except...that's NOT what system recovery does (doesn't affect files) and you can restore (ie undo going bak to ur last recovery point) anyway

Live boot with a Linux disc such as Ubuntu (www.ubuntu.com). It's a free operating system. The "Live Boot" lets you run the operating system (Ubuntu) without installing it. This gives you the ability to browse files and folders on your computer. Plug in a USB drive and save your files to that. Or find a geeky friend to do it. Next time, don't **** around. And NEVER pay someone to fix your computer.

I love how people don't bother to read or educate themselves before they comment on things they obviously do not understand. There were three possibilities here. System Restore, System Recovery, and vanilla Windows install. System Restore does not affect data, only system settings, installed programs, updates, etc. This can be accessed directly from the Windows operating system, rather easily. System Recovery (what the OP did) is only found on prebuilt computers (HP, Dell, etc.) It takes a copy of the system files (usually on their own partition, or off a set of discs) and uses those to quick format the primary partition and re-install the operating system, complete with drivers, bundled software, etc. Vanilla Windows install is done directly from a Windows disc. It gives you partition table options, quick formats whatever partition you tell it to install to, and installs the operating system. Some drivers (typically ethernet, VGA, audio and chipset) are missing, and need to be installed manually. To the OP: If you want a chance at recovering any data off the old machine, the best thing to do is pull the hard drive, connect it to a working computer, and use a piece of software called "GetDataBack for NTFS". However, the more you have used the machine since this happened, the lower your chance is going to be of recovering non-corrupted information, since all your old data is marked as blank space now. Next time, don't do anything to your operating system without being 100% sure what the consequences are going to be. Either bring it somewhere that is going to be able to find the problem, or get a friend who knows what they're doing to look at it. Lesson learned the hard way, unfortunately. Oh, and to whoever suggested using a LiveCD. Yes, what a great idea, give an inexperienced user total, unprotected control over all their system files. People who try and use Ubuntu to fix problems when they don't know how to use Ubuntu just make things worse. Unless you know Linux CLI, you can do the same things in Windows anyways.

Someone did that to my computer i feel your emense pain.

OP is a ******* retard

YDI for not trying to ask someone what it does first

YDI for doing one of the most basic things in computing history (when you FREELY ADMIT that you're technologically challenged) and not knowing what it does. As they say all over the internet, "Ur doin it rong!"

YDI for not knowing wtf youre doing. instead of doing a repair you most likely reinstalled windows you idiot! once again theres proof of why most people should NOT, under any circumstance, be allowed to use a computer!

omfg I did that! had to then pay £50 to get the harddrive fixed, I'm 14.

You deserve it. Don't ******* touch a computer if you don't know what you're doing, get the hell off my internet.