Re: finding tarbal on fat partition [yet another data recovery problem]
Quoting hawk (hawk@fac13.ds.psu.edu):
>
> *sigh* I've found more ways to lose data . . .
>
> This time, I needed to switch a system from FreeBSD to Debian. I wrote
> down the cylinder information for my two fat partitions in the extended
> partition, deleted the extended partition, and created a new fat
> partition as partition 4 after them.
Are we to assume that you deleted the extended partition because
you already had three primary partitions before it in the table?
i.e. Primary1 Primary2 Primary3 Extended Spare
FAT1 FAT2
to Primary1 Primary2 Primary3 FAT4
Otherwise why did you bother to delete the extended partition?
> I tarred /home and /etc separately and without compression to this new
> partitiion. These are the only two files that have ever been in that
> partition.
>
> I then installed debian where FreeBSD used to be, deleted partition 4,
> created the extended partition again, and used the cylinder information
> to recreate the three fat partitions.
What, FAT1 FAT2 and FAT4. Are we to guess that you've tried to put
all three in the new extended partition?
> The two former extended partitions survived. The partitions with the
> backup did not, and I can't mount it. I've tried recreating it as a
> primary, but still no dice.
I take it the two former *logical* partitions survived, and that the
singular partition with the backup did not. And that you redeleted
the extended partition before you tried to recreate FAT4 as a
primary partition.
I think you have trampled on the start of your FAT4 partition if
and when you tried to make it a logical partition. Each and every
logical partition has an extended partition table at its start, so
you should have left a gap before FAT4 when you first created it.
(This might have allowed you to recreate FAT4 as a primary partition,
though I have no idea whether it would help in changing it into a
logical partition.)
> I don't really need to recover the partition (though this would be
> easiest if it's possible). I just need those tarballs (actually, just
> the first) back.
>
> Is my best bet going to be to feed the output of dd to tar? Or is
> there a better way to do this?
You might as well try. I don't think you can recover the partition
because (I would imagine, I haven't done the arithmetic) both FATs
have probably been overwritten by the extended partition table.
If this is a complete load of rubbish, could you *start* your next
posting with an explanation of your partition table before you
commenced. I've been engaged in a four-day conversation on another
list with someone having trouble setting up W98, Mandrake and Boot
Magic, and I *still* haven't seen his partition table:-
PARTITION TABLES AREN'T CLASSIFIED INFORMATION!
Cheers,
--
Email: d.wright@open.ac.uk Tel: +44 1908 653 739 Fax: +44 1908 655 151
Snail: David Wright, Earth Science Dept., Milton Keynes, England, MK7 6AA
Disclaimer: These addresses are only for reaching me, and do not signify
official stationery. Views expressed here are either my own or plagiarised.
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