Unreadable data on a basic non-system volume

[davidlatapie]

Hello,

Initial setup:
One computer with C: (SSD, 80 Gb) and D: (HDD, 500 Gb, basic volume). Windows 8 consumer preview
After a software update, Windows 8 doesnt start. I backup data from C: to D: with Hiren's then start installing W2K and two versions of Ubuntu - all the three media are broken, the install doesn't finish. I end up downloading a new version of Ubuntu (Quantic) and install on C:. Everything's fine, but D: is not mountable.

I run Parted with tells me something about a bad magic number.
I then run TestFix and here is the result:

Test Fix’s Deep Search:
Device is /dev/sdb
(System Start End Blocks Id)

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Linux           0       1    1    63813  179 58 964863832
Linux       23480      83   20    24451   27 43  14678016
HPFS-NTFS    2787     165   54    37462  197 37 524288000
HPFS-NTFS   37462     197   38   102063   97 49 976760832

(this is before the end of the search. After the end of the search, I have this:

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The following partition can't be recovered:
   Partition         Start        End   Size in sectors
> HPFS - NTFS   37462 197 38 102063 97 49 976760832 [Data]

I then tried Photorec, and I have this:

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     Partition          Start        End    Size in sectors
      No partition     0  0  1  64601  62 29  976771055 (whole disk)
> 1 P W2K Dynamics/SFS 0  1  1  64601  29 60  976768944

I also got this information from testfix, you should add it to the thread:

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Warning: the current number of heads per cylinder is 240
but the correct value may be 255.
You can use the Geometry menu to change this value.
It's something to try if 
- some partitions are not found by TestDisk
- or the partition table can not be  written because partitions overlaps.

Please not this is a desktop HDD, not a USB HDD.

I am tempted to just do as here http://forum.cgsecurity.org/phpBB3/post3951.html and change the partition type to 42. But not sure and I don't have any way to backup data (they appear neither in Linux or Windows).

What would you suggest?

Thanks

[davidlatapie]

Still no one to answer? Fiona?

Upd: I'd attach the log if this was possible