hard drive missing all data

English Hardware
#1

opensuse 11.1 KDE 4.?

Just installed opensuse 11.1 one week ago. Previously using 11.0 for a while. Everything seems to be ok, except a couple of minor annoyances and once the machine froze up. I had to improperly shutdown and reboot, but the drive[sdb1] files were there after rebooting.
However, today I went to grab a file from this sdb1 [internal data storage drive] and knock my socks off, there were no files listed in this drive.
I checked to see if it was mounted, using “mount -ls” in terminal, and it shows this drive mounted [sdb1], but not labelled. [as other drives are [320VOL, HomE, RooT, etc.]

labud@linux-35sq:~> mount -ls
/dev/sda2 on / type ext3 (rw,acl,user_xattr) [RooT]
/proc on /proc type proc (rw)
sysfs on /sys type sysfs (rw)
debugfs on /sys/kernel/debug type debugfs (rw)
udev on /dev type tmpfs (rw)
devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,mode=0620,gid=5)
/dev/sda3 on /home type ext3 (rw,acl,user_xattr) [HomE]
/dev/sdc1 on /home/320VOL type ext3 (rw) [320VOL]
/dev/sdb1 on /home/LAB type ext3 (rw)
fusectl on /sys/fs/fuse/connections type fusectl (rw)
securityfs on /sys/kernel/security type securityfs (rw)
none on /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc type binfmt_misc (rw)
gvfs-fuse-daemon on /home/labud/.gvfs type fuse.gvfs-fuse-daemon (rw,nosuid,nodev,user=labud

The folllowing output is from fdisk -l command:

linux-35sq:/home/labud # fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 163.9 GB, 163928604672 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19929 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0009abe9

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 2 262 2096482+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda2 * 263 5483 41937682+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 5484 19929 116037495 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdc: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000dd9be

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 1 38913 312568641 83 Linux

no sdb1 is listed

fdisk/dev/sdb1 returns:

linux-35sq:/home/labud # fdisk /dev/sdb1

Unable to read /dev/sdb1

When I open “My Computer” from the desktop, it shows this drive as having 74.8 GB used, out of 186.9 GB. Right clicking on it, opens an empty window.

I don’t want to confuse the issue, but give as much info as is needed. This hard drive used to be an external USB drive, however the external part died and I just took it apart and used it as an internal.

If needed I have TESTDisk to run but, I don’t want to muck about with this drive until I get some advice.
What is happening here?

Thanks

#2

If it’s not showing in fdisk there is a problem

Shutdown, open the Box and remake all the connections - power and cable, just pull them out and re-seat them firmly.
try booting up again
report fdisk

#3

And to make your posts better readable, when posting pieces of computer output, please use the CODE tags and not the QUOTE tags around them (that is the # sign and not the ‘label’ sign above).

#4

And to make your posts better readable, when posting pieces of computer output, please use the CODE tags and not the QUOTE tags around them (that is the # sign and not the ‘label’ sign above).

And *fdisk *is always about the whole disk, thus not

fdisk /dev/sdb1

but

fdisk /dev/sdb

Also not all partitions do have a file system with a volume label, thus the fact that none is shown for* /dev/sdb1 *may not be significant. Except when you know there should be one that was shown earlier.

In any case, follow caf4926’s advice.

#5

ty caf4926 and hcw

@hcw - sorry for my ignorance, advice taken.

I was able to see the drive using a LIVE CD, so I know all the data is there. However, the problem is a moot point now as the opensuse 11.1 OS died on me. After I had shutdown to check my cable connections [as suggested by caf4926], I rebooted into a black screen that kept asking me for my username and password, which I kept entering, which it kept telling me was wrong.

Total frustration, drove me to install opensuse 11.2, which I was working my way up to anyway, seeing as how support for 11.0 is no longer.

So all seems OK now as I begin my foray into 11.2. I will miss 11.0, as it was my 1st venture into opensuse and really felt I hadn’t finished with it yet.

Thanks again

#6

Happy to hear that at least all is not lost;)