Healthy, active, online, but not there?

[VJ]

Zao already mentioned NTFSdos, strange that no-one picked up on it.

Here are the links (two versions, the first uses their own NTFS implementation, the second the Microsoft implementation).

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/NTFSDOS.shtml

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/ntfsdospro.shtml

Try booting from a simple dos-disk, load the NTFSDOS driver, and see if you can access the drive. If you can (and you have some FAT16 partitions on other drives), you can copy your files there.
(to speed up things, you could use a simple W98/95 installation, and copy the files over network to another computer; as you said you have 30 MB of files, must most likely not 15 FAT16 partitions)


Jörg

[mutz]

Hi az! I don't know how I would have encrypted it without knowing it. I have nothing I want or need to hide. I hate passwords and some of the other necessities to protect data from viruses, hackers, trojans, etc., but my system has been well protected from outside.

It has occurred to me that in the previous installation there was some standard NTFS security measure on the User level to prevent any non-Administrator access to the partition, but on the previous and this installation I am the only User and Administrator.

The other thing that occurred to me is that the "missing" NTFS partition is saying "I've been hijacked from my system and now somebody is trying to read me on another system. Get effed!"

If it is a NTFS security thing, I'm lost on that one. I don't need any internal security, so I've never gotten in to it.

I'm also concerned about chasing so many different rabbits that I do something stupid.

I've got at least 30GB of the only copies of photos, scans and graphics on that drive. I now think it needed protection from me! When I get it all back I've got to find a better way. The point now is getting it back!

Our chatting here is helping narrow things down, but please be patient with me if I don't jump into one idea or the other until the picture gets clearer.

[mutz]

OK VJ, I'll have to study that a bit.

I only have the 120GB (2x60GB) Raid array formatted NTFS, and the 120GB IDE drive formatted NTFS. The Raid has only one partition for the full 120GB, and ditto for the 120GB IDE. No FATS.

The present XP installation, the machine we are on now, the one with the problem partition, is just the basics, drivers, ADSL, etc., no network.

I have a second mothballed machine with Win2k on it and a 30GB drive, but I don't think moving the problem drive there will get anywhere.

My first priority is to try to revive the partition on this system before trying to scratch around inside of it. I don't know that there is anything corrupted in there. I'm just hoping it's only a broken link.

I just don't know enough about this side of XP to diagnose what is what.

[VJ]

Originally posted by mutz
[B]OK VJ, I'll have to study that a bit.

I only have the 120GB (2x60GB) Raid array formatted NTFS, and the 120GB IDE drive formatted NTFS. The Raid has only one partition for the full 120GB, and ditto for the 120GB IDE. No FATS.

Well, you don't really need FAT if you just want to see if you have access to the files. But if you have, and you you intend to copy them on another drive, DOS can only deal with FAT (just though of it: if you use a W95/98 boot disk, you can get away with FAT32).


Jörg

[Taz]

Mutz can you post a screenshot of the Disk Management screen, it might give us a clue as to what is going on

[az]

Mitz, might this be of any relevance to you? Only the uppermost Q&A.

AZ

[Taz]

Originally posted by az
Mitz, might this be of any relevance to you? Only the uppermost Q&A.

AZ

Uhm, I think if that was the case here he'd be able see the files but wouldn't be able to access them.

[VJ]

I agree with Taz on this one...
Mutz: are there any errors logged ?


Jörg

[Gurm]

Yeah, I've had that "I was the administrator, and I am the administrator, but apparently that's two different administrators to NTFS" issue crop up - but I was always able to SEE the files, just not open them.

- Gurm

[mutz]

"OmG! The house is on fire and the children will burn!!!"

I gotta get down off that panic drama and you guys are helping a lot.

That's good and almost funny AZ. But I definitely didn't do any EFS. But there may be something in the logic of unique identifiers.

Taking EFS out of the picture, is there any standard XP and NTFS security mechanism that could have locked the door when I, in effect, removed the drive from the old installation and then connected it to the new one?

I have never put any passwords on on the system, Adminstrator, User or even Screensaver. No need. Would XP have put up a SID on my previous XP installation AND on the NTFS partition without any warning of possible consequences?

Taz, I'll get back on that one. Right now I'm downloading and installing every possible new driver, update, what have you, before plugging that drive in again. Want to give it the best chance of joining the party again of it's own accord. If not, gonna have to get out the scalpels and tweesers.

[mutz]

No errors VJ.

The drive only appears in Device Manager and Disk Manager. No view of partition or content anywhere. The only indication that there is a partition on that drive is the option to delete it.

There is certainly something in Gurm's example, but I see no content.

FAT32 was easier. Not all this James Bond security paranoia. Jeez!

I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, so I'll just finish this phase, restart and see what I've got.

[VJ]

I'd really suggest you try the ntfsdos option...


Jörg

[Zao]

The NTFSDos option sounds to me like the way to go. As long as you stay away from NTFSChk, your files will be safe.
The diskchecker can remove files here and there

BTW, Härnösand is on the East Coast, in the middle.

[mutz]

Well, I might be on to something, though I don't know what to do about it.

Using DiskPart on the command line, I have found out that the partition on disk 0 is there, but the status is "Unknown", healthy, active and online. The volume is not a system disk.

Moving the focus to Volume 2, then using Assign Letter, meaning drive letter, I got "The volume you specified is not valid, or does not exist."

It exists.

Under the previous XP installation I moved the page file to D: to relieve C:.

Under the rules of the Assign command, you cannot assign a drive letter to a volume that contains a page file.

No drive letter, no accessible volume/partition/drive?

Page file should not exist on a non-system disk?

Could I install XP on this drive, making it a system disk, and still retain the partition and contents intact?

I've got NTFSDOS Pro now, but I can't run any risks here trying to pick around for a flag or something, or screw up trying to fish the contents out.

This is expert territory, and I'm no expert here.

Advice?

[VJ]

Originally posted by mutz
No drive letter, no accessible volume/partition/drive?

I'm not sure about that... I have read about software that allows you to create a mountpoint in a folder (a bit like unix works). It could be that this allows access to a drive that has no drive letter. (not sure though)

Page file should not exist on a non-system disk?

To the best of my knowledge, you can put the page file on any disk. It is sometimes even recommended not to put in on the same disk as the C-drive is on (performance reasons).

Could I install XP on this drive, making it a system disk, and still retain the partition and contents intact?

Could be... but I cannot tell for sure...

I've got NTFSDOS Pro now, but I can't run any risks here trying to pick around for a flag or something, or screw up trying to fish the contents out.

As far as I know, NTFSDOS and NTFSDOS Pro should be strictly readonly. The should not change anything on the file system. (there are versions that allow you to write to NTFS partitions from DOS, but they are not free).


Jörg