Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
On Thu, Dec 27, 2012 at 4:17 PM, wrote: > 1) > I have a hard disk (1Tb, the bigger) which gave me many errors when I am > trying to read it. It makes it very slow to even read, but I've been able to > determine that it contains jpg images with a classic file browser. I did not > managed to copy any data on a safer place... > I am feared I will not even be able to retrieve one photo with my > conventional hardware... but maybe some of you will have an idea? If this drive is giving errors, you might try sticking it in a plastic bag and putting it in the freezer for a couple of hours. It may give you some life out of a dying drive. I used this method on an old drive (this was back around 2000 or so), and was able to get enough life back in it to pull the data. Here is a lifehacker article from 2010 which documents it: http://lifehacker.com/5515337/save-a-failed-hard-drive-in-your-freezer-redux --b -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/cakmzw+av1fnzysiw_kopchforg4-pr-6eom-2k3sumvbruh...@mail.gmail.com
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
On Fri, Dec 28, 2012 at 01:53:01PM +0100, berenger.mo...@neutralite.org wrote: > >This will be a problem, as you should first image the disk(s) and > >work from the images, not the physical disk. It is especially > >important for the disk throwing errors, every read attempt may worsen > >it's condition. Use tools like (g)ddrescue to make a copy despite > >read > >errors. > > I know, and am able to understand the "why". Maybe ddrescue or > another tool is able to build partial images? It would not be the > panacea, but maybe a little better? > Buying a HD of more than 1Tb (for (1), for (2) it would "only" be > more than 500Gb ) is not really an idea I like, HD are not exactly > what I name cheap. > I think it's doubtful that your friend's 500 Gb and 1 Tb drives are full of photos. I just checked my directory of photos and video clips (from 2002 to present) and it's 120 Gb. If you use photorec, you can tell it which file types you want to rescue. This will allow you to ignore everything but photos for now, and photorec will tell you (if I remember correctly) how much space those files will take up. You may find that you have enough storage space after all. -Rob -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20121229193151.ga24...@aurora.owens.net
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
On Friday 28 December 2012 18:26:08 Osamu Aoki wrote: > PS: I am not recommending to mount nor work on the original data disk. Several people have said that Osamu, including me - even if less eruditely than you. But the difficulty is that the problem disk does not belong to the OP, but to a friend. And the OP is reluctant (understandably!) to buy a large HDD just to rescue his friend's data. Though he could perhaps persuade the friend to buy one if he wants his data rescued. ;-) Lisi -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/201212282343.54664.lisi.re...@gmail.com
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
Hi, On Fri, Dec 28, 2012 at 01:23:47PM +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote: ... > PS: Even if you make a backup first, by all means mount the drive or > partition read only, before you access it. Hmmm... Maybe I was too short on explanation. The best practice is "NOT TO MOUNT AT ALL". If your desktop system auto mount disk, just run like: $ sudo mount ... check output to see if device is automounted: $ sudo umount /dev/sdc1 (or what ever disk partition mounted) (It is better not to face this situation but this tends to happen unintentionally.) Use "dd" to make disk image. For that you do not need to mount drive. From root with /dev/sdc being bad drive and /dev/sdd being good bigger drive, do this first. root # dd if=/dev/sdc of=/dev/sdd This is the best way to get a safe copy to work with the testdisk command on the copy. This way, recovered data is safe too. See more on this http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch10.en.html#_making_the_disk_image_file Osamu PS: I am not recommending to mount nor work on the original data disk. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20121228182608.GB11977@goofy.localdomain
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
On Fri, 28 Dec 2012 21:45:20 +0900 Osamu Aoki wrote: > Hi, > > On Fri, Dec 28, 2012 at 01:19:21PM +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote: > > On Fri, 2012-12-28 at 12:50 +0100, berenger.mo...@neutralite.org > > wrote: > > > > I have heard good things of PhotoRec: > > > > > > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhotoRec > > > > http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec > > > > > > > > But I have no personal experience of it. The advice is always > > > > to copy the > > > > drive that needs rescuing to another drive, and work on the > > > > copy, not the > > > > orginal. Again, I have not tried it. > > > > > > > > Lisi > > > > > > Thanks for the hint, I'll try it this afternoon on (2) > > > > Mount the drive read only, than there is no need to backup. There > > are all kinds of commands to recover data, usually they don't > > recover the data on the corrupted drive, but save the files to > > another place, so it's no problem to mount a drive read only. > > Yah, if you can mount, then it is good idea to mount as read-only > first to recover and secure data by copying them to another disk. > > But that may not get you as much data as we wish. testdisk/photorec > tools can work on corrupted disk without using normal mounting. You > certainly need place to write recovered data. Making disk image and > working on it makes things easy. > > Osamu > I second the use of photorec, part of testdisk. Working on the dead drive directly, it recovered all of my 'lost' photos, a holiday special. Cybe R. Wizard -- Nice computers don't go down. Larry Niven, Steven Barnes "The Barsoom Project" -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20121228090613.12027087@wizardstower
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
On 27/12/12 18:17, berenger.mo...@neutralite.org wrote: Ok, first, sorry to ask two questions at a time: dead drives and deleted partitions are different things, I know that. Let me explain "my" (they are, in fact, friend's problems) two problems (from different peoples). === 0) the common part. By the past, I've did some researches about forensics (just as an amateur) and learned that you mostly work on copies of media from which you are trying to recover data. But the 2 HD from which I need to recover images (mostly jpeg, I guess. The users only said that's photos, ignoring, and does not willing to know, everything about format - but if that was not computer stuff, they would have know what they've used... - ) are bigger than all my current disks ! One is 500Gb, the other is 1Tb, where mine are mostly a bunch of 40/80Gb + 1 or 2 of 250Gb. 1) I have a hard disk (1Tb, the bigger) which gave me many errors when I am trying to read it. It makes it very slow to even read, but I've been able to determine that it contains jpg images with a classic file browser. I did not managed to copy any data on a safer place... I am feared I will not even be able to retrieve one photo with my conventional hardware... but maybe some of you will have an idea? 2) I have an external hard disk which is readable without troubles. But partitions were probably destroyed, AFAIK. The user knows (as usual) nothing about what happened, so I do not even know if the partition system have been remade, or if it is simply a problem like "format c:". There are 2 partitions: _ 1: the smaller, some Gb only IIRC, which was of type FAT when I looked (or was it FAT32? Is it is very different?) _ 2: the bigger, and not a little, from my memory, it takes at least 80% of the whole disk, which is NTFS, I guess most data is there. === So, do someone have faced one of those problems, and come to a solution? Of course, I've said to their owners that keeping data on only one HD is suicidal, I've said that they can probably pay big amounts of money to specialized establishments to have them back, and have kept their hardware for some months (without using them), as a sanction (well, I tried at some times to take an eye, but had other things to do). But, now, I'm in holidays, Christmas passed, and I'm thinking that could be an interesting gift to give back to people their photos of children and drunken nights, and I hope someone here could help me to do that for them :) I've big fears that the owner of (1) will have no other choice that asking to people with dedicated hardware, but I ask in case... for (2), I've more hopes, IF the user stopped the destructive process before the disk was fully erased, but I'll need the good tools. You can also try foremost. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/50ddab64.1010...@uncu.edu.ar
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
I only can repeat, that the OP by all means should mount the drive read only. Mounting with -ro sounds wiser to me, I think you are true. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/fa959ad0dc4c74e09b3981513f7e6...@neutralite.org
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
On Fri, 2012-12-28 at 21:35 +0900, Osamu Aoki wrote: > Hi, > > On Thu, Dec 27, 2012 at 10:17:56PM +0100, berenger.mo...@neutralite.org wrote: > > Ok, first, sorry to ask two questions at a time: dead drives and > > deleted partitions are different things, I know that. > ... > > (2), I've more hopes, IF the user stopped the destructive process > > before the disk was fully erased, but I'll need the good tools. > > Look for Debian package testdisk > > http://packages.debian.org/sid/testdisk > > When my PC HDD became dead completely, I used this testdisk to recover > photos on SD card in camera after erase. Of corse, any files > overwritten by newer images were lost. But, it was a very easy job and > I got most of the recent photos. It guides you through nicely. (I worked > on disk image first...) > > After everything went fine, I tried to run unrecommended mode --- work > directly on erased SD card. Wow, it worked for me. > > PhotoRec mentioned by another comes as a part of testdisk suites of > tools. > > I still recommends you to make disk image first. If buying big HDD for > disk image is not your option for some reason, you may try this > dangerous direct recovery trick using some live CD and testdisk package. > It is better than doing nothing... > > In any case, you should practive recovery on small test case first ... If a drive really is broken, then it's an issue and a backup of the complete drive, also of the deleted files is useful, if the drive isn't broken, the data simply was deleted, then nothing bad could happen if you mount the drive read only, no backup is needed. If you don't mount the drive read only, but with write access enabled, then each access could cause additional loss of deleted data. I only can repeat, that the OP by all means should mount the drive read only. Hth, Ralf -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/1356698845.2483.34.camel@q
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
This will be a problem, as you should first image the disk(s) and work from the images, not the physical disk. It is especially important for the disk throwing errors, every read attempt may worsen it's condition. Use tools like (g)ddrescue to make a copy despite read errors. I know, and am able to understand the "why". Maybe ddrescue or another tool is able to build partial images? It would not be the panacea, but maybe a little better? Buying a HD of more than 1Tb (for (1), for (2) it would "only" be more than 500Gb ) is not really an idea I like, HD are not exactly what I name cheap. Again, try (g)ddrescue first, and when you have a good image work from that, preserving the disk from further damages. For the good disk where the partitions have been deleted, you can try to recover partitions with "testdisk", it is quite efficient and fairly easy to use even for someone not familiar with consoles. To recover the images, regardless of the partitions status, try "photorec", it does a very good job most of the time and it's interface is self explanatory. Thanks for the hint. I'll try this today. Teach your friend(s) to backup as a Christmas gift, he'll thank you for the rest of is life ! ;-) Tools like sbackup, backintime, luckybackup and the such are easy to use even for my mother (!) and efficient enough for single-computer personal use. Good luck. Of course, but, you know people, they *usually* prefer to not worry until a problem comes. I'll take a look to your tools, hopefully one run on the most common OS, so they might be able to use it :) -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/39d7d6e30fe7f6a8ef9d882d2e4b1...@neutralite.org
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
Hi, On Fri, Dec 28, 2012 at 01:19:21PM +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote: > On Fri, 2012-12-28 at 12:50 +0100, berenger.mo...@neutralite.org wrote: > > > I have heard good things of PhotoRec: > > > > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhotoRec > > > http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec > > > > > > But I have no personal experience of it. The advice is always to > > > copy the > > > drive that needs rescuing to another drive, and work on the copy, not > > > the > > > orginal. Again, I have not tried it. > > > > > > Lisi > > > > Thanks for the hint, I'll try it this afternoon on (2) > > Mount the drive read only, than there is no need to backup. There are > all kinds of commands to recover data, usually they don't recover the > data on the corrupted drive, but save the files to another place, so > it's no problem to mount a drive read only. Yah, if you can mount, then it is good idea to mount as read-only first to recover and secure data by copying them to another disk. But that may not get you as much data as we wish. testdisk/photorec tools can work on corrupted disk without using normal mounting. You certainly need place to write recovered data. Making disk image and working on it makes things easy. Osamu -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20121228124520.GA13645@goofy.localdomain
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
Hi, On Thu, Dec 27, 2012 at 10:17:56PM +0100, berenger.mo...@neutralite.org wrote: > Ok, first, sorry to ask two questions at a time: dead drives and > deleted partitions are different things, I know that. ... > (2), I've more hopes, IF the user stopped the destructive process > before the disk was fully erased, but I'll need the good tools. Look for Debian package testdisk http://packages.debian.org/sid/testdisk When my PC HDD became dead completely, I used this testdisk to recover photos on SD card in camera after erase. Of corse, any files overwritten by newer images were lost. But, it was a very easy job and I got most of the recent photos. It guides you through nicely. (I worked on disk image first...) After everything went fine, I tried to run unrecommended mode --- work directly on erased SD card. Wow, it worked for me. PhotoRec mentioned by another comes as a part of testdisk suites of tools. I still recommends you to make disk image first. If buying big HDD for disk image is not your option for some reason, you may try this dangerous direct recovery trick using some live CD and testdisk package. It is better than doing nothing... In any case, you should practive recovery on small test case first ... Osamu -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20121228123553.GB12575@goofy.localdomain
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
On Fri, 2012-12-28 at 13:19 +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote: > On Fri, 2012-12-28 at 12:50 +0100, berenger.mo...@neutralite.org wrote: > > > I have heard good things of PhotoRec: > > > > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhotoRec > > > http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec > > > > > > But I have no personal experience of it. The advice is always to > > > copy the > > > drive that needs rescuing to another drive, and work on the copy, not > > > the > > > orginal. Again, I have not tried it. > > > > > > Lisi > > > > Thanks for the hint, I'll try it this afternoon on (2) > > Mount the drive read only, than there is no need to backup. There are > all kinds of commands to recover data, usually they don't recover the > data on the corrupted drive, but save the files to another place, so > it's no problem to mount a drive read only. > > Regards, > Ralf PS: Even if you make a backup first, by all means mount the drive or partition read only, before you access it. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/1356697427.2483.30.camel@q
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
On Fri, 2012-12-28 at 12:50 +0100, berenger.mo...@neutralite.org wrote: > > I have heard good things of PhotoRec: > > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhotoRec > > http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec > > > > But I have no personal experience of it. The advice is always to > > copy the > > drive that needs rescuing to another drive, and work on the copy, not > > the > > orginal. Again, I have not tried it. > > > > Lisi > > Thanks for the hint, I'll try it this afternoon on (2) Mount the drive read only, than there is no need to backup. There are all kinds of commands to recover data, usually they don't recover the data on the corrupted drive, but save the files to another place, so it's no problem to mount a drive read only. Regards, Ralf -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/1356697161.2483.28.camel@q
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
I have heard good things of PhotoRec: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhotoRec http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec But I have no personal experience of it. The advice is always to copy the drive that needs rescuing to another drive, and work on the copy, not the orginal. Again, I have not tried it. Lisi Thanks for the hint, I'll try it this afternoon on (2) -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/ae13d69406fb654cadc22ffd90995...@neutralite.org
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
On 27/12/2012 22:17, berenger.mo...@neutralite.org wrote: Ok, first, sorry to ask two questions at a time: dead drives and deleted partitions are different things, I know that. Let me explain "my" (they are, in fact, friend's problems) two problems (from different peoples). === 0) the common part. By the past, I've did some researches about forensics (just as an amateur) and learned that you mostly work on copies of media from which you are trying to recover data. But the 2 HD from which I need to recover images (mostly jpeg, I guess. The users only said that's photos, ignoring, and does not willing to know, everything about format - but if that was not computer stuff, they would have know what they've used... - ) are bigger than all my current disks ! This will be a problem, as you should first image the disk(s) and work from the images, not the physical disk. It is especially important for the disk throwing errors, every read attempt may worsen it's condition. Use tools like (g)ddrescue to make a copy despite read errors. One is 500Gb, the other is 1Tb, where mine are mostly a bunch of 40/80Gb + 1 or 2 of 250Gb. 1) I have a hard disk (1Tb, the bigger) which gave me many errors when I am trying to read it. It makes it very slow to even read, but I've been able to determine that it contains jpg images with a classic file browser. I did not managed to copy any data on a safer place... I am feared I will not even be able to retrieve one photo with my conventional hardware... but maybe some of you will have an idea? Again, try (g)ddrescue first, and when you have a good image work from that, preserving the disk from further damages. 2) I have an external hard disk which is readable without troubles. But partitions were probably destroyed, AFAIK. The user knows (as usual) nothing about what happened, so I do not even know if the partition system have been remade, or if it is simply a problem like "format c:". There are 2 partitions: _ 1: the smaller, some Gb only IIRC, which was of type FAT when I looked (or was it FAT32? Is it is very different?) _ 2: the bigger, and not a little, from my memory, it takes at least 80% of the whole disk, which is NTFS, I guess most data is there. === So, do someone have faced one of those problems, and come to a solution? For the good disk where the partitions have been deleted, you can try to recover partitions with "testdisk", it is quite efficient and fairly easy to use even for someone not familiar with consoles. To recover the images, regardless of the partitions status, try "photorec", it does a very good job most of the time and it's interface is self explanatory. Of course, I've said to their owners that keeping data on only one HD is suicidal, I've said that they can probably pay big amounts of money to specialized establishments to have them back, and have kept their hardware for some months (without using them), as a sanction (well, I tried at some times to take an eye, but had other things to do). But, now, I'm in holidays, Christmas passed, and I'm thinking that could be an interesting gift to give back to people their photos of children and drunken nights, and I hope someone here could help me to do that for them :) I've big fears that the owner of (1) will have no other choice that asking to people with dedicated hardware, but I ask in case... for (2), I've more hopes, IF the user stopped the destructive process before the disk was fully erased, but I'll need the good tools. Teach your friend(s) to backup as a Christmas gift, he'll thank you for the rest of is life ! ;-) Tools like sbackup, backintime, luckybackup and the such are easy to use even for my mother (!) and efficient enough for single-computer personal use. Good luck. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/50dd6e70.1040...@googlemail.com
Re: Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
On Thursday 27 December 2012 21:17:56 berenger.mo...@neutralite.org wrote: > Ok, first, sorry to ask two questions at a time: dead drives and > deleted partitions are different things, I know that. > > Let me explain "my" (they are, in fact, friend's problems) two problems > (from different peoples). > > === > 0) the common part. > By the past, I've did some researches about forensics (just as an > amateur) and learned that you mostly work on copies of media from which > you are trying to recover data. > But the 2 HD from which I need to recover images (mostly jpeg, I guess. > The users only said that's photos, ignoring, and does not willing to > know, everything about format - but if that was not computer stuff, they > would have know what they've used... - ) are bigger than all my current > disks ! > One is 500Gb, the other is 1Tb, where mine are mostly a bunch of > 40/80Gb + 1 or 2 of 250Gb. > > 1) > I have a hard disk (1Tb, the bigger) which gave me many errors when I > am trying to read it. It makes it very slow to even read, but I've been > able to determine that it contains jpg images with a classic file > browser. I did not managed to copy any data on a safer place... > I am feared I will not even be able to retrieve one photo with my > conventional hardware... but maybe some of you will have an idea? > > 2) > I have an external hard disk which is readable without troubles. But > partitions were probably destroyed, AFAIK. The user knows (as usual) > nothing about what happened, so I do not even know if the partition > system have been remade, or if it is simply a problem like "format c:". > There are 2 partitions: > _ 1: the smaller, some Gb only IIRC, which was of type FAT when I > looked (or was it FAT32? Is it is very different?) > _ 2: the bigger, and not a little, from my memory, it takes at least > 80% of the whole disk, which is NTFS, I guess most data is there. > > === > > So, do someone have faced one of those problems, and come to a > solution? > > Of course, I've said to their owners that keeping data on only one HD > is suicidal, I've said that they can probably pay big amounts of money > to specialized establishments to have them back, and have kept their > hardware for some months (without using them), as a sanction (well, I > tried at some times to take an eye, but had other things to do). > > But, now, I'm in holidays, Christmas passed, and I'm thinking that > could be an interesting gift to give back to people their photos of > children and drunken nights, and I hope someone here could help me to do > that for them :) > > I've big fears that the owner of (1) will have no other choice that > asking to people with dedicated hardware, but I ask in case... for (2), > I've more hopes, IF the user stopped the destructive process before the > disk was fully erased, but I'll need the good tools. I have heard good things of PhotoRec: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhotoRec http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec But I have no personal experience of it. The advice is always to copy the drive that needs rescuing to another drive, and work on the copy, not the orginal. Again, I have not tried it. Lisi -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/201212272342.53397.lisi.re...@gmail.com
Tools to retrieve images from dead hard drive and/or deleted partitions
Ok, first, sorry to ask two questions at a time: dead drives and deleted partitions are different things, I know that. Let me explain "my" (they are, in fact, friend's problems) two problems (from different peoples). === 0) the common part. By the past, I've did some researches about forensics (just as an amateur) and learned that you mostly work on copies of media from which you are trying to recover data. But the 2 HD from which I need to recover images (mostly jpeg, I guess. The users only said that's photos, ignoring, and does not willing to know, everything about format - but if that was not computer stuff, they would have know what they've used... - ) are bigger than all my current disks ! One is 500Gb, the other is 1Tb, where mine are mostly a bunch of 40/80Gb + 1 or 2 of 250Gb. 1) I have a hard disk (1Tb, the bigger) which gave me many errors when I am trying to read it. It makes it very slow to even read, but I've been able to determine that it contains jpg images with a classic file browser. I did not managed to copy any data on a safer place... I am feared I will not even be able to retrieve one photo with my conventional hardware... but maybe some of you will have an idea? 2) I have an external hard disk which is readable without troubles. But partitions were probably destroyed, AFAIK. The user knows (as usual) nothing about what happened, so I do not even know if the partition system have been remade, or if it is simply a problem like "format c:". There are 2 partitions: _ 1: the smaller, some Gb only IIRC, which was of type FAT when I looked (or was it FAT32? Is it is very different?) _ 2: the bigger, and not a little, from my memory, it takes at least 80% of the whole disk, which is NTFS, I guess most data is there. === So, do someone have faced one of those problems, and come to a solution? Of course, I've said to their owners that keeping data on only one HD is suicidal, I've said that they can probably pay big amounts of money to specialized establishments to have them back, and have kept their hardware for some months (without using them), as a sanction (well, I tried at some times to take an eye, but had other things to do). But, now, I'm in holidays, Christmas passed, and I'm thinking that could be an interesting gift to give back to people their photos of children and drunken nights, and I hope someone here could help me to do that for them :) I've big fears that the owner of (1) will have no other choice that asking to people with dedicated hardware, but I ask in case... for (2), I've more hopes, IF the user stopped the destructive process before the disk was fully erased, but I'll need the good tools. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/8223a671facf8ab779f30e7156003...@neutralite.org