Ubuntu 14.04 - All files lost after reboot
 

Hi! I'm running Ubuntu 14.04 on an Acer Apire E11. I needed a VPN set up on my laptop for work (& the guy who did it wasn't very experienced with Linux), and after rebooting I lost all access to my personal files (all programs are fine though). Here is the general message I get when trying to access any docs/downloads/pics/vids/etc. (Basically me/* is non-existent. But Trash is fine... it's the only place I have any non-system/program-related files. Well, there and Home, where the files for the VPN are.)

When I check my HD memory usage, it's evident that the data wasn't wiped... it's here somewhere. I'm afraid that a path was accidentally deleted and I don't know what (if anything) I can do about it.

Pleasepleaseplease tell me I haven't lost everything!!!

Thank you!

Owkay....
There are more FUN ways to wake up :)
What I'd try is boot up with a live DVD/CD, mount the partition and see what's (still) there...
See if you can somehow get an external device in the mix and start to copy stuff...
I suspect the install of the VPN "kidnapped" the home folder as its own...
First off, see if you can get to some data. Fedora has great Live discs, Manjaro's live disc too: great, of course, Ubuntu too...
To mount (the hard way), in the console (root access needed, but, on a Live, I suspect you get that anyhow)
(info, first "ls" is to see if there is a folder you can mount on, usually there's a "media" or such...)
Example
(give or take some glitches, almost midnight here)
or, from that point, launch the graphical explorer that's ofered...
Good luck
Melissa

Thank you! No idea if I'll manage but so grateful for the hope! :)
It's late here as well, so I'm going to get some sleep before tackling this project but I have a few questions
- Ubuntu just came out with an upgrade (16.04); would upgrading from 14.04 "re-take" my home folder?
- Is there a way I could uninstall/remove the VPN or "take back" my home folder? (I couldn't care less what happens to the VPN - I just want my thiiiiiings!)
Again, thanks for the help!

No garantees there. Best try to back up what you can and then try to repair...
If you need a step by step, let me know, dont worry, this happens to the best of us....that's why I have an external drive and I use grsync to make the backups...before I unstall/upgrade... :)
Be wachin' ya...
Melissa

Yes, upgrade wont fix current situation. First find all your data that you can, backup it up and then try to fix the issues.

It *COULD* very well be something much simpler, based on what you posted. Question: did you connect to VPN *FIRST*, before noticing your files were gone??? Because if so...your VPN connection may have mounted your home directory on top of your existing folder. That is, the empty one on the VPN server mounted on top of the REAL one on your local drive. For example, if I have /home/mystuff with a pile of data in it, and I type in "mount /dev/sdb1 /home/mystuff", it'll use that mount-point (because it EXISTS), and dutifully redirect me to whatever that other device is. So when I go to /home/mystuff, I'll see the wrong info.

Type in "mount", and see what you get first, before running any live/recovery systems. Since you say the disk space is still occupied, the above scenario would make that true. Or, just boot in single-user mode, with no networking, and THEN look for your data.
...and THIS is why you make backups, right? :)

Please stop with posts like this. You only re-state(d) what others say, to try to get your spam-signature visible. As the "chief technical officer" for a company, shouldn't you know better?

I might need that step-by-step, although I don't know if I'm even there yet... I've been trying to get a live-boot of Ubuntu (Desktop) on USB and I keep getting error messages (using pendrivelinux's live-usb install and the ubuntu startup disk creator). I would say "f- it" and try to boot anyway, but I don't want to risk anything. Do you know if there's a certain flavour (Lubuntu? Xubuntu?) that would be easier to work with for this? (Full disclosure: I'm using a Kingston 8GB USB and I read a thread about this brand causing some problems, but I don't know if it's still an issue or not...)


hahaha...you can't imagine how much I hate myself right now...I totally deserve to sit in the town square holding a sign with "IDIOT" written on it :) but I can promise you this: NEVER AGAIN! 0/10 Do.Not.Recommend.(Not.Making.Backups.) ;)

Sorry! I just realized that I didn't answer your question in my previous post. I was connected to the VPN but it was behaving strangely: I don't know how to explain it, but I hadn't connected to it, but still had access to it... Neither I nor the guy who set it up had any clue what was going on. I then suggested I reboot, thinking it would "straighten out" whatever was going on. It was after this reboot that I saw all my files had disappeared.
I'll try out your suggestion and let you know. Thanks for the advice :)

Here's what I got when I typed in "mount". I really don't know my way around code, but the only references I see to anything that looks similar to what you're suggesting is the third to last line, that references media/maldebron... but would be happy to hear your take on it:

As for single-user booting with no networking, I don't understand... I'm the only user, when I reboot I'm simply prompted for my password and that's it... is there a key I can hit during boot that could take me "outside" my account?

Thanks again for the help :) :)

I'm being stupid and need to get to bed; that last bit is just the USB I've been trying to make bootable. I'm officially done for the day

No worries...ALL of us have been there. Usually more than once. :)

Try disconnecting the network TOTALLY, turning off Wifi, etc., and see if you can see your files. But something is telling here in what you posted about the "mount" command. Where are the files you're looking for? (the whole path). Because I don't see /home mounted ANYWHERE.....

I agree the last 2 lines of o/p look like the rescue usb.
This line may be the one
You wouldn't necessarily have /home as a mnt pt (I don't), so start from there ...
('/' is the 'root' of the Linux filesystem)

Really?? I typically always build my systems with /home elsewhere, so when/if I have to nuke the OS, I can format the one partition, and not have to shovel over all my data from backups. But that's just me...always more than one way to do it. :)

The thing that strikes me about this, is that the OP says the disk space is still used, but files not visible...after VPN activity. To me, that sounds like a mount-point has been 'stolen'....