Linux Ext3 making a problem with Fat32

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MetAlam
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Linux Ext3 making a problem with Fat32

Post by MetAlam »

A.o.A

i just migrated from windows, but now i'm regretting it.

i installed Redhat Linux 9, with my win98 and XP, in linux i mounted my fat32 partition and copied some files from my linux Ext3 to it.
and it happened i opened windows and the drive was gone, partition magic showed as hidden but was unable to unhide

please tell me what tha Heck Happened, two years of work is on that Logical partition.
Mohsin Alam
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Post by fawad »

MetAlam,
Sorry about your loss, but it sounds rather peculiar to me. It seems that you don't understand the concept of the filesystem judging from your statement
i installed Redhat Linux 9, with my win98 and XP, in linux i mounted my fat32 partition and copied some files from my linux Ext3 to it.
The fact that you copied files from the EXT3 partition have nothing to do with the fact that your partition got wiped out. I've used Linux for more than 3 years and I have yet to have it wipe out a partition. My home Linux install (Redhat 9, like yours) shares the system with Windows 98 and Windows 2000 Advanced Server. I constantly share files between the systems, copying stuff back and forth (most of my MP3s are on the Windows drives, for example).

I bet you unwittingly ran some command to delete the partition. Linux does not make a habit of wiping people's partitions on a whim.
Faraz.Fazil
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Post by Faraz.Fazil »

Agree with fawad here.
I bet you must have by mistake used some command that resulted in this.
I too have been using linux for many years now, and i regularly access and write files on my win98 fat32 drive from linux without any problem.I use this format to mount the drive:

mount -t vfat /dev/hdaNO /mnt/mountpoint
mahin
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Re: Linux Ext3 making a problem with Fat32

Post by mahin »

MetAlam wrote:<snip>
please tell me what tha Heck Happened, two years of work is on that Logical partition.
Not sure if I am getting your point. You want to make a comment or need some help to rescue the situation ?

If you want to rescue then do not touch that Hard disk any further.

What happened does not matter now as you ignored the first rule ' Backup ' and that alone is the cause not what you did or not. Sorry for saying that but hope you understand that discussing this is not going to help you.

What I would suggest is that if you have access to any Live Distro [ Demo Linux or Knoppix ] then take a look at your Hard Disk. If you get error messages that will help in giving hint of the problem.

We do not know what you have done but what ever you have done from now on do not boot the machine using that Hard disk. Booting with Live CD is different as it will not do any thing.

You can start with posting your machine spec and your HD partition info you have along with size. Un-less you have formated or done some thing repeatedly there is good chance to salvage most or all data. You will need another Hard Disk to start data recovery.

Hope your problem is solved :) best thing will be that we will have a rescue how-to in our wiki by Faraz :wink:
Faraz.Fazil
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Post by Faraz.Fazil »

Well, metalam, you didnot specify the compelte details.
Was that fat32 partition the one on which windows 98 was installed.??

Post in more detail please.
Are you able to see that drive in linux/ windows xp??

I Tell you my secret, how i repair dead windows systems.

I once had a similar secnarios like yours.
I got hold of Super Utilities 2003 cd.which has ERD commander 2003
It is a bootable cd.Once u boot from it, it starts a windows like envorinment and starts a system repair program.You can access all drives, registry , network settings and lot more.You can copy data from one partition /drive to another partition/drive.All of this is done thru a guii which is very similar to win98..IN fact you can term erd commander as a system repair Operating system hehe.

Try these steps out, and if your luck is good, you may be able to get ur data back and even get things back to normal .Since you have not posted complete details, so im posting a general rescue guide.
===============================================
1.If you have another hdd, use it as the master drive.Attach the problem causing drive as slave, and see if the hidden partition gets displayed and you can copy he data to another drive

.If the above doesnt work then:

2.Try to get hold of erd commander 20003 bootable cd.Boot from it and it will start repair system program the details of which i already mentioned.Rest would be simple.Just copy the data from the drive to another.Voila you will have all you data back!!
I have used ERD many times and it has given me a 100 % success every time.Also the makers claim that it will map/mount any partition, no matter its hidden or not.

If you cant get hold of erd commander /super utilities 2003 cd then get hold of A distro Like Slackware Live Cd or knoppix, that can be run directly from cdrom....Use them and see if you can mount the hidden drive and access/copy the data

If the above doesnt work then:

3.Run Partition Magic.Right click on the hidden drive and click on resize.Resize the drive to a size atleast 50 mb lesser than it was before.

If after the above step the drive becomes normal good.Otherwise:

4.Make a partition empty by moving data from it to another partition.


Then in partiton magic, merge the hidden drive with a standard fat32 partition, and make sure u tell it to use the fat32 non hidden drive as the container and merge the data on hidden drive to the fat32 non hidden partition.If all goes well, your data will be copied from the hidden drive to the normal non hidden fat32 drive that you emptied under a folder.

If even the above doesnt help then:

5.Use a data recovery software like R-Studio or even Forensice utility suiote.

Note: These techniques mentioned by me are highly dangerous especially #3 and #4.
Use on your own risk.I am not responsible for any loss.
The techniques and tips if used by a techie like me, wont cause any harm.But if a newbie used them wrongly....it may cause many problems
Last edited by Faraz.Fazil on Tue Sep 09, 2003 7:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Faraz.Fazil
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Post by Faraz.Fazil »

B.T.W, here is what the makers of ERD COMMANDER SAY:
=============================================
When your server or workstation won't boot, you need ERD Commander 2003. ERD Commander 2003 boots dead systems directly from CD into a Windows-like environment. You'll have full access to the dead system's volumes, so you can diagnose and repair problems using tools located on the ERD Commander 2003 Start menu. And you'll have built-in network access to safely move data off of, or on to, the dead system. The Locksmith utility allows you to quickly reset the Administrator password on locked-out systems. With ERD Commander 2003 you can repair a system quickly and easily, saving you time and rescuing your critical data.


Price: $199

Key features:

Boots dead systems directly from CD
Easy, familiar Windows-like interface
Includes the Locksmith utility to reset lost Administrator passwords
Includes FileRestore so that you can quickly find and recover deleted files
Provides access to XP Restore Points on unbootable Windows XP systems
Compares key info on unbootable system with that of a working system for diagnosis and trouble-shooting
Allows for formatting and partitioning of disks
Built-in network access to safely copy data to/from dead systems
Repair and diagnostic tools located on Start menu
Repair tools include Service and Driver Manager, Locksmith, FileRestore, Registry Editor, Explorer, Disk Management, and Command Prompt
Diagnostic tools include the System Compare, Event Log Viewer, System Information, TCP/IP Configuration, and Logical volumes utilities

and more than 200 more tools!!
====================================================

P.S this erd commander has really helped me alot!!

More info:

http://www.winternals.com/products/repa ... er2002.asp
farhanksa
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F.F :) dotn u have the key for that

Post by farhanksa »

F.F :) dotn u have the key for that.

well my exp with knopics isnt good for making and deleting partitions..
farhanksa
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Post by farhanksa »

ho saky to aik kam karjain....kooch khidmat-e newbies karjain...

well its goood that u share ur secrets and experiences.....u r our teacher sir !
Faraz.Fazil
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Post by Faraz.Fazil »

Thanx for the appreciation as always friends.

The ERD COmmander 2003 is quite big....about one complete cd.It doesnt not reqiure a key.Instead it comes as a retail full version.

You may try your luck and try to find if it is available at any cd shop like rainbow centre in karachi.
lambda
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Post by lambda »

Faraz.Fazil wrote:You may try your luck and try to find if it is available at any cd shop like rainbow centre in karachi.
are you advocating software piracy?
Faraz.Fazil
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Post by Faraz.Fazil »

Nope.
I didnot advocate piracy, nor do i intend to do so.
I informed people that such great tools exist too.
lambda wrote:
Faraz.Fazil wrote:You may try your luck and try to find if it is available at any cd shop like rainbow centre in karachi.
are you advocating software piracy?
MetAlam
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Post by MetAlam »

A.o.A

thanks guys the help was very useful i was able to recover Some data by using Partition Magic Method which i think Faraz.Fazil gave.

now i am up and running lin9.
thanks for the help


and about ERD i was not able to find it maybe cause i'm in faisalabad.
Mohsin Alam
Faraz.Fazil
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Post by Faraz.Fazil »

Bingo!
Good to hear that.
Np, Anytime.
MetAlam wrote:A.o.A

thanks guys the help was very useful i was able to recover Some data by using Partition Magic Method which i think Faraz.Fazil gave.

now i am up and running lin9.
thanks for the help


and about ERD i was not able to find it maybe cause i'm in faisalabad.
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