backup/restore all partition tables of HDD

Hi!

@ cmdr: shouldn't the second mkdir call be placed after the mount command? Mounting typically makes the contant of the directory used as mount point disappear - and lets the contents opf the mounted device show up there. Thus, with the commands in your order, the cp line will in fact copy the MBR backup to the USB key - but it will not write the file to the /BootRec folder there, since this folder does not exist on the USB key. Instead, a file named BootRec will be craeted - and this file contains the copy of the MBR.

hi cmdr,

it is easy to backup MBR.

What I need is to backup the full HDD structure including extended partition consisting several logical drives.

Currently I know only one application supporting this function: Partition Table Doctor (http://www.ptdd.com/). Unfortunately it's not freeware.

Hello, cmdr!

First thank you for you brought me in to the world of terminal use, which earlier was the scariest thing on earth for me. )))  First I just wanted to delete Vista with gparted on my moms computer partition it and install XP then, but I faced some troubles, cause I didn't know how to set the flags to active. After reading different tutorials for an hour i decided it might be a good idea to back up the MBR first and found your post reply. And it actually came out to be not so scary as I thought and it worked out to save MBR on usbstick!!! I was wordless, writing in terminal with success was not my primary intention, and at the the and found myself plying around with the terminal in gpartet for two and a half hours...=))))

After that, and this is the actual question, I thought, it might be better not just to erase the HDD but to backup the recovery partition first( which was there already, fat32), just for the case.
The one thing I didn't figure out yet, is how to use your program MC_HxEd, i just could look at the code in the mc, but no idea how to use it, to save the recovery partition to another place.
My gparted version is 0.3.4-11.
The second thing is, that I just have a usbstick with 2 GB, but the recovery data is nearly 4 GB.
I have a second notebook here, and thought to connect the two with a network cable to save the recovery data directly to my notebook. ( Or maybe its possible to save recovery data in two times on the usb)

Another question I have, is, do I have to be cafefull with anything else if later I suddenly want to reinstall vista on the notebook or another programm? Are there additionaly any general things to be aware of ? Is it ok just to erase the whole disk and then work farther?

Would you maybe help me in this thing? I would very apprecciate it! ))

Olga

Sorry, you're right. It was not the best idea to post here, I will write in Support.

Hello Murad,

Well, I think, that an easy accessible way to get a stored Boot Record back on a drive is like a key to a "poison cabinet" in the wrong hands. It would be simple to integrate it, due to the naming convention of the files. But what if you use a removable storage media, that changes its device name, because it's accidentally attached after an other ? DriveID might also have been altered with the changes, you want to get rid of again, so there is no more "fingerprint" for identification.

In other words, you have to do it manually with Terminal command "dd", which I use in my program, too.

Example for MBR on /dev/sdc

dd  if=/mnt/usb/BootRec/sdc.MBR  of=/dev/sdc  bs=512  count=1

Example for PBR on /dev/sdb3

dd  if=/mnt/usb/BootRec/sdb3.PBR  of=/dev/sdb3  bs=512  count=1

Since you can recall and edit the commandline with the arrow keys, you simply have  to type a few new characters (2 to 8) for each record.

A little more difficult are the XBRs, because they don't have a "device name". You need their absolute sector location on your media.  And this is my concession with a new version of MC_HxEd: I will integrate it in the filename as with BLK files, e.g. "sdb3_3456789_1.XBR", which means "start at sector 3456789, one sector contained".

Actually you have to consult the drive information print-out of "MC_HxEd". Look for the appropriate logical volume within the extended partition and its start sector value. Subtract 63 and the result is the absolute sector location of the associated XBR. BTW, it's also +1 sector from the end of a preceeding logical volume, or if it's the first, it's equal to the start sector of the extended partition. Unallocated space is NOT possible between logical volumes, but behind the last one and the end sector of the extended partition.

Example: /dev/sdb3 , start 29302623  ( - 63 = 29302560 )
Note, that our target (of=) is the physical drive "/dev/sdb" here as with MBR !

dd if=/mnt/usb/BootRec/sdb3.XBR of=/dev/sdb skip=29302560 bs=512 count=1

Thanks for your suggestions

cmdr

Hi Murad,
the possible success of recovering your HDD depends on what happened with the last installation. Did it write its programs and data only into an empty (logical ?) drive or did it repartition and format something. You can corrupt an extended partition simply by giving it a wrong fileID in its partition table in MBR, but if PBR and the volume space does not get overwritten (or formatted), everything is recoverable, if you saved the old structure (Partitioning/MBR and Boot Records/PBR,XBR).

Does it mean, that you want to backup parts of the HDD, which are still accessible. Or do you mean direct recovery, so that no data or programs have to be copied to another drive.

As you might guess, we need exact data and files of the state before and after.

Regards
cmdr

See also Bug 680524 - support backup/restore of the harddisk partition table (MBR).