ot to worry -- BigOven will never overwrite existing recipe box files or pictures, or delete them, unless you explicitly tell it to do so when it prompts you.
It's much more likely that the new installation of BigOven simply
installed the "My BigOven Recipes" folder to the new recommended
default location (c:\users\public\documents\my bigoven recipes) rather
than the older location where your existing recipe box files might live.
Launch Windows Explorer and search for files of type *.CRB. That'll
show you (looking at the dates) where your old (i.e., your current)
recipe box files are. The Pictures folders exist under the "My BigOven Recipes\Rbox\<recipeboxname>" folder. You want to copy the old "My BigOven Recipes"
folder onto the new location, and your recipes and photos will show up.
This post should help:
Where BigOven looks for files:
http://www.bigoven.com/cs/forums/t/3947.aspx