recovering partition table

**k0NG0** · 08-18-2008, 06:49 PM

So, I'm an idiot. A huge fat idiot. I was trying to create a bootable USB stick and instead of /dev/sdb I managed to type /dev/sda and hosed the partition table on my old trusty computer which has worked for years and years.

Bad. Very bad.

There are guides to recovering the partition table by fdisk:ing everything as it used to be.

Since I'm still in Linux, I have the info in /proc/partitions.

Does anyone have any experience with doing this?

Needless to say I'm backing up everything precious to an external drive. I have a lot of old junk on the drive so a re-install isn't a huge disaster but I'd like to avoid it if possible.

(I've read the Partition-Rescue HOWTO and have Googled, so I'm looking for advice beyond that.)

yamawho · 08-25-2008, 07:53 AM

Just wondering how you made out on this one ...

Did you do a fresh install ?

rjs735 · 08-25-2008, 12:53 PM

Acronis true image I belive has partition recovery. Have never used. Just bought it recently. I got tired of always searching when I need to.

I believe some of the UBCD and RescueCD and 911cd have partition recovery. Again I have never used. UBCD4WIN has a recovery tools for damaged partition.

911cd has been absorbed by Bartpe site every seach sends me back there.

**k0NG0** · 08-25-2008, 01:42 PM

I backed up everything important to a USB HDD and never turned off the computer. It's been ticking for a week now (I've had it running for months at a time previously).

I'll probably get a second network cable and hook it up to the new computer and just rsync everything over and then format the drive. I think I'll get a housing for it with Firewire and USB. More backup space won't hurt.

It's all cool in the end. Didn't lose anything but the C: drive (apparently the mkdosfs erased the start of that partition to the point where accessing the mount would just fail) which was a 5-year-old XP install and assorted junk.

08-18-2008, 06:49 PM	#1
k0NG0 Remembering TQ Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Sweden Posts: 13,750	recovering partition table So, I'm an idiot. A huge fat idiot. I was trying to create a bootable USB stick and instead of /dev/sdb I managed to type /dev/sda and hosed the partition table on my old trusty computer which has worked for years and years. Bad. Very bad. There are guides to recovering the partition table by fdisk:ing everything as it used to be. Since I'm still in Linux, I have the info in /proc/partitions. Does anyone have any experience with doing this? Needless to say I'm backing up everything precious to an external drive. I have a lot of old junk on the drive so a re-install isn't a huge disaster but I'd like to avoid it if possible. (I've read the Partition-Rescue HOWTO and have Googled, so I'm looking for advice beyond that.) __________________ Use Firefox - "the one that blocks all the schmutz" Feeling multicore elation? Remember this correlation: Amdahl's Law.
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08-25-2008, 07:53 AM	#2
yamawho Linux user Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Montreal Posts: 4,093	Re: recovering partition table Just wondering how you made out on this one ... Did you do a fresh install ? __________________
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08-25-2008, 12:53 PM	#3
rjs735 Virus? What I am not sick Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Central Florida Posts: 1,912	Re: recovering partition table Acronis true image I belive has partition recovery. Have never used. Just bought it recently. I got tired of always searching when I need to. I believe some of the UBCD and RescueCD and 911cd have partition recovery. Again I have never used. UBCD4WIN has a recovery tools for damaged partition. 911cd has been absorbed by Bartpe site every seach sends me back there. __________________ Asus P4S8x 2.0 Ghz Celeron Ram 512MB WDC 80GB HD SATA WDC 80GB SATA Memorex DUAL DVD/RW Win98SE/XP pro Asus P2b-F Cel 450 Ram 256MB W98 SE Optorite CDRW WD 40GB Asrock P4combo P4 346 Xp Pro Sp 3 SATA HD SATA DVD/RW Foxconn 925EX 550 XP Media SP2 Sata HD Sata DVD/RW Foxconn 925EX 550 Xp SP2 Asrock 775Dual 550 Xp pro SP2 IBM T23 1.3hz RAM 512MB XP pro SP2 All systems are networked Konica Minolta Color Laser Samsung clp-315 Color laser Dlink 655 Dlink G650 Wireless Last edited by rjs735; 08-25-2008 at 01:09 PM..
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08-25-2008, 01:42 PM	#4
k0NG0 Remembering TQ Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Sweden Posts: 13,750	Re: recovering partition table I backed up everything important to a USB HDD and never turned off the computer. It's been ticking for a week now (I've had it running for months at a time previously). I'll probably get a second network cable and hook it up to the new computer and just rsync everything over and then format the drive. I think I'll get a housing for it with Firewire and USB. More backup space won't hurt. It's all cool in the end. Didn't lose anything but the C: drive (apparently the mkdosfs erased the start of that partition to the point where accessing the mount would just fail) which was a 5-year-old XP install and assorted junk. __________________ Use Firefox - "the one that blocks all the schmutz" Feeling multicore elation? Remember this correlation: Amdahl's Law.
(Offline)

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