Can't mount usb

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Hi there,

I’m having a problem retreving data from a usb stick with important work on it. I was using it on a windows machine when the machine crashed. On reboot it asked me if I wanted to format my usb. Immediately said no and removed my usb sure in the knowledge suse would come to the rescue.

I tried mounting it manually but couldn’t manage it.

Output from lsusb

Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

Bus 002 Device 006: ID 1307:0165 Transcend Information, Inc. 2GB/4GB Flash Drive

Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

Bus 003 Device 002: ID 03f0:171d Hewlett-Packard Wireless (Bluetooth + WLAN) Interface [Integrated Module]

Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

Bus 006 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

As su fdisk -l output

Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Disk identifier: 0x0bc90bc8

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System

/dev/sda1 * 1 7123 57207465 7 HPFS/NTFS

/dev/sda2 7123 19457 99080856 f W95 Ext’d (LBA)

/dev/sda5 7123 7384 2104452 82 Linux swap / Solaris

/dev/sda6 7385 9995 20972826 83 Linux

/dev/sda7 9996 19457 76003483+ 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 4043 MB, 4043309056 bytes

125 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1018 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 7750 * 512 = 3968000 bytes

Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

Disk identifier: 0xffffffff

Disk /dev/sdb doesn’t contain a valid partition table

It looks like there is a problem with the partition table. This is as far as my knowledge can take me.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Casper

2

You need to put it back in a windows machine
It may offer to repair it, I don’t know.
But what you Must do is safely remove the drive before trying it again in Linux

3

Thanks for reply.

I tried that when the windows machine rebooted but the only option it gives is to reformat the drive. Is there any way to repair the partition table?

Cheers

4

Do you remember how you formatted it before? Did you ever format it? If you format it with Windows you might be able to find a copy of the partition table towards the end of the disk (LostFarmer would know where). If you didn’t format it yourself, you can buy the same model (and same size!) and probably copy the partition table from the new one with dd under Linux. … or you can try to create a partition table - as you probably had only one partition - hoping that you will start it on the same sector. Where it ends is not so important. But I’m not working with USB sticks. So you might want to wait for a better advice. There are some recovery tools that I don’t know about.

5

Sorry if I’m way off here. But if you go to My Computer and right click the USB can you find an option for Scan for errors or something like that. My memory may be off the mark though.

6

Can’t say we don’t try
First time I boot winders for months:

http://thumbnails29.imagebam.com/13272/981923132718246.jpg](ImageBam)

Right click > Properties > tools

7

Hey thanks again for the help unfortunately same message, would I like to format the disk. Everything I do in windows asks me do I want to format the disk. I’m going to surf to see if I can find a software which will allow me to repair the partitions table.

Cheers

8

So the error check asks if you want to format it?
What about the backup files option?

9

On Wed, 18 May 2011 00:36:06 +0530, caf4926
<caf4926@no-mx.forums.opensuse.org> wrote:

>
> casperg;2340931 Wrote:
>> Thanks for reply.
>>
>> I tried that when the windows machine rebooted but the only option it
>> gives is to reformat the drive. Is there any way to repair the partition
>> table?
>>
>> Cheers
>
> Sorry if I’m way off here. But if you go to My Computer and right click
> the USB can you find an option for Scan for errors or something like
> that. My memory may be off the mark though.
>

i also have some dim memories of loosing partition tables under windows.
there used to be a norton utility, forgot it’s name, that re-created
partition tables for files it found on a partition. overall this used to
work quite well, as i remember that i was able to recover most files i
managed to loose by messing up the partition table. i would look & ask
around on windows forums for this.

–
phani.

10

IMHO a really great tool to recover lost disk/partition is TestDisk:
TestDisk: undelete file for FAT - CGSecurity
and of course is available for openSUSE: search for testdisk here: https://build.opensuse.org/search/search.
Or one can use a live distro like system rescue cd or parted magic.
hope that helps.

11

casberg,
In windows checkout this site:
Search for software at SnapFiles.com
That PC inspector sounds like it might be what you’re after.

12

Thanks for all the replies, I finally recovered most of my data using a free trial version of a software called EASEUS. It allowed me to pick the files I wanted to recover from the usb drive. I can now format it with no loss to important data.

Thanks again

Casper

13

I’m pleased to see you salvaged your data,
I’m a bit late, but,
PhotoRec - CGSecurityis also a good choice, the name is a bit misleading, it can restore,

The whole list of file formats recovered by PhotoRec contains more than 390 file extensions (about 225 file families).

Photorec ignores the file system, this way it works even if the file system is severely damaged.
It started life as a tool to recover photos etc, but has been expanded somewhat. It is also on this liveCD downloads – Parted Magic
My apologies for sounding like an advertisement for this open source software, but I intentionally damaged file systems to try this out, and my assessment? Not bad! In fact, hard to beat.

14

Also, (as already suggested) TestDisk - CGSecurity should have worked well in this situation.