Unfortunately, I've formatted the wrong HD, losing most of my data. Now I'm looking for some utility to recover it. I've already found such a tool for FAT16-partitions, but mine is FAT32. Can you help me?

Try here: http://www.ontrack.com/

NOBODY can format a harddrive by mistake, admit it you didn't know what you were doing right??? It's called "READING" before doing. You cannot format your C:\ drive from windows, go ahead and try it, windows won't let you, you have to do it from DOS, and BEFORE it even starts formatting it warns you "ALL DATA WILL BE LOST DO YOU WANT TO CONTINUE". So "WHAT WAS THE REAL REASON" you formatted your harddrive, go ahead and "fess" up and tell the truth.......and you will be more likely to get help around here.

Doh!!

Sure you can format your drive by mistake. You have plan "B" which requires formatting your hard drive and plan "B" fails!! So you want to go back to where you were in the beginning. I know I've done that before. You need a good piece of software like Norton Utilities Disk Doctor. Formatting a drive usually does not actually erase the data that has been written on the drive. It usually only erases the file tables which tell where pieces of the files are stored on the drive. Files are seldom stored in one continuous chain. Instead, pieces are stored here and there. That is called fragmenting and that is why we defragment drives. If a file has been fragmented in 50 different places on the drive, then your drive has to access 50 different places in order to load the file. Defragmenting lessens the number of times your drive has to move the heads around. Disk Doctor, and other similar products, actually read the entire drive looking for pieces of files and attempts to recreate a file table that will result in as many successfully recreated files as possible. If you're serious about recovering your drive, go to Best Buy or some high quality software store and look at the various hard drive recovery software that are available. Get a product made just for hard drive recovery. Don't bother with general purpose products like McAfee's Nuts and Bolts, instead purchase a product JUST for hard drive recovery. Cherio, Preston

Sure you can format your harddrive by mistake. Ever consider what would happen if youd been up for 43 hours and started working on your computer? What if you have one fixed hard drive and 5 other harddrives for use in the two pull out bays you installed in your tower? What if the lables on those pull out contraptions fell off? What then if you mistakenly pick up your drive with that solution on how to legaly siphon out all of the wealth in those fat cats bank accounts, and deposit it into your bank account instead of the drive with all that stolen classified material the feds are kicking your door in for right now? It is possible to slip, every one makes mistakes. That's why it's called life. Lighten up. Hell you prbably deserve it if you think a simple format can permanantly erase all your data.

Ive Had that problem before only it was A line of talc powder instead of the premo blow that was on the kitchen table. Man I thunk my head had exploded. Whoa never again man never.