[Wubi] How to restore the files on root.disk

Aderiod · 08-21-2011, 08:52 AM

Thanks to Wubi, I had been running Ubuntu 10.04 (Wubi) inside windows-XP. A couple of days ago, however, I installed linux-image-2.6.32-34-generic binary package on my Ubuntu 10.04 (updated the kernel) and, if I remember correctly, it was working fine after the reboot. However, later that same day I left my laptop to run on battery power and it must have shut itself down after the battery runs out of power, I suppose. Since then I have encountered the problem I haven't resolved yet.

I can boot into Windows but when I select Ubuntu the boot loader directly goes to grup prompt. As usual I have booted with the Linux LiveCD and tried to mount the root.disk to have access to the files I am dieing to retrieve everything I have been working on for the last three months which I have not done any backup for. This time the old trick, mount -o loop, failed to get me through. The procedure and the error output are shown below.
________________________________________________

Code:

ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ sudo su
root@ubuntu:~# mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
root@ubuntu:~# mkdir /vdisk
root@ubuntu:~# mount -o loop /mnt/ubuntu/disks/root.disk /vdisk
mount: you must specify the filesystem type

Then following the error report I tried to mount with option -t and I got the following

__________________________________________________ ______________

Code:

root@ubuntu:~# mount -o loop -t ext2 /mnt/ubuntu/disks/root.disk /vdisk/
mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/loop1,
       missing codepage or helper program, or other error
       In some cases useful info is found in syslog - try
       dmesg | tail  or so

Then with "dmesg | tail"

__________________________________________________ ________________

Code:

root@ubuntu:~# dmesg | tail 
[ 1519.953117] sd 4:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 0
[ 1520.276203] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] 3919872 512-byte logical blocks: (2.00 GB/1.86 GiB)
[ 1520.276809] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
[ 1520.276814] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 23 00 00 00
[ 1520.276817] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
[ 1520.279179] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
[ 1520.279184]  sdb: sdb1
[ 1520.283306] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
[ 1520.283315] sd 4:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk
[ 7921.951728] VFS: Can't find an ext2 filesystem on dev loop1.

Since I have never encountered such a mega-scaled disaster, I have already started to freak out. I could not find any workaround to get past this problem. The worst part of all this circumstance is that I have been preparing a beamer presentation that must be finished in a few days time.

Hoping to find a quick help, I have visited number of web sites but I only found one suggestion mentioned on few forums saying that I have to run boot script that can be downloaded from http://bootinfoscript.sourceforge.net/ and then post the output in this forum. I did everything and I posted whatever written in the RESULT.txt file below:

Code:

                  Boot Info Script 0.60    from 17 May 2011


============================= Boot Info Summary: ===============================

 => Windows is installed in the MBR of /dev/sda.

sda1: __________________________________________________________________________

    File system:       ntfs
    Boot sector type:  Windows XP
    Boot sector info:   No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
    Operating System:  Windows XP
    Boot files:        /boot.ini /ntldr /ntdetect.com /wubildr 
                       /ubuntu/winboot/wubildr /wubildr.mbr 
                       /ubuntu/winboot/wubildr.mbr /ubuntu/disks/root.disk 
                       /ubuntu/disks/swap.disk /boot/grub/core.img

sda1/Wubi: _____________________________________________________________________

    File system:       
    Boot sector type:  Unknown
    Boot sector info:  
    Mounting failed:   mount: unknown filesystem type ''

sda2: __________________________________________________________________________

    File system:       vfat
    Boot sector type:  Unknown
    Boot sector info:   No errors found in the Boot Parameter Block.
    Operating System:  
    Boot files:        /boot.ini /ntldr /NTDETECT.COM /wubildr /wubildr.mbr

============================ Drive/Partition Info: =============================

Drive: sda _____________________________________________________________________

Disk /dev/sda: 60.0 GB, 60011642880 bytes
240 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7752 cylinders, total 117210240 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Partition  Boot  Start Sector    End Sector  # of Sectors  Id System

/dev/sda1    *             63   105,855,119   105,855,057   7 NTFS / exFAT / HPFS
/dev/sda2         105,855,183   117,210,239    11,355,057   c W95 FAT32 (LBA)


"blkid" output: ________________________________________________________________

Device           UUID                                   TYPE       LABEL

/dev/loop0                                              squashfs   
/dev/ramzswap0                                          swap       
/dev/sda1        CE400F5F400F4DA1                       ntfs       
/dev/sda2        4C6C-62B8                              vfat       HP_RECOVERY

================================ Mount points: =================================

Device           Mount_Point              Type       Options

/dev/loop0       /rofs                    squashfs   (ro,noatime)
/dev/sr1         /cdrom                   iso9660    (ro,noatime)


================================ sda1/boot.ini: ================================

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[boot loader]

timeout=30

default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

C:\wubildr.mbr = "Ubuntu"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

=================== sda1: Location of files loaded by Grub: ====================

           GiB - GB             File                                 Fragment(s)

            ?? = ??             boot/grub/core.img                             1

================================ sda2/boot.ini: ================================

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[boot loader]

timeout=0

default=C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT

[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons

C:\wubildr.mbr = "Ubuntu"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

======================== Unknown MBRs/Boot Sectors/etc: ========================

Unknown BootLoader on sda1/Wubi

00000000  80 81 e8 03 39 01 00 00  b0 9e 42 4e b1 9e 42 4e  |....9.....BN..BN|
00000010  b1 9e 42 4e 00 00 00 00  e8 03 01 00 08 00 00 00  |..BN............|
00000020  00 00 08 00 01 00 00 00  0a f3 01 00 04 00 00 00  |................|
00000030  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  01 00 00 00 c8 83 5c 00  |..............\.|
00000040  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |................|
*
00000060  00 00 00 00 90 87 62 a2  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |......b.........|
00000070  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |................|
00000080  1c 00 00 00 c4 44 22 41  fc 42 0f 2e 48 98 65 e0  |.....D"A.B..H.e.|
00000090  b0 9e 42 4e 48 98 65 e0  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |..BNH.e.........|
000000a0  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |................|
*
00000100  80 81 e8 03 8d 00 00 00  ed c5 4a 4e ac 42 3e 4e  |..........JN.B>N|
00000110  ac 42 3e 4e 00 00 00 00  e8 03 01 00 08 00 00 00  |.B>N............|
00000120  00 00 08 00 01 00 00 00  0a f3 01 00 04 00 00 00  |................|
00000130  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  01 00 00 00 a7 68 1f 00  |.............h..|
00000140  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |................|
*
00000160  00 00 00 00 4d ab 6a 15  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |....M.j.........|
00000170  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |................|
00000180  1c 00 00 00 40 96 3a 37  40 b1 91 32 5c 2a 29 35  |....@.:7@..2\*)5|
00000190  ac 42 3e 4e 40 b1 91 32  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |.B>N@..2........|
000001a0  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |................|
*
00000200

Unknown BootLoader on sda2

00000000  e9 a7 00 52 45 43 4f 56  45 52 59 00 02 08 20 00  |...RECOVERY... .|
00000010  02 00 00 00 00 f8 00 00  3f 00 f0 00 cf 38 4f 06  |........?....8O.|
00000020  b0 43 ad 00 3c 2b 00 00  00 00 00 00 02 00 00 00  |.C..<+..........|
00000030  01 00 06 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  |................|
00000040  80 00 29 b8 62 6c 4c 20  20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20  |..).blL         |
00000050  20 20 46 41 54 33 32 20  20 20 8b d0 c1 e2 02 80  |  FAT32   ......|
00000060  e6 01 66 c1 e8 07 66 3b  46 f8 74 2a 66 89 46 f8  |..f...f;F.t*f.F.|
00000070  66 03 46 f4 66 0f b6 5e  28 80 e3 0f 74 0f 3a 5e  |f.F.f..^(...t.:^|
00000080  10 0f 83 90 00 66 0f af  5e 24 66 03 c3 bb e0 07  |.....f..^$f.....|
00000090  b9 01 00 e8 cf 00 8b da  66 8b 87 00 7e 66 25 ff  |........f...~f%.|
000000a0  ff ff 0f 66 3d f8 ff ff  0f c3 33 c9 8e d9 8e c1  |...f=.....3.....|
000000b0  8e d1 66 bc f4 7b 00 00  bd 00 7c 66 0f b6 46 10  |..f..{....|f..F.|
000000c0  66 f7 66 24 66 0f b7 56  0e 66 03 56 1c 66 89 56  |f.f$f..V.f.V.f.V|
000000d0  f4 66 03 c2 66 89 46 fc  66 c7 46 f8 ff ff ff ff  |.f..f.F.f.F.....|
000000e0  66 8b 46 2c 66 50 e8 af  00 bb 70 00 b9 01 00 e8  |f.F,fP....p.....|
000000f0  73 00 bf 00 07 b1 0b be  a9 7d f3 a6 74 2a 03 f9  |s........}..t*..|
00000100  83 c7 15 81 ff 00 09 72  ec 66 40 4a 75 db 66 58  |.......r.f@Ju.fX|
00000110  e8 47 ff 72 cf be b4 7d  ac 84 c0 74 09 b4 0e bb  |.G.r...}...t....|
00000120  07 00 cd 10 eb f2 cd 19  66 58 ff 75 09 ff 75 0f  |........fX.u..u.|
00000130  66 58 bb 00 20 66 83 f8  02 72 da 66 3d f8 ff ff  |fX.. f...r.f=...|
00000140  0f 73 d2 66 50 e8 50 00  0f b6 4e 0d e8 16 00 c1  |.s.fP.P...N.....|
00000150  e1 05 03 d9 66 58 53 e8  00 ff 5b 72 d8 8a 56 40  |....fXS...[r..V@|
00000160  ea 00 00 00 20 66 60 66  6a 00 66 50 53 6a 00 66  |.... f`fj.fPSj.f|
00000170  68 10 00 01 00 8b f4 b8  00 42 8a 56 40 cd 13 be  |h........B.V@...|
00000180  c7 7d 72 94 67 83 44 24  06 20 66 67 ff 44 24 08  |.}r.g.D$. fg.D$.|
00000190  e2 e3 83 c4 10 66 61 c3  66 48 66 48 66 0f b6 56  |.....fa.fHfHf..V|
000001a0  0d 66 f7 e2 66 03 46 fc  c3 4e 54 4c 44 52 20 20  |.f..f.F..NTLDR  |
000001b0  20 20 20 20 0d 0a 4e 6f  20 53 79 73 74 65 6d 20  |    ..No System |
000001c0  44 69 73 6b 20 6f 72 0d  0a 44 69 73 6b 20 49 2f  |Disk or..Disk I/|
000001d0  4f 20 65 72 72 6f 72 0d  0a 50 72 65 73 73 20 61  |O error..Press a|
000001e0  20 6b 65 79 20 74 6f 20  72 65 73 74 61 72 74 0d  | key to restart.|
000001f0  0a 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 55 aa  |..............U.|
00000200

Please some one out there tell me I have not completely lost my files in the root.disk. Because I am worried that it might have been formated by accident wiping our everything.

Thank you

business_kid · 08-22-2011, 04:08 AM

If you get thrown into that very uncooperative grub shell, it means that grub can't find startup files. Do you see a grub menu? Did you? The kernel update might have added an extra entry which isn't right. I would print this stuff, http://linux-sxs.org/administration/grub-cmd.html
presume the problem is a grub problem and have a go. In particular, I would try
root <have a guess> remember 'root' is /boot
kernel /vmlinuz[tab]
initrd /initrd[tab]

or whatever names ubuntu uses for those system parts. If it autocompletes, you might actually get going.

rokytnji · 08-22-2011, 04:55 AM

The Wubi megathread may have some pointers also.