"lthomas" <lthomas@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:1A5C4802-DD13-4A78-971C-010A6F62538E@microsoft.com...
> My son reinstalled the "windows" CD (because the computer was requesting
it)
> and in the process of whatever he did I lost all of "my documents". Can
> anyone tell me how I might recover them without paying hundreds of
dollars.
> It took me years to collect these programs and documents and it is quite
> frustrating.
>
> Any help would be very much appreciated.
> Yes, I know I should have backed them up, and I did but the disk is
nowhere
> to be found (2 teenage boys).
> Thank you
> Lorri

Some clarification is needed:
- You posted your question in a hardware group. Do you have
a hardware problem that prevents you from getting at your
files?
- You write "He did I lost all 'my document'". Does Windows
still run on your PC? If not, how far does the loading process
go? If yes, is it just a question of you not beeing able to locate
your files?

By the way, if it took you years to collect your files then it is
about time you spent a small amount of money to secure your
collection. Get a 2.5" hard disk and a matching USB enclosure,
then save your important files ***every week*** and keep
that disk in a safe place!