Need to recover data, please help

I Win XP install corrupted and I loaded knoppix and copies some personal files from the c: ntfs partition to d: fat 32 partition. But after I reinstalled XP I don't see any files listed in my d: drive. The space is taken up but I just don't see any of the files/directories I copied over.

I'm using XP sp2 and the knoppix version I used was 3.55 or 3.52. Please help and tell me how to recover this data. I am a complete newbie to Linux but has a fair degree of knowledge with Windows.

Thanks in advance.

I have no idea why you can't see the files on your second drive, although I would love to hear why when you resolve it. Did you confirm that the files were their in Knoppix? Did you confirm it after the XP reinstall?

I had a bunch of other suggestions to make, but since you already reinstalled, the files are pretty much gone from C. If you can't see them on D from Knoppix then I can't be of much help. If it turns out that you can see then on D then I can give you lots of ideas of how to get those files back (do not write them to the ntfs partition). One technique to recover files when you have a single CD writer on a system is here: http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...=14781&start=0 , you could also transfer them to another system by e-mail, ftp, or the website yousendit.com (they will let you send and store for 7 days files up to 1 gig in size).

this may not be useful, but did you make sure to unmount the d: before you rebooted. i swear iread somewhere that not unmounting once data is written could cause problems. i dont know but it might help you look...

yes indeed, syncing the disk and unmounting it is recomended.

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Originally Posted by OErjan

yes indeed, syncing the disk and unmounting it is recomended.

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Doesn't the normal shut down procedure unmount the drive (assuming you do indeed shut down and not just pull the plug)? I've written to my D partition from Knoppix, gone back into XP, and all was still well, never did an explicit unmount (because I expected the shut down to do this).

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Originally Posted by Harry Kuhman

Doesn't the normal shut down procedure unmount the drive (assuming you do indeed shut down and not just pull the plug)? I've written to my D partition from Knoppix, gone back into XP, and all was still well, never did an explicit unmount (because I expected the shut down to do this).

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Yeah, I did that all the time too. I dunno what happened either, but I don't think it's a matter of not unmounting...as you say, it will unmount the drives as part of shutdown.

Are the files not seen by knoppix either? I presume not, but I'm just curious.

i have had the shutdown of knoppix hang or crash several times. now i do the important discs myself

Thanks for all your input guys.

For starters I didn't unmount before I shut down knoppix. I just log off.

I could access the directories and files I copied with Knoppix. I also tried and created a directory on the Fat32 partition using Knoppix. But I couldn't access any of the files from windows xp sp2. I could see the name of the directory I created in Knoppix from Windows, but I couldn't see the name of the directories that I copied from the NTFS partition.

The shutdown procedure unmounts the drives itself.

Also syncing before unmounting is not needed as linux with write the data before it unmounts.

any suggestions harry kuhman?

Hey, why me? I've already given the thoughts I had.

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Originally Posted by Harry Kuhman

......, but since you already reinstalled, the files are pretty much gone from C. If you can't see them on D from Knoppix then I can't be of much help. If it turns out that you can see then on D then I can give you lots of ideas of how to get those files back (do not write them to the ntfs partition). One technique to recover files when you have a single CD writer on a system is here: http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...=14781&start=0 , you could also transfer them to another system by e-mail, ftp, or the website yousendit.com (they will let you send and store for 7 days files up to 1 gig in size).

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I wish I could use the email/net storage idea. But I have a socket 939 mobo w/ onboard gigalan from nvidia which knoppix doesn' t seem to recognize. Being a newbie I don't know how to setup network devices at all.

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Originally Posted by blkmagic

I wish I could use the email/net storage idea. But I have a socket 939 mobo w/ onboard gigalan from nvidia which knoppix doesn' t seem to recognize. Being a newbie I don't know how to setup network devices at all.

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I don't know how to resolve that either. Myself, I would stick another NIC in. I always keep some handy and they are cheap - heck, they were giving them away free today at CompUSA.

Alternately, writing to CD's is sounding like a good idea, if the files are still there.

the 2.6 kernel seems to have more luck with newer NICs.

At boot type

knoppix26 other boot options if you use them



As for the files, Mabye for some reason they were marked as hidden or as a "protected system file"

Thanks for all the input guys, but this problem seems to magically fixed it self. After a few boots into Knoppix and accessing the files to verifify their integrity, Windows somehow can see and read all the files that I couldn't access before....go figure...