Help with lost partition

[mito123]

I have been building my digital photo albums for the last 6 years. I have lost all my data. All my precious memories got lost because of stupid Partition Magic.

Please help me to reclaim my lost partition. Here is the details:

My har drive was divided into 3 partitions. I tried to merge the last two with partition magic and the process got interrupted at the begining of the process. Then when I checked the partition structure in partition magic, my third partition where I had all my picture files were marked as "unallocated"!!! I tried to recover it with partition magic but it keeps saying it doesnt recognize anything...

My only hope is that although it says "unallocated" my data is physically still there and there should be a way to reclaim the whole partition.

I tried to recover the files by using acronis disk director but no hope.

I tried using EasyRecovery Professional to recover the files. It partially worked. BUT, most of the files especially the large ones dont work. Image browser cannot open those files. I guess they get corrupted while retrieveing the files wit EasyRecovery software.

If I could get the partition as a whole, if I could get it activated in some way, I believe files won't show up as corrupted.

You help would be greatly appreciated.

I am also attaching the output from Partition Magic log file. Please see where it says: "Warning: EPBR partition starting at 39889395 is without logical partition."

Thanks for all your help in advance!
---------------
PowerQuest PartitionInfo 8.0 -- Windows NT/2000 Version
Date Generated: 01/14/05 01:39:51
Copyright (c)1994-2002, PowerQuest Corporation
Permission is granted for this utility to be freely copied so long
as it is not modified in any way. All other rights are reserved.

PowerQuest, makers of PartitionMagic(r), Drive Image(tm), and DriveCopy(tm), can be reached at:
Voice: 801-437-8900
Fax: 801-226-8941
Web site:

http://www.powerquest.com/support/

E-mail: magic@powerquest.com

General System Information:
Total Physical Memory (bytes): 401,838,080
Used Physical Memory: (bytes): 204,222,464
Maximum Page File Size: (bytes): 966,541,312
Current Page File Size: (bytes): 196,317,184



===========================================================================================================
Disk Geometry Information for Disk 1: 14593 Cylinders, 255 Heads, 63 Sectors/Track
Warning: Logical drive chain points to sector without partition table.
System PartSect # Boot BCyl Head Sect FS ECyl Head Sect StartSect NumSects
===========================================================================================================
0 0 80 0 1 1 07 1023 254 63 63 29,623,797
Info: End C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Actual values are:
0 0 80 0 1 1 07 1843 254 63 63 29623797
0 1 00 1023 0 1 0F 1023 254 63 29,623,860 204,812,685
Info: Begin C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Info: End C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Actual values are:
0 1 00 1844 0 1 0F 14592 254 63 29623860 204812685
29,623,860 0 00 1023 1 1 07 1023 254 63 29,623,923 10,265,472
Info: Begin C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Info: End C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Actual values are:
29623860 0 00 1844 1 1 07 2482 254 63 29623923 10265472
29,623,860 1 00 1023 0 1 05 1023 254 63 39,889,395 194,547,150
Info: Begin C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Info: End C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Actual values are:
29623860 1 00 2483 0 1 05 14592 254 63 39889395 194547150

===========================================================================================================
Disk Geometry Information for Disk 2: 1860 Cylinders, 255 Heads, 63 Sectors/Track
System PartSect # Boot BCyl Head Sect FS ECyl Head Sect StartSect NumSects
===========================================================================================================
0 0 80 0 1 1 07 1023 254 63 63 29,864,772
Info: End C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Actual values are:
0 0 80 0 1 1 07 1858 254 63 63 29864772



===========================================================================================================
Partition Information for Disk 1: 114,471.0 Megabytes
Volume PartType Status Size MB PartSect # StartSect TotalSects
===========================================================================================================
C: NTFS Pri,Boot 14,464.7 0 0 63 29,623,797
ExtendedX Pri 100,006.2 0 1 29,623,860 204,812,685
EPBR Log 5,012.5 None -- 29,623,860 10,265,535
NTFS Log 5,012.4 29,623,860 0 29,623,923 10,265,472
EPBR Log 94,993.7 29,623,860 1 39,889,395 194,547,150
Warning: EPBR partition starting at 39889395 is without logical partition.
Unallocated Log 94,993.7 None -- 39,889,395 194,547,150


===========================================================================================================
Partition Information for Disk 2: 14,590.3 Megabytes
Volume PartType Status Size MB PartSect # StartSect TotalSects
===========================================================================================================
E: NTFS Pri,Boot 14,582.4 0 0 63 29,864,772
Unallocated Pri 7.8 None -- 29,864,835 16,065


===========================================================================================================
Boot Record for drive C: (Drive: 1, Starting sector: 63, Type: NTFS)
===========================================================================================================
1. Jump: EB 52 90
2. OEM Name: NTFS
3. Bytes per Sector: 512
4. Sectors per Cluster: 8
5. Reserved Sectors: 0
6. Number of FATs: 0
7. Root Dir Entries: 0
8. Total Sectors: 0
9. Media Descriptor: 0xF8
10. Sectors per FAT: 0
11. Sectors per Track: 63 (0x3F)
12. Number of Heads: 255 (0xFF)
13. Hidden Sectors: 63 (0x3F)
14. Total Sectors (>32MB): 0 (0x0)
15. Unused: 0x80008000
16. Total NTFS Sectors: 29623796
17. MFT Start Cluster: 4
18. MFT Mirror Start Clust: 540786
19. Clusters per FRS: 246
20. Clusters per Index Blk: 1
21. Serial Number: 0xEEA05E4FA05E1F01
22. Checksum: 0 (0x0)
23. Boot Signature: 0xAA55

===========================================================================================================
Boot Record for drive *: (Drive: 1, Starting sector: 29,623,923, Type: NTFS)
===========================================================================================================
1. Jump: EB 52 90
2. OEM Name: NTFS
3. Bytes per Sector: 512
4. Sectors per Cluster: 8
5. Reserved Sectors: 0
6. Number of FATs: 0
7. Root Dir Entries: 0
8. Total Sectors: 0
9. Media Descriptor: 0xF8
10. Sectors per FAT: 0
11. Sectors per Track: 63 (0x3F)
12. Number of Heads: 255 (0xFF)
13. Hidden Sectors: 63 (0x3F)
14. Total Sectors (>32MB): 0 (0x0)
15. Unused: 0x80008000
16. Total NTFS Sectors: 10265471
17. MFT Start Cluster: 4
18. MFT Mirror Start Clust: 641591
19. Clusters per FRS: 246
20. Clusters per Index Blk: 1
21. Serial Number: 0x1CF4EF6EF4EF489A
22. Checksum: 0 (0x0)
23. Boot Signature: 0xAA55

===========================================================================================================
Boot Record for drive E: (Drive: 2, Starting sector: 63, Type: NTFS)
===========================================================================================================
1. Jump: EB 52 90
2. OEM Name: NTFS
3. Bytes per Sector: 512
4. Sectors per Cluster: 8
5. Reserved Sectors: 0
6. Number of FATs: 0
7. Root Dir Entries: 0
8. Total Sectors: 0
9. Media Descriptor: 0xF8
10. Sectors per FAT: 0
11. Sectors per Track: 63 (0x3F)
12. Number of Heads: 255 (0xFF)
13. Hidden Sectors: 63 (0x3F)
14. Total Sectors (>32MB): 0 (0x0)
15. Unused: 0x80008000
16. Total NTFS Sectors: 29864771
17. MFT Start Cluster: 4
18. MFT Mirror Start Clust: 1866548
19. Clusters per FRS: 246
20. Clusters per Index Blk: 1
21. Serial Number: 0x2618119F18116ED5
22. Checksum: 0 (0x0)
23. Boot Signature: 0xAA55

 

[mito123]

Still desparately waiting someone to have an idea to help me on the problem.
Thanks.

Mito

 

[wolluf]

Try other data recovery apps? (eg

http://www.runtime.org/gdb.htm).

btw - large posts with lots of technical details like yours can be off-putting.

PS. You won't want to hear this - but if you've spent 6 years building up a photo album, why on earth haven't you backed it up?

 

[mito123]

I have tried data recovery including the one you recommended. It does not retrieve all the files correctly. Some of them turns out to be corrupt while recovering.

For this reason, I am looking for a solution which will enable me to claim the whole partition. Do I need to tweak the partition table, MBR, etc? It complains that, extended partition is without the logical partition. Is there any way I can mark the extended partition in such a way that it will be read as a reagular partition?

Thanks.

 

[jurgen36]

Try get data back for Fat32 or for NTFS as the case might be, that should get all your files back. I believe the utilities are available as a trial. You will need a second drive to write the recovered data. Good luck

Jurgen

 

[mito123]

jurgen36: Thanks for your input. Though, your recommendation is same as wolluf's recommendation which did not work for me due to problem with file retrieval. I need a way to simply bring the partition ONLINE. I need to find a way to change unallocated partition status to something that is recognized by the operating system.

Looking forward to someone who has experienced such a solution.

Thanks.

 

[mito123]

I got the following message in GetDataBack:
"Missing Signature in partition table ( sector 39889395 ) of drive." This is excatly the same location where my lost partition used to start. Now it is marked as "unallocated" in partition magic. I would appreciate any help.

 

[jurgen36]

I really do believe that you should be able to get your files back, not your partition but your individual files. Get data back will recover all as long as the drive still spinns up. I accidently used a drive with importand data for a Linux installation, The drive got partitioned and reformated for Suse linux, then I realised I used the wrong drive, big panic, however Get data back found all my files, I had to rename same of course as it only gave numbers to recovered files. But I lost practically nothing. You can not get whole partitions back, only your files.
Regards

Jurgen

 

[jurgen36]

More to my earlier posting, I used one spare drive and filled it up with a ghost of my main drive. The remainder I filled up with JPG an music files.

I then formated the drive with NTFS, then I installed Linux Suse 9.2. Which again partioned the drive. Nothing of the original Fat drive was showing. With Acronics it showed as unallocated space. I then run Runtime Software GetDataBack. The result is that I got all JPG and sound files back. Only the first Gbyte or so was overwriten with the Linux installation. It took a while to run the recovery, about two hours. The drive was a 80GB drive about 3/4 full. So you should really have a very good chance to get your data back.
I used the full drive check option. Good luck.


Jurgen

 

[mito123]

Jurgen,

Thank you very much for your comments. I think you are right. I have been recovering my files using the software you recommended. My partition that got lost was 97GB.

Recovery is running overnight and still not finished. It will take time. But so far I have a very high ratio of success. Even movie files like 700-800mb are recovered without any corruption..

Once again, thanks for your input. I appreciate your help

Mito