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s2005 02-18-2012 03:26 PM

Trying Ubuntu, Broke Windows, Please help! :(
 
So, I'll start at the beginning. I have a Micro-SD card that got corrupted and I wanted the files off of it. I read that there was no way to do it, and I'd have to format it. :( I found this unacceptable. I read deeper. Somewhere I read that it could be done in Linux. I have an old BackTrack3 disk, and I tinkered around in there with it. I read that I'd need something more. I got Ubuntu 11.1 (I think that's the version).

I tinkered around in Ubuntu trying commands that I found on forums to repair the "superblock." I'd like to mention here, that I am NOT good at Linux. I have only ever used it to recover deleted files on a hard drive, and to crack a WEP key a long time ago. I am worse than a noobie, as I soon proved to myself.

I had to go to work, so I gave up on the Micro-SD card temporarily. I shut down. Upon coming home, I wanted to play some Star Wars:TOR, so I booted up, and now my Windows won't boot. It goes all the way to the graphic (the swirly windows symbol), starts the graphic, and then blue screens for a fraction of a second, and reboots. I tried booting in recover mode, I tried the Windows disk, nothing will repair it.

I loaded Ubuntu back up (from CD) and have been trying a few commands, but I have no idea what I am doing. I am probably causing more damage than good.

$fdisk -l
Quote:

Disk /dev/sdc: 90.0 GB, 90028302336 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 10945 cylinders, total 175836528 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Disk /dev/sdc doesn't contain a valid partition table
This is the drive. It's a 90GB OCZ-Agility3 SSD. I'm using Win7x64.

Also, to note, it does not show up at all in my Home Folder. I have 2 other drives that do show up.

Quote:

*-disk:1
description: ATA Disk
product: OCZ-AGILITY3
physical id: 0.0.0
bus info: scsi@8:0.0.0
logical name: /dev/sdc
version: 2.15
serial: OCZ-44MSYHT4Z73OZ5IA
size: 83GiB (90GB)
configuration: ansiversion=5
In summary, I have no idea what to try. I don't know what I broke. I can remember most of the commands I attempted, and I think I was using the wrong /dev.

k3lt01 02-18-2012 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s2005 (Post 4606070)
I loaded Ubuntu back up (from CD) and have been trying a few commands, but I have no idea what I am doing. I am probably causing more damage than good.

I dare say you have accidentally wipe the disc, thus the "Disk /dev/sdc doesn't contain a valid partition table" report.

s2005 02-18-2012 03:56 PM

:( oh no! please tell me that isn't true...

Is there any way to get the info back off that drive?

Or get it to list what is on it? Maybe show used blocks...? I don't know these Linux commands :(

EDDY1 02-18-2012 04:16 PM

Even though u feel that you wiped the disk & are getting sdc doesn't have a valid partition table try mounting the drive & see if there are any files on it that are recoverable.
Depending on what level of disk wipe you did gparted-live-cd has testdisk on it you may be able to recover some of your files from there.

s2005 02-18-2012 04:18 PM

I don't know how to mount a drive... I know very little about Linux :(

Aut/Geek 02-18-2012 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s2005 (Post 4606095)
:( oh no! please tell me that isn't true...

Is there any way to get the info back off that drive?

Or get it to list what is on it? Maybe show used blocks...? I don't know these Linux commands :(

s2005,
if it is as k3lt01 says [to put it another way,that the disk is FUBAR] there are actualy programs available which recover wiped disks,am remembering from memory but think the forensic section in back track [well in the latest version anyway] possibly had such a program but may be entirely wrong.

am not familiar of specific brand names for these programs,apart from recuva on windows but that was trash and never found one file of mine though that was just an accidental delete from within windows.
google something like 'hard disk partition recovery open source',one search that came up was clonezilla,have had it on a number of distros for cloning but never used it-also never knew recovered whole disks let alone specific partitions,so it may be worth a go; have a read into it- http://clonezilla.org/

also,slightly offtopic but dont be so hard on self about making a mistake,cant say have personaly known any linux newbie who has ever known what cracking WEP keys involved let alone what it means,so that is having one over a lot of people. :hattip:
everyone makes screwups it comes with the risk of using linux et al; which all offer us freedom over autopilot,we need to screw up to learn dont we?

if are setting up a windows partition again [assuming have got the disks] install a virtual machine and a linux/s that matches spec,its very good for practicing with as any screwups only mess up the virtual partition which can be easily recovered or-wiped and restarted.

s2005 02-18-2012 04:43 PM

Thanks Aut.

However, I don't think I can go solid Linux... I enjoy lots of PC gaming. I don't like Wine. Starwars:TOR and WoW won't run on Linux native :(

k3lt01 02-18-2012 04:46 PM

As Eddy say's try to mount it, if you are using Linux boot with it connected and it will hopefully see it is available and then try to see what is still on it.

There are programs available but I'm not sure if the ones I have should be advertised on LQ, suffice to say I obtained them through a program on the Pendrivelinux website.

All you can do is try, there are people here willing to help when and where they can.

@Aut/Geek, I thought that to about the cracking WEP.

s2005 02-18-2012 04:55 PM

Thanks again guys for all the helpful info!

I'm trying testdisk right now... neat bit of software, but so far no luck... :(

barnac1e 02-18-2012 07:19 PM

Here's my two cents.

Take either that Backtrack CD or Ubuntu, pop it in. Get to a command line somehow, anyway will work.

When you see "xxxxxx@ubuntulive$ or whatever it will say,

type sudo parted

If it then says <parted>, your in.

Then simply type print all

If you see anything remotely close to that sccard come up, it will tell you or should.

Anyway, if not, type mktable /dev/sdb

and see what it says. If it warns you, say okay. If it gives error, try mktable /dev/sdc

If you still get errors or "not found", you may be out of luck. however, if you see <label type>?, type msdos or it may fat then if you see <file type? [ext2] pop up, just type vfat and hit enter and you should be good to go.

I must warn you, if you use parted, it does not play around so don't make any typos, okay? Be careful. It's real time but it works best of anything.

EDDY1 02-18-2012 07:44 PM

Not to stir up confusion but the OP is posting from linux machine, so I think any help u offer will be beneficial, as any help will preserve the linux os or be recoverable
Quote:

There are programs available but I'm not sure if the ones I have should be advertised on LQ, suffice to say I obtained them through a program on the Pendrivelinux website.

barnac1e 02-18-2012 08:20 PM

Oh I see, yes I had only read the first couple of paragraphs there,

I agree with an earlier post about using Clonezilla, that Aut/Geek mentioned. Clone the whole drive before anything gets worse or better...

syg00 02-18-2012 08:24 PM

Seems you have (at least) a couple of problems.

a) The SDcard:
With the disk id being zeroes, looks like you wiped the card. Would also explain the invalid (as in non-existent) partition table. Testdisk, which is very good, will be unable to help if you really did zero the disk. It looks for "signatures" for partitions and files. You won't have any. This also precludes using a "data carving" forensic tool like foremost.

b) Windows boot problem:
This should be unrelated, but who'd bet against it ?. Hard to know what was done to the other two disks, and even if we did, recovery would be difficult. Re-install maybe ?.

k3lt01 02-18-2012 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EDDY1 (Post 4606223)
Not to stir up confusion but the OP is posting from linux machine, so I think any help u offer will be beneficial, as any help will preserve the linux os or be recoverable

I didn't actually take any notice of what type of OS he was using after he said in his post he was using a Windows 7 machine. My concern, after already being warned for certain behaviours, is that it would be deemed inappropriate and also that the OP could cause more damage using such tools.

PendriveLinux has a list of programs to create bootable usb drives. Some of these programs have the ability to download and install anything from a Linux iso to security iso to cracking isos. I have personally used multisystem and know it can do this I have also used Yumi and it was able to do it to.

Be very careful with tools like the ones supplied, or downloadable, with these programs.


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