On Tuesday, September 14, 1999 5:38 AM,  Peter Garcia
<[log in to unmask]>wrote:


<snip>while copying Windows95 cab files to the harddrive using DOS, the
computer was frozen for more then 3 minutes.  I have done this exact
procedure more times then I remember but never had a computer stop like
this.  the lights were on but there was no activity, and the cursor just
blinked.  tried ctl-alt-del but no response.  turned the machine of and then
back on, and it would not boot.  error message said "non-system disk".  used
a boot disk to get in then did a DIR on the C drive.   the only thing listed
was the C:\WIN95 directory I had just created and inside just the files that
had copied over before I turned the machine on and off.   I have no idea
what I did wrong.

since this wasn't supposed to be a complicated manuever, I don't have a
backup of the client's data.  I'm hesitant to try anything else myself.  can
anyone please suggest a way for me to recover any data on the harddrive?
TIA

Depending on the version of Win95 you have installed, pls try the following:
For the most conservative approach to deletion security, run Undelete's
Deletion Sentry. This utility creates a folder called Sentry on your  hard
drive, and any time you delete files--at the command line, in a 16-bit
application, or by emptying the Recycle Bin--it stores the files there for
seven days before getting rid of them. This can eat up as much as a quarter
of your hard disk space, but it's almost fail-safe.

        Priming the Deletion Sentry

        Select Start/Run and type notepad. Click OK.

        Open the autoexec.bat file at the root of your C: drive (if it
        isn't there, select File/Save and name the file autoexec.bat).

        Assuming you've downloaded the file undelete.exe to your Windows
system folder, type this line at the end of the autoexec.bat file:
c:\windows\system\undelete /SC. (Note: /Sx entries at the end of  the line
tell the utilities which drives you want to track for     deletions. /SC
checks the C: drive, /SD covers the D: drive, and
 so on.)

        Save the changes to the autoexec.bat file.

        undeleting files

        If you delete a file by accident and can't retrieve it, restart
        your computer in MS-DOS mode (select Start/Shut
        Down/Restart  the Computer in MS-DOS Mode).

        At the DOS prompt, type the command
        cd \windows\command.

        At the DOS prompt, type the command lock c: and press Y to
        get  past the warning that appears.

        Type the command undelete.

        Pass by the deleted files you don't want to restore by pressing N
        when each filename pops up.

        When the file you want to retrieve appears on the screen, press
        Y and enter the first letter of the filename.

        Press Ctrl+C to quit the undelete process.

        Enter the command unlock c: to restore regular long-filename
        capability to Windows 95.

        Type win to return to Windows 95 and get on with your life.

Note:  I tested this on my OSR2.x machine which is a PII 233 MMX, 40mb Ram
and it worked.  As I said earlier, it may not work for all versions of
Win95.  I haven't tried it on the PIII, 500, 64mb machine yet.  If anyone
has had different experiences, pls post results.  HTH. :-)

Walter R. Worth
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