Lost Windows directories and drive can't be seen by manuf's utility

[news.rcn.com]

I was working on my Compaq desktop, trying to restore the partition table on
a laptop HDD. I didn't interfere with the jumpering, (I jumpered the laptop
drive as a Primary IDE on the Secondary IDE chain).

We were using an amazingly useful utility called FindPart and did manage to
restore it, initially restoring all data files to the Compaq FindPart
directory (where they still are).

However when I came to use the Compaq again, the Windows, Program Files and
Documents & Settings directories all appear to have completely vanished!
(all the normal files in the root such as NTLDR and NTDETECT etc are there,
even the pagefile)

Even worse, the manufacturer's utility (booting from a floppy in DOS) can't
even see that there is a drive there. But curiously BartPE and Knoppix DO
see it and can read from it and write to it.

Curiously the computer does get some of the way into booting into Windows
2000. It gives a few intro screens and gets as far as the end of the
loading drivers stage in Safe Mode. Then it blue screens. So it must be
knowing what to do / seeing those files / loading its drivers from
somewhere????

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

I was working on my Compaq desktop, trying to restore the partition table on
a laptop HDD. I didn't interfere with the jumpering, (I jumpered the laptop
drive as a Primary IDE on the Secondary IDE chain).

We were using an amazingly useful utility called FindPart and did manage to
restore it, initially restoring all data files to the Compaq FindPart
directory (where they still are).

However when I came to use the Compaq again, the Windows, Program Files and
Documents & Settings directories all appear to have completely vanished!
(all the normal files in the root such as NTLDR and NTDETECT etc are there,
even the pagefile)

Yes, amazingly useful utility.

 

[news.rcn.com]

Yes, amazingly useful utility.

Yes, it just reads and restores all sorts of completely deleted files, even
from a blank hard drive where there is no partition table!

Pity I cant figure out how to get it to restore all the mysteriously lost OS
files

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

Yes, it just reads and restores all sorts of completely deleted files, even
from a blank hard drive where there is no partition table!

And mysteriously lose OS files in the process. Very useful.

Btw, nicely quoted post.
Good to know that you proofread your posts before sending.

 

[news.rcn.com]

And mysteriously lose OS files in the process. Very useful.

Well what happened was that it boots from its own floppy using its own OS
(probably DOS, though it CAN restore NTFS files) the files it resuscitated
from the 2.5 inch drive onto the 40 Gig Compaq 3.5 inch drive were probably
about 20 gigs of information! Somehow it may have overwritten those
directories in the process. What usually stops the system from overwriting
files didnt work in this case?

Or may be I have hit the nail on the thumb here: It may be that while it was
restoring the drive, the DOS program was blissfully unaware that there were
files on the 3.5 inch drive BECAUSE they were NTFS!

Seagate were flummoxed by the inability of their Seatools utility to see the
drive at all. They now tell me that I should just do a repair install of
the Windows 2000 system which they say (sic) will restore the Program Files
directory.

I am still baffled by how booting can see the Windows installation even to
get as far as the end of the verbose bit in safe mode but there is still no
windows directory on the drive which can be seen by Linux!

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

Well what happened was that it boots from its own floppy using its own OS

(probably DOS,
Probably?

though it CAN restore NTFS files)

And what in your opinion is an "NTFS file"?

the files it resuscitated from the 2.5 inch drive onto the 40 Gig Compaq 3.5
inch drive were probably about 20 gigs of information!

Somehow it may have overwritten those directories in the process.

No!? Really?

What usually stops the system from overwriting files didnt work in this case?

Maybe because the 'system' (DOS) had nothing to do with it?
Because it doesn't even see those drives?

Or may be I have hit the nail on the thumb here: It may be that while it was
restoring the drive, the DOS program was blissfully unaware that there were
files on the 3.5 inch drive BECAUSE they were NTFS!

"BECAUSE they were NTFS" the program *should* be blissfully un-aware of
the drive(s) existing at all. When that's not the case it must mean that writing to
NTFS volumes under DOS was an added capability. Somehow I find that unlikely.

Seagate were flummoxed by the inability of their Seatools utility to see the
drive at all. They now tell me that I should just do a repair install of the
Windows 2000 system which they say (sic) will restore the Program Files
directory.

Or cause more trouble than you are in already if the filesystem was wrecked.

I am still baffled by how booting can see the Windows installation even to
get as far as the end of the verbose bit in safe mode but there is still no
windows directory on the drive which can be seen by Linux!

Or might actually show you a little of how Windows is organized.

I'm so glad you fixed that quoting problem.