BleepingComputer.com: usb hdd and xp urgent help

hi i made a big mistake when repairing a laptop this morning

i reformatted the drive but mistakenly left by usb hdd in to

after deleteing 2 partions and doing a quick format and innstalling xp
i realised that it had wiped my usb hdd too

i have backup of photos and docs that needed is there any way to get these back


i am so annoyed arrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggg

I'm not sure I understand the problem. If you have a backup, restore from the backup. That's what backups are for.

Also, unless you specifically specified the usb device to be formatted, it couldn't be formatted.

Anyway, to answer your question try Recuva http://www.piriform.com/recuva

what i mean is before i formatted the laptop hdd i backed up files from the laptop to the usb hdd

then when come to xp setup thinking that it was split into two partions i deleated both and formatted then instlled xp

oe of the partions was my usb hdd as i left it plugged in

hi i managed to get my photos etc back using easeus data recovery and an advanced search but notw there transfered to my coputer the images dont show when they are clicked just blank in picture viewer etc

All recovery software that I have used/seen...has a standard disclaimer that the files may not be readable/viewable, even if apparently recovered.

Try another program...they tend to vary in effectiveness.

Louis