data from all types of drives, even damaged ones. They use lab conditions and specialized software to retrieve data in complex cases.

Working with drives requires care—any unnecessary actions can damage the remaining data. Try the steps I’ve outlined, and hopefully, you’ll be able to recover your files.