Hard drive wont mount

[Racer88]

I am using Knoppix to recover some files from a hard drive that wont boot. The drive has Windows XP and was set with NTFS partition. I have run the Recovery Console from Windows XP disk and then use the fixboot and fixmbr command. Neither of those fixed the boot problem. I was going to use Knoppix to copy all my files that I need to keep to a cdr, but Knoppix says that it can't mount the drive, therefore I cant retrieve my files.

Does any one have any ideas about what I need to do?

Thanks
Racer88

[Harry Kuhman]

I am using Knoppix to recover some files from a hard drive that wont boot. The drive has Windows XP and was set with NTFS partition. I have run the Recovery Console from Windows XP disk and then use the fixboot and fixmbr command. Neither of those fixed the boot problem. I was going to use Knoppix to copy all my files that I need to keep to a cdr, but Knoppix says that it can't mount the drive, therefore I cant retrieve my files.

Does any one have any ideas about what I need to do?

Thanks
Racer88
Knoppix can frequently mount drives even when Windows refuses to do so. But there can't be a gaurantee that Knoppix can mount a partition that Windows has completely ruined. It sounds like in this case your partition is so far gone that Linux/Knoppix can't read it.

There is still one small chance that might help, but don't get your hopes up. Linux has a command called gpart (http://www.google.com/search?q=gpart&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official) that will look at a drive and try to figure out where the partitions were. In some but not all cases it can recover partitions and let you have access to your files. See the man pages for gpart for details. Good luck.

[Racer88]

if gpart doesn't work, can I use FDISK to create a new dos primary partition and my files still be there? as long as I dont format the drive..

[Harry Kuhman]

if gpart doesn't work, can I use FDISK to create a new dos primary partition and my files still be there? as long as I dont format the drive..
No, I do not believe that you can.

[chris-harry]

in a simple word... creating a new partion, will whipe (figutively speaking), whats there where the partion is... (of course it doesnt really whipe it like compleately set every didget to 0... but it just makes its value to unused)

[Racer88]

well gpart didn't work. I an trying a program called Partition Recovery. I can see the files that I need to get to with this program. but it wont let me create a primary partition. I can create an extended and logical partition. but still without formatting the drive Knoppix will not mount the drive. It tells me that no file system was specified..

So if any one can come up with any other ideas that I can try, I will be extremely greatful...

Thanks Racer88

[BORTKOMMEN]

This has nothing to do with Knoppix or Linux but I hope it will help you.
I had a similar problem with Windows 2000. The hard drive was broken but I bought a new hard drive,opened the box, connected the new drive as master and the broken drive as secondary master, installed win2000 on the new drive. Then I was able to copy files to the new drive.
If you cannot reach all files on the broken harddisk, try to make a windows backup of a whole partition and then copy the whole backup to the new drive. For some reason the backup could save files you otherwise could not see or save.