im not sure which forum to put this topic in, but im sure the mods will move it if ive got it wrong

short story:
I have deleted the (legal) Windows Vista Home Premium partition from my hdd and now cannot access windows at all.
I had linux running dual boot, which has now turned into the only os on the computer.

There are 3 partitions on the hdd
-- one is a recovery partition (which runs normally, taking something like 9mins to complete, but appears to have no effect)
-- the second is the original windows boot partition which got accidentally deleted via GParted (in linux)
-- the third is a linux partition (32-bit mepis) which is what I am running right now


basically, i want one of three things to happen --
ideally, recover the windows partition AND the data on it at the same time;
OR, run a data recovery program through linux, a live boot (windows) cd, or perform a quick install/format and run recovery programs from there;
OR, as a last resort, wipe the drive/partition and start again.. but as i say, as a last resort.


Long Story:
I do not remember exactly when it happened, but for about the past two weeks I have been endlessly searching google and various other sites for programs, boot disks, Windows OS disks .. the list goes on, but I think the best one I found was UBCD 4 Windows [freeware/open source - I forget which] .. great boot cd with fantastic recovery features -- one of the programs on it 'found' the missing partiton(s), but I didn't see a way to either write it to the MBR, or recover the files on it (without first having the OS on it) ..

The best option I found was to install another OS (which I had already done), backup all the data that I need, then perform a clean re-install.

Main Problem:
My main problem is that I have no way to load any Windows OS at all -- Vista came pre-installed on all of my machines and I did not make any backup disks

and because the partition had been deleted, there is no way (that I know of) to recover files from a windows (NTFS) partition, from a Linux OS on a seperate partition

What I Need:
I need either a program(s) to help recover the data [or at least, the OS] on the partition from a bootable CD
A program which will allow me to make a backup of the data on the partition (even if it is just the binary code, I'm sure something could be done with it later?)
Or contact details for Microsoft (not a premium rate phone number please)

d-a-l.com is my last stop before I goto the retailers and ask about either them supplying me with a recovery disk, or them telling me where I would be able to get one.


I realise that this has become a VERY long post, and I appreciate that you even read this far, but I feel I must apologise for it even though I haven't even begun to start expaining anything in any real detail or specify what hardware I'm using lol ..
What actually happened is simple to show or explain, but the implications of what happened / the background info / research that I've done etc is much wider and not as easy to explain so if there is any more specific information that should be included, please do ask and I will provide =]

btw, Thank You
--Kwah

*runs off to google to continue looking for a way to recover a copy of pretty much all of my coursework and a library of 300+ ebooks and warez lol *

If the data is important then stop using the hard drive. Slave it in another computer and run data recovery software on it.

There is no way to recover the original Vista outside of the manufacturer's Recovery options.

Who is the manufacturer of the computer? Did you follow their Recovery procedures? If Vista is beyond their recovery parameters then they might sell you a disk to reinstall.

Originally Posted by jephree

If the data is important then stop using the hard drive. Slave it in another computer and run data recovery software on it.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that it is a laptop

Originally Posted by jephree

There is no way to recover the original Vista outside of the manufacturer's Recovery options.

Who is the manufacturer of the computer? Did you follow their Recovery procedures? If Vista is beyond their recovery parameters then they might sell you a disk to reinstall.

It is an Acer Aspire 5610Z -- I haven't really taken a look around their support pages because i know that most support from manufacturers and Micro$oft usually ends up costing a lot lol ..

btw, out of curiosity, does anybody have the UK Microsoft phone # ??

You can still slave the drive with a simple adapter as seen here:

http://articles.techrepublic.com.com...1-5160538.html

Also Acer support should be free if this is a new computer. Not to mention the basic web site and the owners manual.

http://global.acer.com/support/index.htm


UK Microsoft phone #

Phone us

You'll be charged the standard national rate.

From the United Kingdom, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, call 0870 60 10 100 and the Welcome Team will direct your call appropriately.

From the Republic of Ireland, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, call 1850 940 940. If you know the name of the person or department you want to speak to, press 5.

If you're a textphone user, call 0870 50 30 400 or use Typetalk.

http://www.microsoft.com/uk/contactu...e/default.mspx

noob question, but on the support request page, it asks for a serial number ...
is this talking about the OS serial number / product key / whatever, or the actual laptop?

Most likely the actual laptop.

What section are you looking under and what exactly are you looking for?

Acer's site is a bit more difficult then it needs to be but I've been through it a few times.

In the download section the exact model of your laptop is probably all you need to input.

nevermind ... it seems that when i ran the recovery partition stuff, it worked but didnt update the grub bootloader..

i had already sent the message to acer, but im going to follow through with them because i want the disks in case i ever do this again lol ..
well, after this fiasco, i dont think ill EVER make this mistake again lol :P


and for reference, i had ran the recovery console stuff in the recovery partition (multiple times) but there was no visible effect
then i recalled something i read about how to manually add windows to the GRUB bootloader

http://www.pro-networks.org/forum/about78184.html
and
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...d.php?t=375198
were the sites i used, but there are many many useful pages out there


the code i added:

Code:

title "Windows VISTA"
root (hd0,1)
chainloader +1

Originally Posted by jephree

Most likely the actual laptop.

What section are you looking under and what exactly are you looking for?

Acer's site is a bit more difficult then it needs to be but I've been through it a few times.

In the download section the exact model of your laptop is probably all you need to input.

sorry, i found the serial number on the packaging -- was a lucky find since it was printed in about size 6 font on a bit of corrugated card that was about to be thrown away lol

anyways .. im sorted now i think .. just need to run data recovery software and im as happy as i could be, considering the circumstances lol