Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!ukma!aunro!ersys!bking From: ersys!bking@nro.cs.athabascau.ca (Barry King) Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.misc Subject: Re: Recovering from FDISK Message-ID: Date: 21 Mar 91 05:53:19 GMT References: <15728@mendip.UUCP> Organization: Edmonton Remote Systems, Edmonton, AB, Canada Lines: 54 mhr@mendip.UUCP (MHR {who?}) writes: > In <2697.27e2ce06@exocet.mentec.ie>, richard@exocet.mentec.ie writes: > > > > > > Does anyone know an effective way of recovering from an FDISK disaster - > > I "Fdisked" the wrong device ! > > I know PC-Tools and the Norton Utilities will recover DELETED > > files but can they be used in my situation ? > > I need to restore 2/3 un-backed-up directories. > > > > > I usually consider myself much of an expert on PCs and DOS systems, but > here I am in unfamiliar territory, so proceed with caution. > > I've never actually tried this, but I doubt it can hurt any worse than > what you already did. Basically, FDISK under most MS-DOS versions > doesn't actually do anything except rewrite the partition table on your > disk. While this is extremely dangerous, it _should_ leave the actual > disk contents alone. So, the first move would be to re-FDISK the disk > and reset the partitions back to where they were. > > In case I'm wrong about how much actual damage FDISK does, even if the > FAT's of your partitions have been destroyed (which is what FORMAT does, > not FDISK, as far as I know), you should be able to recover most of your > small or contiguous files using either PC-TOOLS or Norton. > > If you're using DR-DOS, I think you're lost because their FDISK also > formats the partition, clobbering the FAT and (I think) the file data as > well. Also, the Compaq version of FORMAT actually rewrites every sector > in the file system being formatted, thus also wiping out your data (now > _that_ I have done, much to my regret - lost two months of work because > my backup also failed to restore - different versions or something). > > The only other way would be to go buy a book which talks about these > particular subjects (I don't know the names of any, sorry) and do it by > hand with a sector editor (a la PC Tools, among others). > > Good luck! Make sure you check with a true expert on FDISK before doing > what I suggested - you may regret it if you don't. > > -- > Mark A. Hull-Richter UUCP: ccicpg!mhr In all things, restraint, I've succesfully done what Mark describesut be careful - some 'sector' editors will write out a cluster at a time even though you may only be editing what appears to be a sector. I trashed part of the FAT once when I thought I was only changing the boot record. I think Norton will handle this correctly but proceed with caution or you may end up having to patch the lost directories back into existence by hand...it works but it is _very_ tedious... Barry King ersys!bking@nro.cs.athabascau.ca Edmonton Remote Systems: Serving Northern Alberta since 1982