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Thread: Lost Data?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    6

    Lost Data?

    Hey folks,

    I'm rather new to Ubuntu, but decided that I'd like to get to know it. Please be gentle if I sound foolish, but it is my ambition to become much more knowledgeable.

    In any case, here's my problem:

    I had a dual-boot Windows/Ubuntu desktop. I was trying to clear up disk space on Windows so I was uninstalling software via the control panel. I uninstalled something that I thought would only uninstall Wubi, but it seems that it uninstalled all of Ubuntu. I then reinstalled Ubuntu. My question is, is there any way I can get the data that was in my home folder on Ubuntu back?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
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    Jawja
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    Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail

    Re: Lost Data?

    Quote Originally Posted by NormArchNo3 View Post
    Hey folks,

    I'm rather new to Ubuntu, but decided that I'd like to get to know it. Please be gentle if I sound foolish, but it is my ambition to become much more knowledgeable.

    In any case, here's my problem:

    I had a dual-boot Windows/Ubuntu desktop. I was trying to clear up disk space on Windows so I was uninstalling software via the control panel. I uninstalled something that I thought would only uninstall Wubi, but it seems that it uninstalled all of Ubuntu. I then reinstalled Ubuntu. My question is, is there any way I can get the data that was in my home folder on Ubuntu back?

    Thanks!
    If you reformatted then it is likely that the data is lost. There are many posts that address data recovery so you will need to do a search. I recommend this link that is Ubuntu specific: http://crunchbang.org/ubuntu-search-engine/

    If you have to re-install again then create a separate partition for /home. Any future installs will allow you to keep personal data.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Texas
    Beans
    29,807
    Distro
    Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa

    Re: Lost Data?

    Quote Originally Posted by NormArchNo3 View Post
    Hey folks,

    I'm rather new to Ubuntu, but decided that I'd like to get to know it. Please be gentle if I sound foolish, but it is my ambition to become much more knowledgeable.

    In any case, here's my problem:

    I had a dual-boot Windows/Ubuntu desktop. I was trying to clear up disk space on Windows so I was uninstalling software via the control panel. I uninstalled something that I thought would only uninstall Wubi, but it seems that it uninstalled all of Ubuntu. I then reinstalled Ubuntu. My question is, is there any way I can get the data that was in my home folder on Ubuntu back?

    Thanks!
    Hi, it was possible before you reinstalled over it, but if you reinstalled ubuntu in the same place then the data will have been over written. But it still would have been a major task.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Beans
    6

    Re: Lost Data?

    Quote Originally Posted by 73ckn797 View Post
    If you reformatted then it is likely that the data is lost. There are many posts that address data recovery so you will need to do a search. I recommend this link that is Ubuntu specific: http://crunchbang.org/ubuntu-search-engine/

    If you have to re-install again then create a separate partition for /home. Any future installs will allow you to keep personal data.
    Thanks for the fast reply!

    I don't think I reformatted any partitions myself. And using the program in Windows Control Panel that lets me view the hard disk partitions it doesn't seem than any of the partitions are different from when I started.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    6

    Re: Lost Data?

    What confuses me is that whatever I deleted, it showed up as clearing up space in My Computer on Windows. Does this imply that Ubuntu and Windows shared a partition?

    (Sorry for the noobish question.)
    Last edited by NormArchNo3; July 11th, 2011 at 04:44 AM. Reason: Addendum

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Texas
    Beans
    29,807
    Distro
    Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa

    Re: Lost Data?

    Quote Originally Posted by NormArchNo3 View Post
    Thanks for the fast reply!

    I don't think I reformatted any partitions myself. And using the program in Windows Control Panel that lets me view the hard disk partitions it doesn't seem than any of the partitions are different from when I started.
    Hi, the problem is that you are still using that system and you reinstalled ubuntu again which means you have written data to the drive, if you want to recover it, it could take days for the program to run and you would have to do it from a livecd and you can not use your system in the mean time, and it probably is to late since your have been writing data to that drive. Also I am not sure how it is affected by being a wubi install as far as using the livecd to recover the data, but I think you can do it, if you have not booted the computer since you lost your data.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Texas
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    29,807
    Distro
    Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa

    Re: Lost Data?

    Quote Originally Posted by NormArchNo3 View Post
    What confuses me is that whatever I deleted, it showed up as clearing up space in My Computer on Windows. Does this imply that Ubuntu and Windows shared a partition?

    (Sorry for the noobish question.)
    Hi, yes ubuntu is just another application that you installed into windows when you install it through wubi, that is why you can delete it like any other program.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    6

    Re: Lost Data?

    Quote Originally Posted by wildmanne39 View Post
    Hi, yes ubuntu is just another application that you installed into windows when you install it through wubi, that is why you can delete it like any other program.
    Thank you for clearing that up. That was the very misunderstanding that got me into this mess in the first place. >.>

    Oh well. Live and learn, I guess.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Texas
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    Distro
    Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa

    Re: Lost Data?

    Quote Originally Posted by NormArchNo3 View Post
    Thank you for clearing that up. That was the very misunderstanding that got me into this mess in the first place. >.>

    Oh well. Live and learn, I guess.
    Hi, your welcome, I am sorry that you lost your data, I just to not think from this point that you can retrieve it, or if you can just parts of it, and it would be difficult.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    6

    Re: Lost Data?

    Thanks for your help all. I managed to do it using a different partitioning software for Windows. Everything seems to work now.

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