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I used GParted to convert a primary partition to extended one after copying the data to another partition. After having the extended partition I moved the data back. To my utter shock after a restart I found out that the new extended partition did convert into "unallocated space". I tried installing testdisk. Testdisk could identify the partition as a primary partition and not the newly created extended partition. So what should I do now? I badly want the data back.

Dan B
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Chethan S.
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3 Answers3

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It's rather difficult to solve such problems via the internet, and it certainly doesn't fit the question -> answer nature of askubuntu.com.

Anyways:

  • Whenever such things happen, immediately shutdown the system and don't write (or install) anything to it!

  • Start a live CD, download the 6.12-WIP version of TestDisk (you just need to unpack it, then start it with sudo ./testdisk), let it search for partitions, examine the contents of the found partitions, and if you are 100% sure that you've found the right partition, restore it.

  • You can find a couple of detailed examples in the TestDisk wiki (e.g., TestDisk step-by-step).

If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, ask someone that has experience with this tool to do it for you. Any mistake can lead to permanent loss of data!

htorque
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If you got easily recognizable data on your partition (pictures, documents, file archives etc) I would recommend you trying out foremost, it has helped me out a few times.

Also, check out DataRecovery.

Dan B
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Unless someone is willing to spend a lot of time explaining the process in detail, you're best bet will be researching this yourself online. Here's an excellent lifehacker article which guides you a process very similar to the position you're in.

I've used the tools outlined in that article myself and while it takes a bit of reading to get started, it's not particularly complicated and I got good results.

There used to be a good WIKI page on wiki.ubuntu.com regarding disk forensics, but I can't seem to find it anymore. I'll post it if I can find it.

Scaine
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