Re: [TCLUG:18079] clobbered partition table

["David S. Cargo" <escargo@anubis.network.com>]

> From: Brian Dolan-Goecke <Brian@Goecke-Dolan.com>
> 
> Before we jump off and make suggestions, what exactly happened ?
>     What does the partition table look like now ?
>     What do you want it to look like ?
>     What did it look like before ?
>     Are you sure the partition are totally gone ?
> 
> If the partitions were over written with Linux you have no chance beyond one
> of the possible expensive solutions.  Other than that I need more info to
> help.

The current partition table shows that the entire disk (4GB) is empty.

I want it to look like it did before; before it had a primary FAT32
partition, and then an extended partition with three more FAT32 partitions,
a swap partition and five ext2 partitions (if memory serves /, /boot, /usr,
/usr/local, and /home).

I guess it depends on what you mean by "totally gone".  I didn't know
about the possibility of restoring the MBR using fdisk.  (At the installfest
I collected five sets of DOS 6.22 install disks and one set of Windows
for Workgroups install disks.  There's bound to be an fdisk on one of
them.)

I have a two-year-old copy of the disk (from a previous 1.6GB drive moved
to the 4GB drive using drivecopy) working on my salvaged P75.  While I
can't take the sizes from it, the order and number of the paritions should
be about the same.

Once the accident happened, I folded in shock, and then removed the drive
from the case.  I haven't tried to install it in anything since then.

I know that if I were developing a program for modifying partitions, I'd
try to provide a way to undo a change.  I hope to find one out there.

I'll have to take a look for Hard Drive Mechanic.  Certainly $45 beats what
I have been quoted for the services.

dsc