12.04 lockup during file copy damaged uninvolved NTFS partition?

[OrionXIII]

While copying files from one device (ext4) to another (a VMware Ubuntu 10.04.4 LTS machine's ext4 partition - not the NTFS partition), my brand new installation of 12.04 LTS locked up completely. The only way to recover was to cycle the power.

After doing so, I am now unable to mount the NTFS partition. I'm greeted with:
"Error mounting: mount exited with exit code 13:$MFTMirr does not match $MFT (record 0).
Failed to mount '/dev/sda6': input/output error.
NTFS is either inconsistent, or there is a hardware fault, or it's a Soft/RAID/FakeRAID hardware..." (It's neither).
The source partition for the copy was an ext4 file system on /dev/sda5, the destination was the above-mentioned VMware machine on /dev/sda5 as well.

Is there any way to recover this partition without removing the drive and plugging it into a Windows machine, as the directions recommend? I have decades worth of photographs and programming code on this partition. And as I'm in the process of a full-rebuild of my systems and had just decided everything was nice and stable, had of course gotten rid of my backups prior to making new ones.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Orion

[darkod]

I know it doesn't help much, but I have to say I don't understand your setup. You have only ubuntu without windows, and you decided to keep a ntfs data partition instead of copying the data on ext4 partition and use the full benefits of it, including running fsck to fix potential issues that might come up. I understand ntfs data partition in a dual boot, so you can access data from both OSs, but on a linux only system?

You can't run chkdsk from linux, so the only thing on my mind right now is to get either a win7 rescue cd or install dvd, or win xp install cd, boot with it to get access to the Recovery Console, and run chkdsk from there. I think win7 rescue cd would be better, since XP might allow you to repair only existing installations, while the win7 cd offers to open command prompt from which you should be able to chkdsk a ntfs partition even when there is no windows OS on it.

[OrionXIII]

I have the NTFS partition so that I can mount it in a Windows 7 virtual machine - not yet installed...BOY am I regretting that decision.

Looks like I'm going to have to get creative on attaching that beasty to a Windows install, huh?

Dangit.

Once I do, I think I'll ditch the NTFS and get back to pure ext4 - I have a very mixed set of networked computers (everything from Win95 on up, basically)...

Orion

[OrionXIII]

Well, I'm giving up on Ubuntu and going back to Windows 7.

I'll mark the thread 'SOLVED' as my solution is to abandon the Ubuntu 12+ series entirely. I'll still use Ubuntu 10.04.4 LTS in a VMware environment, but after the last few days experiences with Ubuntu, I give up on it.

It's just too unstable. That was my primary requirement of an OS - stability. Reliability. And 12.X has failed that utterly.

Thanks for the help! Hopefully when I get 7 up, chkdsk/f will be able to recover my files.

Orion

[OrionXIII]

Drive and contents were fine.

The problem was that Ubuntu 12.04 wouldn't read the drive it created.

Windows 7 had no problem reading the drive and the files were recovered. Ubuntu remains abandoned as a primary OS.

Orion

[oldfred]

Just for reference.

The NTFS driver does not open NTFS partitions that need chkdsk to prevent further error that then chkdsk would not be able to fix. That is for your protection.

Windows does not automatically run chkdsk as often or always when needed.

Any power shutdown may cause corruption in any file system with open files. With Ubuntu you run fsck or e2fsck and with Windows you run chkdsk after forced shutdowns.

With Ubuntu if you can remember the elephants you can get the system to normally close even when locked up.

Holding down Alt and SysRq (which is the Print Screen key) while slowly typing REISUB
R-E-I-S-U-B to force shutdown
A good way to remember it is.
Raising Skinny Elephants Is Utterly Boring ...or
Reboot System Even If Ultimately Broken ...LOL.
http://kember.net/articles/reisub-the-gentle-linux-restart/

should do a clean reboot.
R gives back control of the keyboard, S issues a sync, E sends all processes but init the term signal, I sends all processes but init the kill signal, U mounts all filesystem ro to prevent a fsck at reboot, B reboots the system

[OrionXIII]

That ROCKS!!

I LOVE that acronym and it's one I'd never heard before - thank you!!

Orion