Restore geodatabase from windows backup

[KristenBouska]

Hi - my hard drive failed last week and I have been in the process of restoring my backup files. All my files, including a geodatabase (858 MB) that I really need to access, were backed up with Windows 7 Backup. I attempted to restore this geodatabase, however have had no luck accessing any of the data stored within it. I then copied the folder from the backup to an external hard drive but have been unsuccessful at opening it with Catalog or ArcMap, it just shows up as empty even though it is listed as 858 MB. Does anyone have any suggestions for accessing the data within the geodatabase? I'm not a computer whiz and just want to retrieve my data!

Thanks

[VinceAngelo]

Welcome to the Esri Forums!

There's a lot of different possible objects that go by the name of "geodatabase", so
it would help if you specified "file geodatabase" or "personal geodatabase" or "workgroup
geodatabase"...  It would also help if you specify what ArcGIS version was used to build
the GDB, and what version you're using now (if it's different).  If a database is involved,
specifing the exact release is also helpful.

- V

[KristenBouska]

For clarification- it is a file geodatabase and I was and am using ArcGIS 10.0.

Thanks!

[VinceAngelo]

File geodatabase isn't usually all-or-nothing *except* if the dictionary tables are corrupted.
The format itself is a bunch of files under the "*.gdb" directory.  What is under your directory?
[Please use a CODE block ("#" in the UI) for readability.]

If the backups ignored open files and the FGDB was in use, your backup may not be worth much.

- V

[Kunle_Adesida]

I currently face this challenge and am stuck, without any way out yet. Does anyone have a solution/work around. My file geodatabase was simply backed up (not through the arcgis way I have just read) as normal file but it appears empty in arcgis even though it the content shows in normal windows explorer. I have very important files that I can't afford to loose here. pls help