How to restore from .wt files? Environment
Windows Professional 10
MongoDB 3.6.4 2008R2Plus SSL (64 bit)  (before computer crash)
MongoDB 4.0.2 2008R2Plus SSL (64 bit)  (after computer crash)  

I have been developing locally, and turned on computer today to blue screen of death. 

I had no option but to reset Windows 10 and keep personal files.  

I therefore have this directory:

C: &gt; data    

which contains two directories, db and log.  

Below is contents of directory db:



Below is contents of directory log:



I have downloaded and installed:  

MongoDB 4.0.2 2008R2Plus SSL (64 bit)  

and I accepted the default installation directories:



Question

How can I restore the databases and collections from the contents of my original mongoDB data directory?

Note - I am on the same computer, after a Windows 10 reset, and new install of MongoDB.

Related Questions

There are similar questions below, but they don't seem to provide an authoritative and accepted answer:

How to restore .wt backup file to local MongoDB?

How to copy wt files from another mongo instance?  

https://stackoverflow.com/q/37557319 

https://stackoverflow.com/q/32551549
Some sort of benevolent magic occurred after doing the following:

Remove MongoDB Community Edition as a Windows Service, see here.  

sc.exe delete MongoDB


Then when I went into my favourite MongoDB GUI (Robo3T), the databases were just there!  

So i ran:

mongodump  


To get a "proper" dump of all my databases.  

I'm confused how this could happen because the databases are still at their original location:

C:\data\

And the new MongoDB installation data location was:

C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\4.0\data\    

¯_(ツ)_/¯

Atleast I have a proper mongodump backup now.