[SOLVED] Newbie - NFTS files deleted - pre-installation problem

[luangwa]

In trying to install Ubuntu 8.04 I somehow managed to delete important files on my second harddrive. It happened when I merged two partitions on the drive and formatted for nfts. I assumed that the files on the nfts partition would remain untouched....BIG MISTAKE....should have back up files. Hind sight is always 20/20 but in the heat of moment:

I am running off of Ubuntu CD since I started thisI have downloaded Foremost with the hope of files recovery but I am unable to install it to a DVD. I get, I wasn't able to extract it from the tar file. TI kept getting "Can't find "burn///Foremost" is it that I need to use a CD? he reason that I was trying to extract to a DVD was to not write over the lost files on the second hard drive.

I wasn't able tried to download TestDisk to see if I could run it to resurrect the lost files but wasn't able to unload.

I have used the Gnome Terminal and added myself with administrative privelege so that I could use the sudo command.

Is there any way that I can recover the lost files as some of them were old scanned photo's for our genealogical records.(We no longer have the photo's so a rescan is out of the question.

I hope that there is a method to correct my error. Thanks :confused:

[logos34]

I wasn't able tried to download TestDisk to see if I could run it to resurrect the lost files but wasn't able to unload.

System>admin>software sources>enable universe repository

sudo apt-get install testdisk

sudo testdisk

...


Is there any way that I can recover the lost files as some of them were old scanned photo's for our genealogical records.(We no longer have the photo's so a rescan is out of the question.

If you just want to recover the files vs. the whole partition, try PhotoRec (http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec)

[tamoneya]

the easiest way to install testdisk is through terminal with apt-get. Run these commands:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install testdisk
gksudo testdisk

[luangwa]

Logos 34
Thanks for your response...Here is what I received when I typed the commands into the terminal.
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ System>admin>software sources>enable universe repository
bash: System: command not found
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo apt-get install testdisk
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Couldn't find package testdisk
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo testdisk
sudo: testdisk: command not found

I am running Ubuntu from the CD...afraid that it might install over the deleted files. I have added myself in the Users and Group with administrative priveledges.
Did I type in the System command file incorrectly.

[luangwa]

tamoneya
Thanks for your response..Here is what I received when I typed in the commands you sent.

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo apt-get update
Ign cdrom://Ubuntu 8.04.1 _Hardy Heron_ - Release i386 (20080702.1) hardy/main Translation-en_US
Ign cdrom://Ubuntu 8.04.1 _Hardy Heron_ - Release i386 (20080702.1) hardy/restricted Translation-en_US
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy Release.gpg
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Translation-en_US
Get:1 http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security Release.gpg [189B]
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/restricted Translation-en_US
Get:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates Release.gpg [189B]
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/restricted Translation-en_US
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy Release
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security/restricted Translation-en_US
Get:3 http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates Release [58.5kB]
Get:4 http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security Release [58.5kB]
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Packages
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/restricted Packages
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Sources
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/restricted Sources
Get:5 http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/main Packages [293kB]
Get:6 http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security/main Packages [51.8kB]
Get:7 http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security/restricted Packages [6636B]
Get:8 http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security/main Sources [11.9kB]
Get:9 http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security/restricted Sources [908B]
Get:10 http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/restricted Packages [6636B]
Get:11 http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/main Sources [84.8kB]
Get:12 http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/restricted Sources [908B]
Fetched 574kB in 4s (133kB/s)
Reading package lists... Done
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo apt-get install testdisk
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Couldn't find package testdisk
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ pksudo testdisk
bash: pksudo: command not found
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$


ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo apt-get update
Ign cdrom://Ubuntu 8.04.1 _Hardy Heron_ - Release i386 (20080702.1) hardy/main Translation-en_US
Ign cdrom://Ubuntu 8.04.1 _Hardy Heron_ - Release i386 (20080702.1) hardy/restricted Translation-en_US
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy Release.gpg
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Translation-en_US
Get:1 http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security Release.gpg [189B]
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/restricted Translation-en_US
Get:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates Release.gpg [189B]
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/restricted Translation-en_US
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy Release
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security/restricted Translation-en_US
Get:3 http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates Release [58.5kB]
Get:4 http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security Release [58.5kB]
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Packages
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/restricted Packages
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Sources
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/restricted Sources
Get:5 http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/main Packages [293kB]
Get:6 http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security/main Packages [51.8kB]
Get:7 http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security/restricted Packages [6636B]
Get:8 http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security/main Sources [11.9kB]
Get:9 http://security.ubuntu.com hardy-security/restricted Sources [908B]
Get:10 http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/restricted Packages [6636B]
Get:11 http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/main Sources [84.8kB]
Get:12 http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/restricted Sources [908B]
Fetched 574kB in 4s (133kB/s)
Reading package lists... Done
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo apt-get install testdisk
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Couldn't find package testdisk
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ pksudo testdisk
bash: pksudo: command not found
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$

I am running Ubuntu from the CD...afraid that it might install over the deleted files. I have added myself in the Users and Group with administrative priveledges.
Did I type in the System command file incorrectly.

[luangwa]

tamoyea

Sorry about the duplication...I only did the terminal commands once. I did not use the System command with your terminal instructions, I used the System command with the list of terminal instructions that logos34 had sent me.

Why aren't the terminal commands working

[logos34]

no, it's not a command, they're directions on the live cd desktop. The menus on the panel at the top>System>Admin(istration)....

Here's the exact command (I never use so don't remember it):

gksudo software-properties-gtk

[luangwa]

Thank you for your patience and help. I will try it again and let you know how the results.

[tamoneya]

tamoyea

Sorry about the duplication...I only did the terminal commands once. I did not use the System command with your terminal instructions, I used the System command with the list of terminal instructions that logos34 had sent me.

Why aren't the terminal commands working

its most likely because not all the repositories are enabled. Go into system-> admin -> software source. Make sure that everything is checked. I just tried it on my system and it found the package so it definitely exists. Then start from the apt-get update command.

EDIT: also please change the last command to "sudo testdisk"

[luangwa]

logus34

I was able to launch test disk. Here are the results of the test:


Disk /dev/sdb - 60 GB / 55 GiB - CHS 7300 255 63
Partition Start End Size in sectors
D HPFS - NTFS 0 1 1 7297 254 63 117242307
D HPFS - NTFS 0 1 1 7298 254 63 117258372
D HPFS - NTFS 0 1 10 3648 254 63 58621113
D Linux 3656 0 62 5333 254 63 26957009 [Linux]
D Linux 3656 1 1 5333 254 63 26957007 [Linux]
D HPFS - NTFS 3656 1 7 5333 254 63 26957001
D HPFS - NTFS 5333 254 63 7011 254 63 26957071
D Linux Swap 5334 1 1 5421 254 63 1413657
D HPFS - NTFS 5334 1 1 5421 254 63 1413657
D Linux 5422 0 1 7298 254 63 30154005
D HPFS - NTFS 5422 0 1 7298 254 63 30154005


Structure: Ok. Use Up/Down Arrow keys to select partition.
Use Left/Right Arrow keys to CHANGE partition characteristics:
*=Primary bootable P=Primary L=Logical E=Extended D=Deleted
Keys A: add partition, L: load backup, T: change type, P: list files,
Enter: to continue
NTFS found using backup sector!, 60 GB / 55 GiB

The drive was 60Gb and had two partitions, one was to be for Ubuntu. I believe the partitions were around. I don't know how to read the partition tables that were found. What is the next step?

[logos34]

Notice how some of those partitions overlap? You need to highlight the ones corresponding to your last partition table before you formatted and messed it up. Read the step by step and other docs over at Cg security. Also this:
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/p21.html