Windows.old automatically deleted the day after installing Windows 10

trashboi98 · 15 Nov 2018

Hi, I joined this site just for this issue.

Here's the whole story.

I had Windows 7 installed on my computer (Dell Precision M6500) for a long time, but due to a stupid mistake I made (removing and then destroying a secondary HDD that contained the System Reserved partition, which I didn't know until after I had done the fact), I got locked out of the OS and was unable to boot. My friends (who are a lot smarter than me) told me that I would have to reinstall the OS to get my personal data back (all of which was on the primary and locked out HDD)

I don't have a Windows 7 install disc but I do have a Windows 10 one, so I used it to install Windows 10 on the machine and did so without wiping/formatting the HDD, obviously so I could get my data (over several hundred gigabytes of photos, videos, documents, etc) back.

All of this happened just yesterday. The Windows 10 install seemed to go without a hitch and all of my data was in the Windows.old folder as expected.

I hadn't gotten around to relocating all of it from the folder yet, and was actually in the middle of scrolling through folders to make sure everything was still there when I got an error message saying the folder was unavailable. So, I went to the previous folder I was in, and got the same error message. Then I went to the root windows.old folder and, once again, got the same message.

I then went back to the main C:\ drive and noticed that the windows.old folder was completely gone. I didn't do anything to delete it.

I looked online and saw that Windows 10 automatically deletes the windows.old folder 30 days after installing, but it has only been approximately 21 hours since Windows 10 finished installing.

So, is there any way to recover my data without using third-party data recovery software? Or is that my only chance at getting it back? Thanks.

Samuria · 15 Nov 2018

It depends how you did the install if it upgraded normally all user data will be kept in my doc's etc. Have you got show hidden files and system files turned on or you may not see the folder. What version of Windows have you installed from a CMD prompt type winver it's possible if you have an old version not 1809 that it's updating and that's why old has been removed

muchomurka · 15 Nov 2018

Do not use OS installed at the same disk as your deleted data, they may become overwritten. Connect the disk using usb/sata adapter to another system. If your data are not visible, try to recover files using some data recovery program.

trashboi98 · 15 Nov 2018

Samuria said:

It depends how you did the install if it upgraded normally all user data will be kept in my doc's etc. Have you got show hidden files and system files turned on or you may not see the folder. What version of Windows have you installed from a CMD prompt type winver it's possible if you have an old version not 1809 that it's updating and that's why old has been removed

Yes, I have hidden files turned on. And I have the original Windows 10 version, 1507 (build 10240). I don't believe it's updating.

trashboi98 · 15 Nov 2018

muchomurka said:

Do not use OS installed at the same disk as your deleted data, they may become overwritten. Connect the disk using usb/sata adapter to another system. If your data are not visible, try to recover files using some data recovery program.

I used Recuva, and was able to recover about 2/3 of my data. However, some of the recovered data was corrupted, unfortunately.

NavyLCDR · 16 Nov 2018

Sorry for your loss. We could have helped you here much more than your less experienced friends. The System Reserved partition is very easy to recreate.

trashboi98 · 16 Nov 2018

NavyLCDR said:

Sorry for your loss. We could have helped you here much more than your less experienced friends. The System Reserved partition is very easy to recreate.

Thanks anyway.

The "friend" who gave me the incorrect advice that I had to reinstall the OS blocked me on Facebook after I told him that he was proven wrong. My fault for listening to him without verifying it first, though.

trashboi98 · 16 Nov 2018

For future reference, though, how would I have been able to recreate the System Reserved partition in that situation?

muchomurka · 16 Nov 2018

trashboi98 said:

I used Recuva, and was able to recover about 2/3 of my data. However, some of the recovered data was corrupted, unfortunately.

Sorry to read you lost a part of your data. For future data safety, you can consider to use some backup/imaging software & external drive.

Samuria · 16 Nov 2018

Its a very old version of windows I would update to the latest version as being that old it will be a security risk and installing latests is quicker than doing millions of updates Download Windows 10