0

My Windows 8.1 suddenly crashed and when I tried restarting it, I got the error that there was something wrong.

Windows offered me to fix start up problems which I did and afterwards I was able to reach the welcome screen (which I wasn't able to reach previously) but I could do nothing as everytime I reached there the screen froze (mouse and keyboard were not working)

I removed the Hard Drive and used an external enclosure box and connected to another computer via usb cable and I was able to see my files, but some of them (which I am sure were there) have disappeared.

The following files now appear in my C drive pagefile.sys, hiberfil.sys & swapfile.sys

What could have possibly gone wrong and is there a way to get the files back? Any hint is appreciated.

tony9099
  • 383

2 Answers2

0

What was the error it gave?

The pagefile is what Windows create to use a extra 'RAM' to store files, I think the hiberfil is where the computers state is stored during hibernation, and a swapfile is similar to a pagefile. Are you running multiple OS's on this?

It sounds like there could be an error in the mbr or startup files. Since you have it on a different computer in an enclosure I would recommend running HDTune or Victoria to get the SMART status of the HD. If there are any warnings the HD could be/has failed. At that point, if you want the data, there are loads of free/trial data recovery programs like photorec(which can search for specific file types) or Recuva. If the drive is failing, running it as little as possible is the best option until you get the data you need off it.

If SMART shows it's OK, try running startup repair again from the Advanced Startup Options by restarting the computer with the hard back in, 3 times.

Cand3r
  • 2,697
0

Some possibilities:

  1. The files mentioned are standard Windows OS files (hiberfil.sys is created only if hibernation is enabled). In Folder Options check Show hidden files, folders and drives to display them. Show hidden files...

  2. In the process of fixing whatever issue Windows found, the OS might have marked the files as damaged or might have overwritten them. You can examine the disk and try to recover some of those files using tools such as Recuva or one of the many alternative fie recovery tools. Do not write to the disk that has lost the files, because that may overwrite them. Instead, install the recovery tool(s) on another drive and keep the damaged HDD in your external enclosure.

  3. Another, less likely, possibility is that ransomware has encrypted your files, but crashed before it displayed a message requesting payment to release them. Run a thorough check on the HDD with an antimalware scanner such as Kaspersky, Malwarebytes or Avast! If that is the issue, you could search for recovery instructions online, since some ransomware has been cracked.

DrMoishe Pippik
  • 37,887