Recover erased user files

[mikacool]

The Main user & files were erased and files were sent off to "The far corners of the hard drive..." I saw the erased files using PC Inspector File Recovery. The files were recovered, but when I opened them, excel and word files were only random characters, CAD drawings could not opened and a error messages appeared.

Has this happened to anyone out there...? Can someone help...?

Another Q... how could the SOB access my computer (Windows XP) and erase the Main user without my password?

[Miz]

To answer the last question first...all they have to do is logon to the Administrator account, which most people don't bother to password. It's accessed in XP Home by booting into Safe Mode; in XP Pro by either booting into Safe Mode or by pressing Ctrl/Alt/Del twice at the welcome screen.

That account has full access to everything on the system.

Generally, data retrieval programs are hit-or-miss. It's not unusual for the data they recover to be incomplete. The more the computer was used (data written to drive) between the deletion and the recovery attempt, the less the chances the data will be complete. Even the high-dollar data retrieval companies claim, at best, 95% recovery.