Ninja Ubuntu Laptop Vanish: How Can I Remotely Undelete?
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Ninja Ubuntu Laptop Vanish: How Can I Remotely Undelete?
When I had a bunch of video programs running, as my Ubuntu (operating system) HP dual-core laptop froze, I forced my computer off (via holding on the power button for around 20 seconds until it turned off).
When I turned my laptop back on, my files were gone, my preferences were gone, my operating system (Ubuntu 11.10) was gone and replaced with Ubuntu 10.04, the name of the computer was changed from Joey Arnold's computer to some random numbers and letters, the fiilesystem was different, my previous partitions were gone and replaced with new ones, and my 120 GB hard drive suddenly went from around 15 GBs of free space to around 80 GBs of free space.
I can connect my laptop to my Ubuntu desktop via an ethernet cable wire. I know how to get online from the desktop via the ethernet attached to my laptop, being that my laptop can get wireless internet.
However, I don't know how to remotely undelete. I don't even know how to transfer files from my laptop to my desktop.
I need to restore over 80 GBs or so of data and I hear that it is better to undelete, to save, to restore, lost data onto a different hard drive.
This seems to be my only option.
I know how to use the terminal. Perhps there is a way to CD, to Change Directories, to go from my laptop and into my desktop via ethernet, and vice versa. Perhaps there is a program or a command that allows for the option for where u want to restore a undeleted file to, because I see that there are options for what folders you want to restore lost data to, so why not restore to a folder in a different computer connected via ethernet or wireless?
Last edited by JoeyArnold; 09-27-2011 at 04:18 PM.
IMO you should have given the OS more time to "recover" instead of forcing it to power off. (If you have to, and if the keyboard still works, at least try ALT-PRN-S; ALT-PRN-U; ALT-PRN-B; key combos to stand a chance of syncing the file systems before rebooting.) Do you have any backups? BTW after such failures never boot the laptop trying to access the OS. If you do that you'll disturb the file system only more, leading to diminished chance of recovery (if at all possible). Best way to proceed IMO would be to first make a backup before doing anything else (shouldn't need to explain why). Attach a large enough external USB storage device, boot an installer or Live CD (KNOPPIX or Helix) and use 'dd' (dd_rescue, ddrescue, dcfldd, etc, etc) to make a copy of the drive to a file on the external disk. (Sure you could do this over ethernet running netcat on both sides but using USB or Firewire is less error-prone and provides quicker throughput.) After making a backup you can use 'testdisk /debug /log /list /path/to/image' (adjust path) to list what it thinks its partitions are and post the log here.
IMO you should have given the OS more time to "recover" instead of forcing it to power off. (If you have to, and if the keyboard still works, at least try ALT-PRN-S; ALT-PRN-U; ALT-PRN-B; key combos to stand a chance of syncing the file systems before rebooting.) Do you have any backups? BTW after such failures never boot the laptop trying to access the OS. If you do that you'll disturb the file system only more, leading to diminished chance of recovery (if at all possible). Best way to proceed IMO would be to first make a backup before doing anything else (shouldn't need to explain why). Attach a large enough external USB storage device, boot an installer or Live CD (KNOPPIX or Helix) and use 'dd' (dd_rescue, ddrescue, dcfldd, etc, etc) to make a copy of the drive to a file on the external disk. (Sure you could do this over ethernet running netcat on both sides but using USB or Firewire is less error-prone and provides quicker throughput.) After making a backup you can use 'testdisk /debug /log /list /path/to/image' (adjust path) to list what it thinks its partitions are and post the log here.
You said USB and/or firewire has quicker throughput than ethernet? How much faster?
Why is doing the recovery via USB or firewire less error-prone than ethernet or wireless?
I've never heard of all that bad stuff happening, like the OS version changing. Is somebody playing a prank on you? Did they knock you out and replace your computer?
I've never heard of all that bad stuff happening, like the OS version changing. Is somebody playing a prank on you? Did they knock you out and replace your computer?
I bought my HP dual-core Ubuntu laptop at Free Geek (http://FreeGeek.org). They say that my problem has something to do with this OEM-Config file. They say that it is sort of like a reset button. That it probably got messed up or activated, which causes the computer to reset.
It might cost money to get a professional to fix my computer. I have no money. I have no job. I live with my dad. I am 26 years old. I live in Forest Grove, Oregon. I can't connect a hard drive via USB or firewire. I only have this Ubuntu desktop that I connect to via ethernet.
Can Ubuntu desktops get viruses? How else could a prank occur?
Last edited by JoeyArnold; 09-28-2011 at 10:11 AM.
Try getting a live cd, like ubuntu for example, and boot from that. If you can do that, then you can mount the important partitions from your disk, and see if they look okay. You should also be able to mount an external hard drive while using the live cd. Then you can copy your important data over to the external hard drive, fix your computer, and copy the data back.
Try getting a live cd, like ubuntu for example, and boot from that. If you can do that, then you can mount the important partitions from your disk, and see if they look okay. You should also be able to mount an external hard drive while using the live cd. Then you can copy your important data over to the external hard drive, fix your computer, and copy the data back.
My only external hard drive is my desktop via ethernet.
Do you know if I should download SSH for my desktop and laptop?
Try getting a live cd, like ubuntu for example, and boot from that. If you can do that, then you can mount the important partitions from your disk, and see if they look okay. You should also be able to mount an external hard drive while using the live cd. Then you can copy your important data over to the external hard drive, fix your computer, and copy the data back.
On my laptop, I don't know how to mount my only external hard drive, which is in my desktop, via ethernet cable wire.
I've never heard of all that bad stuff happening, like the OS version changing. Is somebody playing a prank on you? Did they knock you out and replace your computer?
I know for a fact that it wasn't that kind of prank. My computer froze. I forced it off. I know I shouldn't have been that impatient. In my life, I've waited hours before when a computer became frozen. I didn't want to wait. None of the keys were working. The keyboard and the mouse was frozen. None of the short cuts were working. I don't know about all of the tricks, codes, shortcuts, for unfreezing a computer, but I do know the lights were not working. The cap locks wouldn't light on or off when you press on it.
When I turned the computer back on, just seconds after that, everything was gone.
Unless if aliens paused time and then replaced my computer. If not, then it wasn't that kind of prank. I was there the whole time. Nobody else uses my laptop ever. But I did buy this Ubuntu laptop used at Free Geek: http://FreeGeek.org. It probably originally had Windows on it once if that matters at all.
Last edited by JoeyArnold; 09-28-2011 at 11:44 PM.
IMO you should have given the OS more time to "recover" instead of forcing it to power off. (If you have to, and if the keyboard still works, at least try ALT-PRN-S; ALT-PRN-U; ALT-PRN-B; key combos to stand a chance of syncing the file systems before rebooting.) Do you have any backups? BTW after such failures never boot the laptop trying to access the OS. If you do that you'll disturb the file system only more, leading to diminished chance of recovery (if at all possible). Best way to proceed IMO would be to first make a backup before doing anything else (shouldn't need to explain why). Attach a large enough external USB storage device, boot an installer or Live CD (KNOPPIX or Helix) and use 'dd' (dd_rescue, ddrescue, dcfldd, etc, etc) to make a copy of the drive to a file on the external disk. (Sure you could do this over ethernet running netcat on both sides but using USB or Firewire is less error-prone and provides quicker throughput.) After making a backup you can use 'testdisk /debug /log /list /path/to/image' (adjust path) to list what it thinks its partitions are and post the log here.
I don't know the difference between Knoppix and Helix.
IMO you should have given the OS more time to "recover" instead of forcing it to power off. (If you have to, and if the keyboard still works, at least try ALT-PRN-S; ALT-PRN-U; ALT-PRN-B; key combos to stand a chance of syncing the file systems before rebooting.) Do you have any backups? BTW after such failures never boot the laptop trying to access the OS. If you do that you'll disturb the file system only more, leading to diminished chance of recovery (if at all possible). Best way to proceed IMO would be to first make a backup before doing anything else (shouldn't need to explain why). Attach a large enough external USB storage device, boot an installer or Live CD (KNOPPIX or Helix) and use 'dd' (dd_rescue, ddrescue, dcfldd, etc, etc) to make a copy of the drive to a file on the external disk. (Sure you could do this over ethernet running netcat on both sides but using USB or Firewire is less error-prone and provides quicker throughput.) After making a backup you can use 'testdisk /debug /log /list /path/to/image' (adjust path) to list what it thinks its partitions are and post the log here.
If I want to save my laptop, can I connect my laptop to my desktop via ethernet, then on my desktop, go into the terminal and use the dd-rescue commands to undelete my laptop files and have them recovered into a folder of my choosing, a place of my choosing, even if that place is remote via ethernet, even if that place is my desktop computer?
I know Test Disk. I have used it before several times. I don't think I have ever used dd-rescue or dcfldd, or what else is there?
Should I try NetCat then? Is that the only program that can restore via ethernet?
Try getting a live cd, like ubuntu for example, and boot from that. If you can do that, then you can mount the important partitions from your disk, and see if they look okay. You should also be able to mount an external hard drive while using the live cd. Then you can copy your important data over to the external hard drive, fix your computer, and copy the data back.
I might not have a live Ubuntu CD. Can you get me one?
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