how do i recover files from a formatted disk?

if your system still starts and you can log in to windows,

each file on your system has a HIDDEN attribute which

can be switched ON and OFF.

Malware can HIDE your files.

to get them back, remove the MALWARE using MALWAREBYTES

to unhide files, reset the HIDDEN attribute to OFF.

right click files, choose properties, to see Attributes.

to temporarily SEE Hidden files,(varies per opsys so check at microsoft.com)

in control panel

Folder Options

View

tick the box that says SHOW HIDDEN FILES

remember to set this back when you are finished.

because its very very important to protect your files

from being seen by malware.

if your system cannot start then you need to use a windows CD

and the Command prompt options.

if you allowed the format to take place then you should have turned off the pc

you can turn off the pc by holding in the on button for 5 secs. You should avoid this

as it can corrupt the disk, but its better than erasing the disk.

if the format took a few seconds then you may be able to use BOOTREC

to repair the disk and get all the system back.

it just depends what the malware actually did, and usually the malware

saying its going to format, is a FAKE message and is NOT formatting the system.

so Does your PC still start windows?

can you still LOG IN?

you can't without a forensic specialist and that is only if it was in quick format mode

You could try Recuva: http://www.piriform.com/recuva