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| Thread ID: 29848 | 2003-02-04 08:04:00 | Data Recovery | Catholic Lad (3089) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 118291 | 2003-02-04 08:04:00 | Hi folks Major major problem here. Yesterday I backed up important data to a removable hard drive using Windows 98SE so a format of the machines's hard drive could be formated and everything reloaded. However, when I went to re load from the back up today the removable hard drive was not detected by Windows 98SE but shows under the CMOS. On checking with Fdisk I discovered that the drive had no drive letter allocated to it (the whole drive is an extended partition) and I paniced. On talking it over with the person I work with I discovered that they had removed the logical drives from the extended partition in the removable hard drive but had not rebooted before I avrried and when I backed up to the removable drive which was showing D: drive all seemed well, but after the format of the main drive and the restart, the true nature of the drive became clear. Can the data be recovered from the removable drive and if so how? I haven't touched it sinced I figured out what happened and I know creating a logical drive will not work because then a format of the drive will be needed. Is it possible to recover my most important 130MB of data or am I screwed? |
Catholic Lad (3089) | ||
| 118292 | 2003-02-04 23:32:00 | Depends - usually success is possible Search for 'Data Recovery' on a search engine, shrug you shoulders and continue with life or spend some dollars and get a professional to do it |
Merlin (503) | ||
| 118293 | 2003-02-05 00:21:00 | Did you verify the data on the removable drive after the backup and before reformatting? If not I'd think through the actions of your colleagues to make sure you actually wrote data to that disk. Computer Forensics (09 3599424) will look at it but their charges are steep. I've used them successfully on a dead 1.2GB drive, cost over $1000 but I got all my data back intact. What you really need is a utility that can look at the drive and see if your data is there and recover it if it is. Try GetDataBack, from here (www.runtime.org) or another alternative is here (http://www.restorer2000.com/) The latter is cheaper and has a free version. This software is less expensive than sending the disk out to a data recovery service but you have yto be sure you don't accidentally munge it. Cheers Billy 8-{) |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 118294 | 2003-02-05 02:25:00 | I would look at it with nu . The old version had a "/m" option . . . "maintenance" which will open a disk which DOS/Win won't recognise . The newer ones might . . I haven't had occasion to look at them . If you've got a PC World CD with Knoppix, and someone who knows *nix,(or someone with a Linux inxtallation) you could copy all the contents of the disk in "raw" form to a Linux file . That would give some security, and something to work with . (Always work with a copy of a compromised disk where possible . ) You know now, but for the benefit of others who will read this: [b] You have not got a backup unless you have successfully read it . |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 118295 | 2003-02-05 03:17:00 | Amen | Billy T (70) | ||
| 118296 | 2003-02-05 07:31:00 | I agree with Graham L. If you can get hold of a copy of a DOS-based version of Norton Utilities (eg v. 6), using another computer so you don't overwrite any existing data, make a cut-down version of NU that will fit on a floppy (delete things like date.exe and lp.exe which you don't need for this exercise). Boot from a DOS disc and use Norton Disk Edit to explore your disc. Set it up initially (via Configuration) to run in Read-only mode - this disables the write function so you tool around without doing any damage. If you want to go this way, post back and I could give you a reduced list of NU 6 files that will fit on a floppy. |
Robin S_ (86) | ||
| 118297 | 2003-02-08 21:53:00 | Hi Guys. Sorry about the delay in getting back here but family issues came up. First up: thanks Merlin, Billy, Graham and Robin. All the info is very much appreciated. Yes Billy, data was verified after the back up to the removable drive before the format of the main drive. Any file info would be great Robin. Thanks again guys. |
Catholic Lad (3089) | ||
| 118298 | 2003-02-09 08:25:00 | My cut-down file list of Norton Utilities 6 (and probably 7, both DOS-based) that will fit on a 1.44MB floppy is - diskedit.exe disktool.exe fa.exe filefind.exe image.exe ncc.exe ncd.exe ndd.exe norton.cmd norton.exe (guns up the whole shootin' box) norton.ini norton.ovl nu.hlp nuconfig.exe nuconfig.ovl nudos5.hlp sysinfo.exe trouble.hlp unerase.exe unformat.exe There are more files here than you need for your job but this gives you a fairly complete set of NU 6 functions. There are in-built help files. This avenue of attack would be pretty slow and cumbersome for file recovery but could be used if other suggested means (eg Billy T's) are unsuccessful. Initially, though, you could use it to confirm that your data is intact. |
Robin S_ (86) | ||
| 118299 | 2003-02-09 10:45:00 | Thanks for all the help. This evening the friend of the brother of a friend of mine managed to extract out two copies of the offending backup file by two different methods. Now I really think I'm screwed. When a back up is attempted with one copy the message comes up "An error occured while retriving the backup directory. Invalid data (4616 1208)" after starting backup. The other copy creates the message "The current media contains no backup sets. This operation will be canceled". While I would really really like to recover this data, am I screwed or is there a way from here? Am unable to find anything on the net relating to these messages. Certainly learned my lesson!! |
Catholic Lad (3089) | ||
| 118300 | 2003-02-09 10:50:00 | Not yet but you will be if you continue to let amateurs play around with it. | Merlin (503) | ||
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