Salvage Windows files Using Ubuntu Live CD
Situation: client laptop crashed; could not boot Windows XP or access files
Solution: use Ubuntu live CD to recover files
Part 1: Mount windows folder structure in Ubuntu
Step 1: boot up laptop using Ubuntu Live CD
Step 2: go to terminal (Applications>Accessories>Terminal)
Step 3: go to the root directory (“/”); “cd ..” twice or “cd /”
Step 4: enter “sudo mkdir /recovery” (recovery will be the root directory for the windows files
Step 5: enter “sudo umount /dev/hda1″
Step 6: enter “sudo mount -t ntfs /dev/hda1 /recovery -o nls=utf8,umask=0222″
The entire Windows /directory structure should now be available where with recovery acting as your primary drive from when you were in windows (i.e. usually your c: drive)
Part 2: Copying files to Windows computer on the network
Step 1: On a windows machine, create a folder
Step 2: Share this folder; right click on a folder, select properties, select the Sharing tab, check off “Share this folder on the network” and “Allow network users to change my files”
Step 3: On the laptop, got to “Places>Network Servers”
Step 4: You should now be able to see your windows Netork; double click on it or use keyboard shortcuts
Step 5: browse to the workgroup or domain for the computer you shared the folder on
Step 6: continue to browse to the computer and the folder you shared.
Step 7: go to “Places>Computer” and browse to Filesystem and to the /recovery folder
Step 8: drag and drop the files and / or folders to be recovered
I’m sure there is an easier way than this but it worked for me. In case I need to do it again, here is how.
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