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How to use TestDisk to recover lost partition
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lbrtchx
Posts: 3
Joined: 10 Dec 2013, 11:59

Copying, please wait...

#1 Post by lbrtchx »

While using gparted, I mistakenly "deleted" a small (40 Gb) partition where I had some code I need to recover, so I did install testdisk and ran it without apparent problems, yet it seems to have stopped. All I see for a long time is "Copying, please wait..."

I can see test disk process has been running for 8 hours

Code: Select all

# ps aux | grep testdisk
root     11462  0.0  0.0   6924  1664 pts/6    S+   Dec09   0:00 sudo testdisk /dev/sdb
root     11463 63.7  1.2  37688 32912 pts/6    R+   Dec09 462:50 testdisk /dev/sdb
root     11984  0.0  0.0   5408   732 pts/0    S+   01:12   0:00 grep --colour=auto testdisk
 
Image

I would suggest to include on the recovery screen more or less the time it will take or at least the date-time stamp when that particular process started

Also, I have seen blogs out there with favorable comments about testdisk, but I haven't found an authoritative tutorial with step by step instructions. Could you point me to one?

So, how long should I wait? Should I rerun it?

Thank you,
lbrtchx

lbrtchx
Posts: 3
Joined: 10 Dec 2013, 11:59

Re: Copying, please wait...

#2 Post by lbrtchx »

I haven't found an authoritative tutorial with step by step instructions. Could you point me to one?
Well, I did find them, for example:

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Step_By_Step

but I am still running into (what seems to me to be) awkward issues. I definitely know that disk, previously used in a Windows box then reformatted as ext4 by me, is only 70+GiB big, but so far testdisk has been restoring data in the order of the 280+GiB.

I can see that at least some of the data is mine, but I can also see that some other (folders + data files such as pictures) isn't and I also see files that I had deleted long ago

Image

Image

Could you explain to me how could a disk produce so far more than 4 times as much data?

Should I just wait for the process to finish or has testdisk gone feral?

Why would du take so long to run?

Any other suggestions you may give me, even if it means using another piece of software?

Thank you,
lbrtchx

lbrtchx
Posts: 3
Joined: 10 Dec 2013, 11:59

Re: Copying, please wait...

#3 Post by lbrtchx »

I decided to stop testdisk again because I had no idea of what it was doing or when or how it was going to stop

All I could see it was producing more and more data to no end

du actually reported pretty much the same amount of data konqueror (file system browser does) but I don't actually see that data when I browse for it using konqueror (only if I go "find ... -type f")

http://hsymbolicus.files.wordpress.com/ ... 38_g02.png

I would like to still understand better what went on

Any help or hope?
lbrtchx

Code: Select all

# date; time umount /media/sdd2; date
Mon Dec 16 17:34:18 EST 2013
umount: /media/sdd2: device is busy.
        (In some cases useful info about processes that use
         the device is found by lsof(8) or fuser(1))

real	0m0.008s
user	0m0.000s
sys	0m0.003s
Mon Dec 16 17:34:18 EST 2013

# lsof | grep sdd2
lsof: WARNING: can't stat() fuse.gvfs-fuse-daemon file system /media/sda5/home/knpx/.gvfs
      Output information may be incomplete.
bash      3300            root  cwd       DIR       8,50     4096   77594627 /media/sdd2/tmp/0x000cbcb6/sdb1
jbd2/sdd2 3471            root  cwd       DIR        0,1        0          1 /
jbd2/sdd2 3471            root  rtd       DIR        0,1        0          1 /
jbd2/sdd2 3471            root  txt   unknown                                /proc/3471/exe

# kill -9 3300

# date; time umount /media/sdd2; date
Mon Dec 16 17:35:33 EST 2013

real	0m0.767s
user	0m0.000s
sys	0m0.500s
Mon Dec 16 17:35:33 EST 2013

# date; time e2fsck /dev/sdd2; date
Mon Dec 16 17:35:59 EST 2013
e2fsck 1.42.5 (29-Jul-2012)
DATA_X4_02: clean, 2943832/110084096 files, 118897068/440320000 blocks

real	0m1.680s
user	0m1.477s
sys	0m0.007s
Mon Dec 16 17:36:01 EST 2013

# date; time mount /media/sdd2; date
Mon Dec 16 17:36:16 EST 2013

real	0m0.380s
user	0m0.000s
sys	0m0.250s
Mon Dec 16 17:36:17 EST 2013

# date; find /media/sdd2/tmp/0x000cbcb6/sdb1/ -type f; date
Mon Dec 16 17:36:51 EST 2013
/media/sdd2/tmp/0x000cbcb6/sdb1/tmp/Eclipse_Java_IDE02_yt.txt
/media/sdd2/tmp/0x000cbcb6/sdb1/tmp/Hannah_Arendt_yt00_02.txt
/media/sdd2/tmp/0x000cbcb6/sdb1/tmp/20121104114902_test_file.txt
...
/media/sdd2/tmp/0x000cbcb6/sdb1/tmp/knpx/.kde/share/apps/konqueror/autosave/5B/http/docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/i18n/text/examples/lib/D5/19/90/5A/42/DA/38/B/0/03/85/2E/2E/DF/1C/C0/15/44/64/07/74/1/9F/2/1/65/0F/C5/WwImgUe00.jpeg
/media/sdd2/tmp/0x000cbcb6/sdb1/tmp/knpx/.kde/share/apps/konqueror/autosave/5B/http/docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/i18n/text/examples/lib/D5/19/90/5A/42/DA/38/B/0/03/85/2E/2E/DF/1C/C0/15/44/64/07/74/1/9F/2/1/65/0F/8D/24/empty.gif.trashinfo
/media/sdd2/tmp/0x000cbcb6/sdb1/tmp/knpx/.kde/share/apps/konqueror/autosave/5B/http/docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/i18n/text/examples/lib/D5/19/90/5A/42/DA/38/B/0/03/85/2E/2E/DF/1C/C0/15/44/64/07/74/1/9F/2/1/65/0F/8D/24/20130921043150_read|diff|BufferReader_search.log.trashinfo
/media/sdd2/tmp/0x000cbcb6/sdb1/tmp/knpx/.kde/share/apps/konqueror/autosave/5B/http/docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/i18n/text/examples/lib/D5/19/90/5A/42/DA/38/B/0/03/85/2E/2E/DF/1C/C0/15/44/64/07/74/1/9F/2/1/65/0F/8D/24/daily-email-au.png.trashinfo
/media/sdd2/tmp/0x000cbcb6/sdb1/tmp/knpx/.kde/share/apps/konqueror/autosave/5B/http/docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/i18n/text/examples/lib/D5/19/90/5A/42/DA/38/B/0/03/85/2E/2E/DF/1C/C0/15/44/64/07/74/1/9F/2/1/65/0F/8D/24/default.css.trashinfo

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cgrenier
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Re: Copying, please wait...

#4 Post by cgrenier »

If you have deleted a partition, use Analyse, Quick Search... Set the partition to recover as P(rimary) or L(ogical).
On the next screen, if all partitions are listed, choose Write, confirm, Quit, restart your computer.

If you have deleted some files, use TestDisk to only copy the files you want.

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