NTFS disk cloner that deals with protected files

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S

sid

My system disk (NTFS)on windows XP Home system has gone bad. Windows
won't boot off of it and it is not recognized in some of the simple
disk restore programs. However I can see the folder strucuture in
knoppix version of linux. I don't want to recover my files in linux
because 1) it is a pain mounting NTFS in read/write mode and 2) it
doesn't see my "my documents" as it seems protected (how did this get
setup in WinXP is beyond me - when I setup user accounts I remember it
saying something like "even if you setup password others can still see
your filles - do you want to disable this? I may have, without giving
much thought, set the flag for it. Is this the equivalent of doing
'chmod 700' in unix?) Any way "my documents" is only displayed as
"?--------" in knoppix while others' files are dispalyed as drwxrwxrwx.
Hence I cannot do file recovery in knoppix

I am looking for a self bootable (and hence I guess DOS based) NTFS
cloner that deals with protected files (reasonable cost). I have
another larger ahrd drive that has some data on it. This program should
be able to use that drive without formatting it first.

thanks
SS
 
My system disk (NTFS)on windows XP Home system has gone bad. Windows
won't boot off of it and it is not recognized in some of the simple
disk restore programs. However I can see the folder strucuture in
knoppix version of linux. I don't want to recover my files in linux
because 1) it is a pain mounting NTFS in read/write mode and 2) it
doesn't see my "my documents" as it seems protected (how did this get
setup in WinXP is beyond me - when I setup user accounts I remember it
saying something like "even if you setup password others can still see
your filles - do you want to disable this? I may have, without giving
much thought, set the flag for it. Is this the equivalent of doing
'chmod 700' in unix?) Any way "my documents" is only displayed as
"?--------" in knoppix while others' files are dispalyed as drwxrwxrwx.
Hence I cannot do file recovery in knoppix

I am looking for a self bootable (and hence I guess DOS based) NTFS
cloner that deals with protected files (reasonable cost). I have
another larger ahrd drive that has some data on it. This program should
be able to use that drive without formatting it first.

thanks
SS
Click to expand...


You don't want to mount an NTFS file system for write in Linux. That's
not ready for prime time yet.

If you're dealing at the file and directory level you don't want a
disk clone tool. A proper clone tool is oblivious to the content of
what it copies.

XP puts a read-only property on folders. This is new. w2k didn't do it
and there is at least one article in the MS KB about it. You can't
change it and AFAIKT it has no downsides[1]

If you have a new disk you can install it, install XP and then put the
old disk in on the secondary IDE channel and copy your data and burn
CDs or whatever. You may have to learn how to take ownership in file
properties first. You'll be able to see all your files unless (a) the
file system is *really* trashed, (b) you've turned on encryption of
(c) the disk drive is dying.

[1] except for one dusty old Foxpro application I had to support when
we got our first XP desktop which is how I learned about this. :-(
 
(a) and (c)

I tried seeing the file system using Ultimate Boot CD (for windows) and
it ain't there. basically any flavor of Windows or DOS doesn't see any
file system (because of file system corruption / bad sectors). I am
hoping that if I clone the disk onto a good disk, then somehow I could
magically make the file system appear and be able to restore files from
it.
 
(a) and (c)

I tried seeing the file system using Ultimate Boot CD (for windows) and
it ain't there. basically any flavor of Windows or DOS doesn't see any
file system (because of file system corruption / bad sectors). I am
hoping that if I clone the disk onto a good disk, then somehow I could
magically make the file system appear and be able to restore files from
it.
Click to expand...




IMO you've done everything you can do without the use of special
recovery services, which care not free.

Since you alread have a new disk, use XP to do your recovery
system. IMO don't screw with compatibility when sh*t has happened.

Set up your new XP machine with the sick disk as D: or whatever and go
to www.ontrack.com and download their analysis/recovery software. If
it's still the same it will analysize your disk and tell you what's
wrong and what it can recover , if you pay for it.

There are many other serivces but I know ontrack is reputable and I've
had clients use their servies with 100% recovery for a failed server
disk, in our case. I have no other relationship woth Ontrack.
 
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