[vox-tech] Disk Failure - Data Retrieval?

[Michael J Wenk]

On Tue, Sep 30, 2003 at 07:04:44AM -0700, Marc Elliot Hall wrote:
> As expected (and reported in my unresponded-to-post to this list on 
> 09/15/2003), the hard disk I keep my media collection on has failed. 
> Since this disk was the first one physically installed in my Mandrake 
> box, it was /dev/hda1, all in one large partition. After an unclean 
> shutdown, the system would not boot - I got an MBR: 0x?? error (nope, 
> didn't write down the last two characters; so I don't know the specific 
> cause) on power up. Tried a few more times: no luck, so it wasn't a 
> transient error.
> 
> Suspecting that the disk was hosed, I then:
> 
> * swapped my IDE cables;
> * booted from the Mandrake 9.1 CD in rescue mode;
> * switched parameters in /etc/fstab to establish my mount points for 
> various directories to /dev/hda and /dev/hdb instead of /dev/hdc and 
> /dev/hdd, respectively;
> * wrote the MBR to /dev/hda (that had previously been /dev/hdc);
> * symlinked /etc/lilo.conf to /mnt/etc/lilo.conf;
> * ran LILO; and
> * rebooted.
> 
> So, now I'm back in business.
> 
> However, I still don't have my media collection online! Because I have 
> the original CDs, I didn't keep backups of this particular disk. 
> Unfortunate, but reasonable considering the expense of tape backup 
> solutions and my current unemployment :^(
> 
> Short of re-ripping my insanely large CD collection, is there an easy 
> way to retreive the data from my disk? Based on what I've tried so far, 
> it appears that the boot sector and/or partition table of the disk are 
> corrupted.
> 
> What I've tried so far:
> 
> # fsck.ext3 /dev/hdc1
> e2fsck 1.32 (09-Nov-2002)
> fsck.ext3: No such file or directory while trying to open /dev/hdc1
> 
> The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2
> filesystem.  If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2
> filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock
> is corrupt, and you might try running e2fsck with an alternate superblock:
>     e2fsck -b 8193 <device>
> 
> # fsck.ext3 /dev/hdc
> e2fsck 1.32 (09-Nov-2002)
> fsck.ext3: Attempt to read block from filesystem resulted in short read 
> while trying to open /dev/hdc
> Could this be a zero-length partition?
> 
> # fdisk -l /dev/hdc
> 
> (Nothing except a blank line results. Just to check, I verified another 
> disk:)
> 
> # fdisk -l /dev/hda
> 
> Disk /dev/hda: 40.0 GB, 40027029504 bytes
> 16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 77557 cylinders
> Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes
> 
>    Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
> /dev/hda1   *         1       507    255496+  83  Linux
> /dev/hda2           508     77558  38833368    5  Extended
> /dev/hda5           508      1319    409216+  82  Linux swap
> /dev/hda6          1320     20102   9466600+  83  Linux
> /dev/hda7         20103     50911  15527704+  83  Linux
> /dev/hda8         50912     77558  13429720+  83  Linux
> 
> (so it's not that I can't use fdisk...)
> 
> # sfdisk -l /dev/hdc
> 
> Disk /dev/hdc: 158816 cylinders, 16 heads, 63 sectors/track
> read: Input/output error
> 
> sfdisk: read error on /dev/hdc - cannot read sector 0
>  /dev/hdc: unrecognized partition
> No partitions found
> 
> Does anyone have any ideas?
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Marc Elliot Hall           www.hallmarc.net/quick_resume.html
> P.O. Box 435
> Shingle Springs, CA 95682
> www.hallmarc.net		                      Hire me!
> 
> 
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What does fsdb show for the disk? 

First of all, if you can(Ie, have the space) do a dd image of the drive.
I suspect that you will not be able to do it.  I would try looking at it
with the debugger, and perhaps looking at the disk with whatever diag
util the manufacturer makes.  However, my best guess is that you are
screwed and should start reripping...