external hard drive files not visible

[Basil Chupin]

On 13/06/12 16:16, G. wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 13, 2012 at 7:58 AM, Basil Chupin <blchupin at iinet.net.au> wrote:
>> On 13/06/12 05:46, G. wrote:
>>> Not sure what happened but I can no longer see the files on my
>>> external hard drive. � What is the best method for trying to recover
>>> them? �Gparted shows the disc is empty. �I have not reformatted the
>>> drive.
>>>
>>> I found TextDisk from an ubuntu help page. �Is there a better option?
>>>
>>> thanks
>>>
>>>
>>> garyk
>>
>> Can you be provide more information, please?
>>
>> Which system are you running? Did this happen after you did an
>> upgrade/update? What are you using to view the files on the external HD (I
>> know you said that you used gparted but what did you use BEFORE)? Did you
>> cleanly exit the external HD when you last looked at the files on it? What
>> shows up when you - as root - do 'fdisk -l' on a command line with the
>> external HD switched on? When you switch on the external HD do you hear the
>> read/write head trying to read the disc?
[........]

Unfortunately you are using a browser to post using gmail which makes it 
hard to follow what is being said in thread because of "you" are unable 
to prune unnecessary text. But, let's press on...

> Testdisk did not find anything

You mentioned gparted but now you are talking Teskdisk. Confusion reigns....

One of the most essential conditions required in resolving a problem is 
to ensure that one eliminates any variables and creates a "level playing 
field" :-) .

And then you add.....

> but Photorec is finding lots

....to the confusion. What does Photorec has anything to do with this 
considering that Photorec is used to recover photo-formats?



> though you have

"you have..." - no, I don't but I think that you do :-)

> quite a mess to deal with afterwards or so it seems. The disc appears 
> to be working just fine.

Please explain. If it is "working just fine" then what is the problem?

(If you are getting the idea that it is important to be unambiguous when 
providing answers to people who are trying to help then - you are 
correct :-) . None of us are psychics or mind readers so all we ask for 
is for the correct information :-) .)

> I was using it on Unbuntu 11.04. My wife says she just shut down the 
> computer and opened Windows afterwards. That should not cause a problem!

Depends on what she means by "shut down the computer". If she simply 
switched off the power instead of closing down the Linux OS then there 
would be a problem. Let me explain.

When you are using an external USB device you need to close it correctly 
because closing it down correctly writes to the external any data which 
has not yet been written to the device; and after it has been written, a 
flag is set on the external device that all is OK (so to speak).

If you shutdown the system suddenly - as in, say, a power failure or not 
exiting the device properly - this flag is not set and the next time you 
try to access the device it will not be "seen" by a file manager.

What I have found to work for *me* in the past (with one exception[**]) 
is to leave the device plugged into the USB port and switched ON if it 
is an HD and reboot the system. When the system is operating then close 
down the device as one would normally.

[**] The one exception with me was an USB memory stick which, 
irrespective of what I tried to get its contents to be recognised, would 
not respond to what I mentioned above. I finally ended up reformatting 
it thus losing all the data I had on it. The moral is, exit a USB device 
correctly (barring any unexpected power failures of course).

> Thanks garyk 

Happy to try and be of help.

BC

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