My NTFS partition got corrupted. I think this is for experts.

[danielshoes]

Folks, I am in trouble and need help desperately. My NTFS partition got corrupted and I can not access it. Here is the story. Follow me:

I have a S7 mobo (FIC PA-2013). Its bios recognizes my 30Gb drive as a 512Mb (around this value). However, besides this, I was ever able to install any version of Windows and use all the 30Gb normally (don't ask me how it worked). These days I was using W2K. In fact, my Partition Magic ever advised about some kind of disk geometry issue, but I never was suficiently bold to apply the "fixes", once it ever worked fine that way. Why to fix something that is working fine? Sometimes the software is dumb and trying to correct it may destroy it definetely.

Well, today I was installing a new Linux version on my second drive, a 20Gb drive (this second one, smaller, was correctly recognized into the bios). During the partitioning session, the Linux had detected the geometry issue on the first drive, with some strange error messages. I choosed to ignore and proceeded with the install, selecting LILO to be placed in /BOOT directory, leaving my MBR intact, because I use a boot manager (XOSL boot manager).

After reboot, my boot manager wasn't able to boot my NTFS partition anymore. I've entered in Win98 (on the second drive) and checked the first drive with PM. The partition hex code remained the same 0x07 (NTFS code), but it was shown as a non formatted partition and the data was not shown filling the partition bar.

So I run the W2K install cd to try a recovery, but it returned me a message like "unrepairable error" (I am trying to translate, because is is in portuguese).

It seems that the Linux install has changed something in my NTFS partition, damaging it. The partition size also looks the same. I suppose the data is still there, untouched, but I have absolutely no idea about what to do now to correct the problem. A few days ago, a friend of mine had accidentally formatted the wrong partition and we were able to get back the data with a recovery tool. Now, things are a little bit different, because the partition had its integrity corrupted and is inacessible. Things get worse because it is NTFS, not FAT32/16.

My god, what to do now?!!! All my university stuff was there!
Who knows a way to fix this problem without having to pay a recovery company to get back my data?
Any help is unmeasurebly valuable!

 

[fastcobra]

hmm, sounds like a BIG problem.
Try installing win2k on that 20 gig drive as master, and your old win2k install as slave, then see if you are able to access your data.
Suggestion..?.. make sure you have backups of data, or at least know what you are getting into BEFORE this happens again,
Good luck...

 

[danielshoes]

I don't believe it is gonna work. I think the 30Gb drive is inacessible anyway. I've tried this by using the W2K console (during the repair procedure), but it returns a message telling that it has "unrepairable errors". I think this situation requires something deeper, using some recovery tools that I don't know where to find or use, when the partition is corrupted. But thank you for the suggestion.

 

[Woodie]

bump for some help for a buddy...

--Hi Daniel

 

[obenton]

Perhaps related to BIOS settings - how drive was configured in BIOS when it was installed, how it is now perceived by BIOS and OS, and what might have been changed. There might now be a discrepency.

 

[danielshoes]

obenton, bios settings remain untouched. The fact is that my bios recognizes the drive correctly as a 30Gb drive. So I save and exit CMOS, but after reboot, it strangely swithces to a 503Mb drive. If I go into the SETUP again, the 503Mb setting will be displayed. No matter how many times I re-recognize it as a 30Gb drive, it always switch back to 503Mb. I've tried bios updates, no success. Anyway, it was working fine for years. Windows recognizes and use all 30Gb normally (don't ask me how!).

The point is: Something happened during the Linux install, modifying something that souldn't has to be modified in my weird configuration, and making my NTFS, unbootable unaccessible and unrecognizable. The space is there (looks the same size) and the data (or most of all, I suppose) is still there. The partition code remais "0x07" (NTFS), but it seems it was resized or had its limits changed, something like that. I don't know.

Oh... I haven't formatted that partition, before anybody ask it. I am not so newbie...

I don't know what to do and have many important data floating in space, inside that partition.
HELP PLEASE!

 

[obenton]

What I would do, at this point, is, as was suggested, slave the drive in a w2k system and try to save the important data.

 

[danielshoes]

Thanks again, obenton, but it will not work. The partition is not accessible. It is corrupted. Win2K installation CD is not able to find any Win2k folders in order to overwrite the first one. See, I type DIR in Win2k console and the folders can not be seen. It does returns a message telling that the partition contains some "unrepairable errors".

I have to find a way to recover the data from a damaged NTFS partition. This is the help I need.

 

[Becks2k]

" * Rebuild:
After analyzing the layout you can choose to rebuild the corrupt partition and boot areas on the clone of the damaged hard drive. This will allow you to access files and directories and archive them to stable media, providing there is no file system damage.
"

http://www.whitehatinc.com/techassist/byteback/

you could try searching for a better program or something that would help... i dunno :/

/me just lost 80gigs of data and I know it sucks.

 

[danielshoes]

Becks2k, this Bite Back looks like a powerfull tool! I've downloaded the demo, and got impressed with the features and eficience, though it is quite simple. Only a sub 400k .exe to be run through a boot floppy. But as the demo does not allows me to modify anything... If I can not find another solution for free, this may be an alternative to go and try. Thank you, Becks2k!

Anybody else?

 

[NeoMadHatter]

if you can plug the corrupted drive into another win2k or xp computer try getting the getdataback for NTFS program. i think it's from runtime.com or something. i had my 30gig go corrupt and the getdataback program gave me all my data back completly with no problems. it works wonders. but you have to pay for it. it was well worth the money though.

 

[NeoMadHatter]

Link to the getdataback program

 

[NetGuySC]

saw a program on newsgroups called Forscenic Utility that is suppouse to be great at recovering data

 

[earthman]

Alot of people don't realize how important the BIOS settings for the hard drive are, sometimes. They are what alot of installers make their judgements based on, but they are not so important for the OS. Windows seems to boot with all kinds of BIOS and drive geometry issues. I have had several computers with supposedly serious errors in the geometry, and they worked fine, BUT this is not the case with NT and its derivatives...they are much pickier and will not boot with drive errors. Someone should ask why these supposedly advanced OS's have no ability to repair a damaged partition, nor include any tools to manage this kind of thing. I had in installation of XP go south too for the same reason, "damaged partiotion"...really annoying. Can't you enter the hard disk parameters manually and lock them in? There is usually an option in the BIOS to do this.

 

[danielshoes]

earthman, you correct, but the values do not lock! See what happens: There are three options for the hd: AUTO, NONE and USER. I set it to USER. When the hd is autodetected, the fields are filled with the CORRECT(!) values for cyl, heads and sectors. (If I would decide to fill those fields by myself with the same correct values, I could too). So, once the hd geometry is correctly set, and it is set to USER (not AUTO) and LBA, I save and exit CMOS. Uncrediby, after the reboot, when that initial splash screen appears showing the processor, memory, etc... I see it detected as a 512Mb (more or less) drive! The values simply do not lock! Even trying to set it as AUTO. Am I doing something stupid or this bios is really crazy?
Anyway, as you said, the systems work fine even when the bios does not recognizes the drive correctly. My loved Linux... how could you do it to me?... this time it is not Bill's fault.

NeoMadHatter, I'll try the get data back and see how it works. I'll let you know the results.

Becks2k, the Byte Back costs.... (please sit) 600 bucks!!! Ok, the software is great, but... No way to pay it now, I don't have all this cash. No way...

Folks, thanks for the suggestions! I appreciate all your help!
Anybody else?

 

[Becks2k]

haha doh... can't you just send a drive to the data recovery people for like $800?

I just searched on google for "ntfs partition recovery" or something and found that program..... maybe theres a freeware program somewhere... or a $50 one hehe, there seemed to be alot of links.

 

[danielshoes]

NetGuySC, I guess you mean "forensics", not "forscenics" (though I don't know what it means ). I guess you are referring to Byte Back recovery program. This word is describing the program.