My current situation is that the recovery software found all the files and they are intact but I don't have a drive or enough dvds to copy or recover the data to. This program I have says that it can recognize files even after format. The drive is still showing as local disk d. I was thinking if there was a way to un-initialize it because before it wasn't shown as initialized I'm not sure exactly.

What I would like to do is to recover the hard drive and get it back the way it was before all this happened maybe with a system restore point but that may require format because XP sees it as unformatted I can'd do anything with it.

That is my dilemma I'm looking at buying another 200gb for 75.00 but I really don't want to pay that if I can restore the drive and I know once I format I can't go back.

I'm not sure what to do is there any way I could put the last working system restore point on the d drive without formatting and then replace all the files?

Did you see the image I linked to that's all my files.

Yes I saw the files. Good work getting them back! What program did you use?

Perhaps if I could see the options that might help me understand them.

System Restore will only work if you can boot the 200.

You could also try a few options from the Recovery Console but you would need to be booting to and or have the 200 installed as a Master drive.

You can get to the Recovery Console by booting the XP CD and pressing the first R for the Recovery Console:

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;314058

well I used severtal different programs some were free but then I remembered I had a data recovery cd that was kinda old getdataback or something so I tried that after I updated it it found the files.

I can not boot the 200 because it's recognized as unformatted.

what options should I use from the recovery console?

I'll try it and see how it goes.

It shows no recovery console because there is not windows on it it wants me to format. And I said no.

Well I said screw it and reformatted. Good news my files are still recoveable and I know I shouldn't recover them to the hard drive they came from but I did anyway. I put the system restore on it but there's no OS on it so it didn't work. The program can still recover the files after a OS has been installed but I may be pushing my luck I'm not sure what to do. Can I recover the files to hard drive then when I install the OS will the files still be there?

I'm gonna wait until tomorrow to do it because it's late now.

A Clean Install of XP will again format the drive unless you have a Partitioning Program to create a Partition just for XP.

Sorry again for my confusion but why do you want to have XP on this drive?

Why not just use the 20 for XP and use the 200 for your video files etc.?

Can you still not see the 200 from the 20 using just XP?

I thought I needed an OS on both drives to transfer the files and things of that nature.

That's how I've always done it.
because I use it as a backup backup in case one goes down I don't have to do anything to it I can just run the other one until I format the one that crashed or whatever I had to do.

Is this incorrect?

It is very unusual to have two Operating Systems of the same type on one computer.

Some people want to have say '98 & XP or Linux & XP.

I have XP on my main drive and Vista RC1 on another.

You only need one Operating System. The slave drive is totally accessible from the Master.

As to backing up data that is a good idea but you do not need to back up the Operating System.

In the event of an unrecoverable crash you have your XP CD to recover the Operating System.

It just makes me feel better I don't know why. You have windows Vista? I thought it wasn't out yet?