Hi,
I have just reinstalled Windows on a drive, changing the partition table type from MBR to GPT so I could use Windows in UEFI mode instead of legacy BIOS. Now I need to recover the old partition to try and boot it or at least try and recover a chrome install which I have lost the profile data for.
Where it says enter the partition type in Testdisk, I'm not sure what to put. Is this asking about the partition I want to find, or the partition type for the partition as it is now? It is now GPT, but it was 'MBR' before, according to the windows installer.
Does 'Intel/PC 'refer to MBR partition table?
What should I be looking for in Testdisk's partition results window for a lost MBR partition, rather than a GPT partition? I think a few GPT partitions might be found as well as I had to delete the partitions > install a few times before I got the new install to work.
Thanks.
Recover after changed partition table type Topic is solved
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When asking for technical support:
- Search for posts on the same topic before posting a new question.
- Give clear, specific information in the title of your post.
- Include as many details as you can, MOST POSTS WILL GET ONLY ONE OR TWO ANSWERS.
- Post a follow up with a "Thank you" or "This worked!"
- When you learn something, use that knowledge to HELP ANOTHER USER LATER.
Before posting, please read https://www.cgsecurity.org/testdisk.pdf
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recuperation
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Re: Recover after changed partition table type
Please try to deliver a proper case description containing the state of your disk before and after your intervention. I don't understand what you did exactly and I don't like guessing.califauna wrote: ↑20 Feb 2024, 16:31 Hi,
I have just reinstalled Windows on a drive, changing the partition table type from MBR to GPT so I could use Windows in UEFI mode instead of legacy BIOS. Now I need to recover the old partition to try and boot it or at least try and recover a chrome install which I have lost the profile data for.
TestDisk makes you a proposal based on the data it finds. The partition table is a schema to organise partitions. If you enforce a change, your installation won't boot anymore as the legacy Intel/PC/MBR requires a different disk setup.
Where it says enter the partition type in Testdisk, I'm not sure what to put. Is this asking about the partition I want to find, or the partition type for the partition as it is now? It is now GPT, but it was 'MBR' before, according to the windows installer.
Yes.
Does 'Intel/PC 'refer to MBR partition table?
Deleting partition on partition table level does not delete the content of a partition.What should I be looking for in Testdisk's partition results window for a lost MBR partition, rather than a GPT partition? I think a few GPT partitions might be found as well as I had to delete the partitions > install a few times before I got the new install to work.
Thanks.
Re: Recover after changed partition table type
Sure, here's a better explanation.
Up to 2 days ago I was using Windows 10 on my laptop in Legacy BIOS mode. I decided to make a change to UEFI as my laptop supports it, and Windows was getting funky so time for a fresh install anyway.
So I used a pendrive to install windows on the same drive. I changed the laptop EFI to UEFI instead of Legacy BIOS as this is the mode I set the installer to in Rufus, ran the installer, and it told me that the installer needs a GPT table to install windows, but the partition was type MBR. So I deleted the approx. 500GB partition, created a GPT partition there(it automatically created 2 other small partitions as well), then installed Windows 10 on the 500 odd GB partition. When I tried to boot the OS it didn't work. So I ran the installer again, again no joy. So I made the bootable USB again but this time making the installer compatible with Legacy BIOS. With a legacy installer now burned I set the bios back to legacy, ran the installer again. This time I formatted the old partition for good measure, and installed windows again on a 520 GB GPT partition (UEFI install again). This time it worked, I think because of the change to legacy type installer in Rufus'options.
When I start using Windows, I find my portable apps are working OK except Chrome portable, which for some reason has lost all it's history and tabs/session information. Basically all the profile seems to have gone except for a few files in there from the 4th April, instead of created 20th April.
I also had old version chrome portables and Chrome regular installed on that partition but I'm pretty sure I was using the most recent Chrome portable up to the point so I don't know why the history/sessions/extensions/etc. have gone. S I'm wondering, if I can restore the old partition (MBR), perhaps I can boot it again or even if it doesn't boot I might be able to go in the restored partition using another install and look around for where the Chrome I was using was storing the history.sqlite file and session files, on the off chance that it wasn't in the portable application folder itself, which is where I would expect it to be. For example, perhaps it was saving the profile data in the C:/users/USERNAME/AppData/Roaming/Chrome folder on that old partition.
If I can't restore the partition, I could look for session files and the history.sqlite file by their signatures. Regarding that approach, I don't know yet what the beginning and end signatures for the session files are, nor the end signature for sqlite files.
Regarding the partition approach, I have a few doubts. In test disk, where it says 'please select the partition type' and tries to detect the drive, should I leave it on what it finds (GPT - the new partition) or change it to Intel/PC (i.e the old partition type)? I have tried searching using both and it yields different search results.
Is testdisk likely going to be able to find lost partitions in MBR on a drive that has now been converted to GPT?
PC SN730 NVMe SSD 512GB.
Windows 10 21H1
MSI Ge75.
Up to 2 days ago I was using Windows 10 on my laptop in Legacy BIOS mode. I decided to make a change to UEFI as my laptop supports it, and Windows was getting funky so time for a fresh install anyway.
So I used a pendrive to install windows on the same drive. I changed the laptop EFI to UEFI instead of Legacy BIOS as this is the mode I set the installer to in Rufus, ran the installer, and it told me that the installer needs a GPT table to install windows, but the partition was type MBR. So I deleted the approx. 500GB partition, created a GPT partition there(it automatically created 2 other small partitions as well), then installed Windows 10 on the 500 odd GB partition. When I tried to boot the OS it didn't work. So I ran the installer again, again no joy. So I made the bootable USB again but this time making the installer compatible with Legacy BIOS. With a legacy installer now burned I set the bios back to legacy, ran the installer again. This time I formatted the old partition for good measure, and installed windows again on a 520 GB GPT partition (UEFI install again). This time it worked, I think because of the change to legacy type installer in Rufus'options.
When I start using Windows, I find my portable apps are working OK except Chrome portable, which for some reason has lost all it's history and tabs/session information. Basically all the profile seems to have gone except for a few files in there from the 4th April, instead of created 20th April.
I also had old version chrome portables and Chrome regular installed on that partition but I'm pretty sure I was using the most recent Chrome portable up to the point so I don't know why the history/sessions/extensions/etc. have gone. S I'm wondering, if I can restore the old partition (MBR), perhaps I can boot it again or even if it doesn't boot I might be able to go in the restored partition using another install and look around for where the Chrome I was using was storing the history.sqlite file and session files, on the off chance that it wasn't in the portable application folder itself, which is where I would expect it to be. For example, perhaps it was saving the profile data in the C:/users/USERNAME/AppData/Roaming/Chrome folder on that old partition.
If I can't restore the partition, I could look for session files and the history.sqlite file by their signatures. Regarding that approach, I don't know yet what the beginning and end signatures for the session files are, nor the end signature for sqlite files.
Regarding the partition approach, I have a few doubts. In test disk, where it says 'please select the partition type' and tries to detect the drive, should I leave it on what it finds (GPT - the new partition) or change it to Intel/PC (i.e the old partition type)? I have tried searching using both and it yields different search results.
Is testdisk likely going to be able to find lost partitions in MBR on a drive that has now been converted to GPT?
PC SN730 NVMe SSD 512GB.
Windows 10 21H1
MSI Ge75.
-
recuperation
- Posts: 2737
- Joined: 04 Jan 2019, 09:48
- Location: Hannover, Deutschland (Germany, Allemagne)
Re: Recover after changed partition table type
I don't get it.
Please describe your old disk state by listing the partitions in their previous order in a table. Please add their size, label, bootability and name.
Which partition contained your profile?
Then describe which partition you modified and how.
Please post your logfile.
Please describe your old disk state by listing the partitions in their previous order in a table. Please add their size, label, bootability and name.
Which partition contained your profile?
Then describe which partition you modified and how.
Please post your logfile.
Re: Recover after changed partition table type
The drive used to be type 'MBR'. I changed it to 'GPT' when I reinstalled windows on the drive, following the instructions in the Windows installer.
I can't remember what all the partitions were on the disk before I reinstalled windows. There was at least one partition though, which was bootable, and it was type MBR, approx. 500 GB.
Now there are three partitions, according to Disk Management:
100MB, 'EFI system partition'
476.33 GB, boot partition with current Windows install
500 MB , 'recovery partition'
I can't remember what all the partitions were on the disk before I reinstalled windows. There was at least one partition though, which was bootable, and it was type MBR, approx. 500 GB.
Now there are three partitions, according to Disk Management:
100MB, 'EFI system partition'
476.33 GB, boot partition with current Windows install
500 MB , 'recovery partition'
- Attachments
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- testdisk log when selecting Intel-pc.log
- (4.68 KiB) Downloaded 55 times
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- testdisk log when selecting GPT.log
- (7.2 KiB) Downloaded 44 times
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recuperation
- Posts: 2737
- Joined: 04 Jan 2019, 09:48
- Location: Hannover, Deutschland (Germany, Allemagne)
Re: Recover after changed partition table type
I don't see a chance to recover your Chrome profile folder which is a folder tree with various file types inside using TestDisk after you have reinstalled Windows in the partition where the profile resided. Use some other commercial software that might be able to extract remains of a MFT.
Re: Recover after changed partition table type
No need to reply to this thread now. I've done a full search of the raw data of the hard drive looking for hex strings that would be in the files I'm looking for.