Restore HDD partition?

lifeisbetterwithketchup · Fri Jun 29, 2007 12:24 am

Ok, I majorly @#%$ed up. I booted into the install disc for OSX86, and tried to create a new partition (to install OSX onto) using the disk utility.

The HDD was a 160GB with about 20GB unpartitioned. Once I clicked "partition" it threw an error saying something about an invalid argument. Then the volume disappeared in disk utility. So I restarted the computer, and XP will not boot.

I'm really freaking out about this. Is there any way I can restore the NTFS file system with a live Linux distro or something, or am I completely screwed?

EDIT: I just booted into a live Ubuntu disc and the partitioner says the entire drive is unallocated.

EDIT 2: Burned a "UNERASER" bootable CD. It could find the deleted NTFS partition, but there's no option to fix it.

This tells me the problem is fixable, I just can't figure out how to do it.

EDIT 3: Got a BootMaster 4.02 floppy. It finds the partition and creates a virtual master boot record, but in order to apply it to the drive, I have to pay the stupid company $30.

And I can't find a "workaround". This is really starting to get agravating. It's 3:52 in the morning, and this is not fun.

lifeisbetterwithketchup · Sun Jul 01, 2007 3:33 pm

Post by **marshallh** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 5:19 pm

http://www.zydecode.net/snippets/?p=4

Felino · Post by **Felino** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 7:33 pm

When using OSX86 you have to be VERY careful.

Use partition magic to make the partitions, as disk utility is a destructive partitioner, there is little hope of getting your data back, sorry. In my experence anyway

I can help you with other aspects of this, but probably not here, as this is technicly illegal. I don't know how the mods will like us discussing it..'

If you want a key to the software you asked for before, you can use my own, just PM me.

All the best.
-Felino

lifeisbetterwithketchup · Sun Jul 01, 2007 8:37 pm

I'm not too worried about OSX86 stuff now, I just want my data back. And I don't know what you mean by this.

Felino wrote:If you want a key to the software you asked for before, you can use my own, just PM me.

And marshallh, can i just use a boot floppy of MS-DOS to do that?

Harshboy · Post by **Harshboy** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 10:45 am

This wont help, but i had OSX86 installed once. It worked a few times, then the whole Hard Drive crapped out. Hope that helps

I'm sorry to tell you the only thing you can do is try to Install a Fresh copy of Windows. Your not getting that data back.

lifeisbetterwithketchup · Sun Jul 08, 2007 2:37 pm

Well, I ended up shelling out the $30 for Bootmaster; it didn't work. But I emailed their tech support, and they told me how to fix it (after I told them what was up), and now everything is back the way it was before, all data intact.

So, if anything, I proved you wrong, Harshboy!

Felino · Post by **Felino** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:14 am

I meant you can use my key for the software, and save the $30.

lifeisbetterwithketchup · Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:58 am

Felino wrote:I meant you can use my key for the software, and save the $30.

Heh. Wish I knew that sooner. Oh well, it was only $30, and it worked.

loup · Post by **loup** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 10:02 am

If anyone else ever has this problem, there is a free utility called testdisk that can restore partitions that have been damaged (or accidentally deleted)

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

lifeisbetterwithketchup · Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:01 pm

I tried that about a week ago, and it didn't solve my problem. Might work for someone else though.