Assigning "Logical, Primary, Bootable" to Partitions

How to use TestDisk to recover lost partition
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swebber
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Joined: 25 Apr 2015, 16:58

Assigning "Logical, Primary, Bootable" to Partitions

#1 Post by swebber »

Hello,

I installed openSUSE on my HP Pavilion g series laptop (which ran Windows 7), intending to create a dual-boot system, and I believe in doing so I overwrote or in someway lost Windows 7. I'm currently writing from an Ubuntu Live DVD, and have run Deep Search on Testdisk to arrive at the results shown in attached screenshot.

At this point I need to label my partitions as Primary Bootable, Primary, Logical, or Extended. I don't know which ought to be which. Could someone point me in the right direction? Please note that I do not mind losing openSUSE. I just need Windows 7 at the moment. Thank you very much in advance.
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cgrenier
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Re: Assigning "Logical, Primary, Bootable" to Partitions

#2 Post by cgrenier »

For each partition, use 'p' to list its content. This way you should be able to find which partitions to recover.
Switch them to *(bootable), P(rimary) or L(ogical). If "structure bad" is displayed, try to find why (too many primary partitions, partitions overlapping...)

swebber
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Joined: 25 Apr 2015, 16:58

Re: Assigning "Logical, Primary, Bootable" to Partitions

#3 Post by swebber »

Thanks for your reply! I tried fiddling around with the labels, and only the first HPFS - NTFS partition (designated "[SYSTEM]") returns "ok" as a Bootable Partition. One of the other HPFS - NTFS partitions (designated "[Recovery]") is okay both as Logical and Primary, and the other one is apparently a damaged file system - so I believe I do nothing with that...? And if I don't care about the Linux bits, can I just not label them? What happens to them if I leave them unlabeled?

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cgrenier
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Re: Assigning "Logical, Primary, Bootable" to Partitions

#4 Post by cgrenier »

Partitions listed as D(eleted) or not marked as *,P or L remains deleted/not recovered.

swebber
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Joined: 25 Apr 2015, 16:58

Re: Assigning "Logical, Primary, Bootable" to Partitions

#5 Post by swebber »

cgrenier wrote:Partitions listed as D(eleted) or not marked as *,P or L remains deleted/not recovered.
Okay, thank you. I left those bits out, assigned * to the HPFS-NTFS designated SYSTEM and P to the HPFS-NTFS designated RECOVERY and either L or P to the FAT partition (I've forgotten now). Left everything else unlabeled. I also loaded the backup Boot as it said my current one was damaged. Then I followed through to the end of the program and restarted my computer.

Nothing at all happened. It gave me the usual "Press esc for more options" possibility, and then went to a blank screen with a flashing "_" in the top left hand corner. I rebooted again and manually selected "Boot from Notebook hard drive", to the same result. Any ideas? Thanks.

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Fiona
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Re: Assigning "Logical, Primary, Bootable" to Partitions

#6 Post by Fiona »

and the other one is apparently a damaged file system - so I believe
File system containing your OS must be intact, otherwise you can't boot.
Can you upload a screen shot running testdisk / Advanced / Boot?
Your affected partition must be chosen.
Please have a try to list your files using the menu List.
Sometimes, running RebuildBS has had better results.
After running RebuildBS you should try to list your files too.
Until yet, don't use Write or Repair MFT to avoid any changes to your file system.
It's intended as a diagnose only.
Repair MFT should only be used in conjunction with chkdsk and chkdsk doesn't work or stops.

Fiona

remyd
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Joined: 05 May 2015, 13:35

Re: Assigning "Logical, Primary, Bootable" to Partitions

#7 Post by remyd »

Hello,

I have a very similar problem. That is the reason why I am posted this here. I accidentally deleted all the partitions of my laptop. I have tried to use TestDisk to recover the original partitions on the hard drive. I am stuck when I need to decide which labels I should assign to the found partitions in order have structure "ok".

Before my problem, my laptop (Dell Inspiron) worked with a multiboot. There were partitions associated to Windows 8 and others associated to Ubuntu 13.10. I briefly copied the output of df on Linux (I did not retain the sizes):
/dev/sda10 : /
none : /sys/fs/group/
udev : /dev
tmpfs : /run
none : /run/lock
none : /run/shm
none : /run/user
/dev/sda1 : /boot/efi
/dev/sad11 : /home
/dev/sda6 : /media/remy/DONNEES
/dev/sda5 : /media/remy/OS
/dev/sda4 : /media/remy/WINRETOOLS
/dev/sda2 : /media/remy/DIAGS
/dev/sda7 : /media/remy/PBR_Image

I wanted to upgrade Ubuntu 13.10 for Xubuntu 14.04. The first attempt went almost right: I lost the multiboot but and could not access my former /home directory. But the hard drive structure seemed unchanged. I decided then to re-install Xubuntu, asking to erase everything. I thought it would erase more cleanly the / partition. Of course it did not. It deleted all the partitions and I am now left with only Xubuntu on my laptop (no Windows, no division between / and /home anymore...)


I am currently trying to use TestDisk to recover the old partitions of my hard drive.

After a deep Search, here are the results:
1/ Linux 0 32 33 120571 43 48 1936973824 ext4 blocksize=4096 Large_file Sparse_SB, 991 GB / 923 GiB
2/ HPFS - NTFS 85 72 52 147 191 44 1003520 NTFS found using backup sector, blocksize=4096, 513 MB / 490 MiB
3/ HPFS - NTFS 147 191 44 210 55 36 1003520 NTFS, blocksize=4096, 513 MB / 490 MiB
4/ HPFS - NTFS 147 191 45 11621 35 62 184320000 NTFS, blocksize=4096, 94 GB / 87 GiB
5/ HPFS - NTFS 147 191 45 120594 225 15 1934983168 NTFS found using backup sector, blocksize=4096, 990 GB / 922 GiB
6/ HPFS - NTFS 147 191 45 121601 57 56 1951150080 NTFS found using backup sector, blocksize=4096, 998 GB / 930 GiB
7/ HPFS - NTFS 11621 35 63 49865 196 59 614400000 NTFS, blocksize=4096, 314 GB / 292 GiB
8/ Linux Swap 49865 229 29 50861 233 60 16001024 SWAP2 version 1, pagesize=4096, 8192 MB / 7813 MiB
9/ Linux 50861 233 61 53351 196 29 39999488 ext4 blocksize=4096 Large_file Sparse_SB, 20 GB / 19 GiB
10/ Linux 50861 233 61 120601 98 9 1120364544 ext4 blocksize=4096 Large_file Sparse_SB Backup_SB, 573 GB / 534 GiB
11/ Linux 51929 50 26 54419 12 57 39999488 ext4 blocksize=4096 Large_file Sparse_SB Recover, 20 GB / 19 GiB
12/ Linux 51932 98 7 54422 60 38 39999488 ext4 blocksize=4096 Large_file Sparse_SB Recover, 20 GB / 19 GiB
13/ Linux 51936 150 55 54426 113 23 39999488 ext4 blocksize=4096 Large_file Sparse_SB Recover, 20 GB / 19 GiB
14/ Linux 53351 196 30 120601 98 9 1080365056 ext4 blocksize=4096 Large_file Sparse_SB, 553 GB / 515 GiB
15/ Linux Swap 120571 76 18 121601 57 56 16545792 SWAP2 version 1, pagesize=4096, 8471 MB / 8079 MiB
16/ HPFS - NTFS 120601 98 10 121601 57 56 16062464 NTFS, blocksize=4096, 8223 MB / 7843 MiB

I tried to explore each of the found partitions. Here is what I can deduce:

--partition 1 is the new Linux, which I want to get rid of
--partitions 4,5 and 6 are Windows systems (I cannot distinguish which is the OS and which is the recovery one)
--partition 7 is not readable, could it be DONNEES ?
--partition 8 is the swap of my old Linux, the one I would like to recover
--partition 9 is my old /
--partition 10 seems to be the / of my first re-installation
--partition 11, 12 and 13 are not readable
--partition 14 is my old /home. This is what contains all the very precious (to me ;) ) data I want to recover
--partitions 15 and 16: I don't know

Could you please tell me how to make the structure ok and which characteristics I should assign each partitions, in order to
1/recover the former "dual" structure?
2/be able to install again Xubuntu on my old / partition (I very rarely use Windows but do need it every now and then, this can wait...)

Another question:
Is it possible and necessary to copy the files in the partition 14 to an external hard drive?

With best regards,
Rémy

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