WINXP: Recovering Files after a FULL FORMAT and Re-Install?

[Rid1]

Hi
IVe just done a full format of a PC and installed WinXP, but forgot to backup the documents folder.
The documents folder was that of a password protected user, for which i have all details.
Ive tried the readily available recovery progs, sucha s RECUVA and EASEUS DATA RECOVERY and etc..
THeyre recovering alright, but the .doc files are Garbled when viewed in word...cannot be read anymore? Im assuming these files were encrypted as the user has a password on their account. Is there anyway to retrieve the docs in a proper format again, i have the user's password so password recovery is not necessary!!!

So basically im guessing i need a EFS data recovery prog? or am i wrong?

[rustypup]

domain user? if not, and the documents were encrypted, you're in for some fun...

it is just as likely that the recovery progs are simply collecting garbled data.... they may be grabbing data based on old cluster hints, which means you'll end up with good and bad data in the recovered files... mostly incomplete files at that...

[hamin_aus]

Im assuming these files were encrypted as the user has a password on their account.

Not true AFAIK... He could have been using EFS to encrypt his files, but I doubt it...

Most likely explanation for this is what rustypup said.

[SykomantiS]

Stupid question, but is it office 2k7 docs? docx can't be viewed in older office versions?
Probably not, What they said.

[Rid1]

lol its a home pc , not on a network or anything.... the user is my mom... and Office 2000 is in use.
Dunno if EFs is in place... just gave her a password at one time, just to keep the nephews out of her files and settings...
Got a whole load of recovery progs...gonna give them a go sometime over the weekend

[DAE_JA_VOO]

The problem is that you've actually reinstalled. Had it been ONLY a format, your data would be fully recoverable. Data is still there when you delete it or format, but the moment you do so, your HDD flags the location of that data as "free and empty", so the next time your HDD needs to write some data, it has the potential to write said data to that location. This is not to say that all those documents have been overwritten, but there's a good chance that some will have been. It's really hit and miss. You could recover everything, or you could get nothing. Good luck

[Rid1]

I know... thats why im trying different progs... Not a trainsmash tho... My mom isnt worried about it at all, whereas i am.... I only realised the docs werent backed up afterwards, when i was returning all her files back to the C: drive from the D: drive... I didnt backup the docs, cos i normally config our home pc's to use the D: drive for the My docs folder...then i just use the C: drive for windows... so i can format freely whenever the need arises... In this case, i dunno why her docs werent on the D: Drive...mustve forgotten to tweak it.