Re: [gentoo-user] ext3 partition dissapeared :(

[Hans-Werner Hilse]

Hi,

On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 17:17:58 +0100
jcd <jcd@××××××.cz> wrote:

> > > So, I copied data from 160GB partition on DiskA to
> > > temporary space on DiskB, then I deleted remaining NTFS partition on
> > > DiskA and created one 200GB ext3 partition (I think so. In cfdsik I
> > > chose partition type '83 Linux') and then formatted it 'mke2fs
> > > -j /dev/sdb1'. Then I copied (moved :( ) all the data back to DiskA
> > > and everuthing was fine.

Did you reboot between changing the partition layout and creating that
new partition (and moving data)? Otherwise the kernel wouldn't be aware
of the new partition layout. Well, if everything you wrote is
correct, that data should have ended up on that former Windows
partition and that partition should now be an ext3 one. But if you just
didn't care and mounted the old linux partition (sdb2 at that point in
time before the new partition layout), copied data and you _then_
rebooted -- then you would have written your data to a partition that
was only a reminiscence in the kernel's structures and not
corresponding to what cfdisk wrote to the HD. That would be an
explanation why the next boot failed.

> When I do "mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/zaloha" at /mnt/zaloha I see that old
> Windows NTFS partition that I already deleted (There are "Program
> Files", "WINDOWS", ...). I don't understand why (somewhere I read that
> ext3 start writing at the middle of the disk space to prevent
> defragmentation).

Deleting the partition is something that only affects the boot sector.
Ext3 should in fact have overwritten this with it's first superblock.
So the mkext2fs you issued did definitively hit the wrong partition.

So my suggestion is: try "gpart -w ext2,1.5 /dev/sdb" to find your
partition (even better: write back the backup you've made from the old
partition table. Errrm...)

-hwh
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