Prev: Another doubleunderscore thingy
Next: More quirks importing from bsd
From: NotSure on 27 Feb 2010 21:26

============================

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Flash-USB-memory-stick (2gig) DEAD, advice on recovery needed.
- udev, lsusb *do* recognise the drive,
- but *no device* /dev/sdxx is created

Question: partition-table? Mbr?

output of dmesg, udevinfo, lsusb is here:
http://y23.com/wiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RecoverySoftware

PRIZE! A free http://y23.com/apd ASTRO-POCKET-DIARY for 2011!!

=============================

Hello everyone, and thank you for your responses ...

Again, The the stick *does* appear in system responses,
but there is NO DEVICE.

My guess: the USB-mechanism receives a "yes it is a Storage-USB"
but then it gets a wrong nonsense response...

For Windows users:
When I insert the usbstick I hear THREE DINGS (SOUNDS)
- The three low dings is Windows XP's way of saying "this screwed up"
- This device cannot start (Code 10)


Hi Lusotec!

> Check if a /dev/sdX is created when you connect the USB drive.

No DEVICE CREATED.


> If a file system is detect then use the mount command to mount it.

What do you mean? Have you looked at
the output of dmesg, udevinfo, lsusb???
http://y23.com/wiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RecoverySoftware



Hi Enkidu, Cliff!

> Since you can't see
> anything, even a device, the thing is probably beyond recovery.

Thanks for being vague and depressing.

"probably" - How probable?

"even a device" ?? I *can* see the hardware.
The boot-sector/partition-table is bad.
DO YOU HAVE ANY INSPIRATION OF ANY TOOLS I CAN TRY????


Hello Mark,

> I suspect you also did something that wrote to /dev/sda,
> wiping out the partition table, rendering the drive
> as not recognizable from within Microsoft Windows.

If there was only a bad partition-table, I would be able
to ACCESS it, and erase the partition.

> You can use drives without a partition table,
> but it is not a good idea if they are intented to be moved
> across systems, because some systems may see
> the drive as unusable or empty.

aha. So how do I access a this drive "without a partition table"
i.e. RAW????

Remember: I **DO NOT GET** a "DRIVE".
It is like I have to LOW LEVEL REPAIR it.

If anyone has a suggestion WHICH TOOL to try,
make wild assumptions and crazy suggestions!!

And remember:

It is bad luck to be superstitious!!





From: Mark Hobley on 28 Feb 2010 00:08
NotSure <DoNotReply2Here(a)gmx.net> wrote:
> Flash-USB-memory-stick (2gig) DEAD, advice on recovery needed.
> - udev, lsusb *do* recognise the drive,
> - but *no device* /dev/sdxx is created

Reboot the machine and kill the automounter.

Now plug the stick in.

ls /dev/sd? (only one question mark, we are looking for the whole stick here)

That will tell us what the stick is. These notes assume /dev/sda. But if you
have been plugging the stick in and out, it may be something else

Blank the penstick using the data dumper:

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda

Now use fdisk to create a partion table:

fdisk /dev/sda

n (to create a new partition)
p (for a primary partition)

create a partition of maximum size, and of type b (fat32).

w (write the partition table to disk)
q (quit fdisk)

Now a partition should have appeared:

ls /dev/sda1

Now you need to format the partition.

mkfs -t vfat /dev/sda1

> If there was only a bad partition-table, I would be able
> to ACCESS it, and erase the partition.

You used the wrong device name, so there is no partition table. Your partition
effectively starts where the partition table should have gone.

> aha. So how do I access a this drive "without a partition table"

Right. If you do not create a partition table, you will not be able to use
the penstick on other machines. Do not do this!!!

> Remember: I **DO NOT GET** a "DRIVE".

You won't get a drive, until you create a formatted partition.
Do as I say above!

Mark.

--
Mark Hobley
Linux User: #370818 http://markhobley.yi.org/

From: NotSure on 28 Feb 2010 04:01
Sweetpea <Herit...(a)Sweetpea.com> wrote:

> Is this data really that important to you?
> Where is your backup copy? Why don't you use that?

Thanks for the suggestion. What *was* I thinking?

Gordon <gor...(a)clear.net.nz> wrote:

> History here. Backups, you know the things that worth SFA,
> until something happens and then they rise in value faster
> than a rocket.

indeed indeed.

> Strange how easily it is to get a digital copy,
> and yet the saying remains.
> There are two typoes of computer users:
> those that have needed a backup and
> those that who will need to have a backup.
> How much risk do you wish to carry?
> Data is valuable protect it, yes?

yes yes, You would make a good priest, Gordon.
Preaching to the sinners...

Its is actually a bit like christianity,
we only start to believe in God on our death-bed.
You have no idea how many staunch atheists
pray and pray when the final moment has arrived.

My USB stick, however, I believe to be comatose ;-)



Golden California Girls <gldncag...(a)aol.com.mil> wrote:

> Finally you set a followup to header!!!

sorrrrry, yes. I should have done that immediately.

> May I suggest a bath in liquid nitrogen
> while you try and access.
> Very likely the stick itself has failed and
> getting it cold may allow it to have its data read out.

Yey! A good suggestion for a change. I'll keep that in mind
muchas gracias!!!

> If this fails I suggest a sledgehammer
> to make sure no CIA type with
> an electron microscope can read the data.

Hehe, the NSA and CIA will want the data!
I kept pictures of bearded men and high buildings
on it. They can construct another terror-case
and "keep America safe" (in constant fear)
while getting huuuge budgets to develop even
more clandestine exotic weaponry, in order to
commit the mext 9/11 terror snuff-job.
It sure is necessary soon, The world wants it's
money back, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_current_account_balance

> If you don't have data on it,
> quit wasting your time, they aren't that expensive.

Its the data I need...

> Or course if your intent is to spam
> for some pocket diary ...

HEY! It's not "some" Pocket Diary!
Its can tell you the future! Ah, but
US empire doesn't have one, never mind then.


MARK HOBLEY

Please say after me:

"When the USB Stick is plugged in, no
/dev/sdx? -- node is created"

THANK YOU very much for the typing-grease
and the PERFECT instructions for any linux
newbie to format a USB stick from the shell.

> You used the wrong device name,

there is *NO* device-node.

> so there is no partition table.
> Your partition effectively starts where
> the partition table should have gone.

Nice theory.

> You won't get a drive, until you create
> a formatted partition.Do as I say above!

there is no /dev/sda1 no /dev/sda2 no /dev/sda3
no /dev/sdb1 no /dev/sdb2 no /dev/sdb3
no /dev/sdc1 no /dev/sdc1
no /dev- NOTHING. only /dev/hda1 (which is my HDD)


Enkidu <enkidu....(a)com.cliffp.com> wrote:

>. You can see the hardware, but you can't
> see a device as in /dev/????

yep. In all 3 computers I have available.

again: lsusb and udevinfo report all details,
manufacturer, everything.
but linux does not assigne a /dev/sdxx node.

- LED blinks normal when inserted
- gives a windows code 10 error (three ding-sounds)
- linux udevinfo, lsusb report flashDrive present, but no /dev/sdxx
node is made

Flash-memory was corrupted?

Is there any programme that can access the flash-memory-chip
differently though USB?
Can the chip be talked-to in a low-level access via USBus AT ALL??

From: Gordon Burditt on 2 Mar 2010 07:07
>EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
>
>Flash-USB-memory-stick (2gig) DEAD, advice on recovery needed.
>- udev, lsusb *do* recognise the drive,
>- but *no device* /dev/sdxx is created

I haven't run into this particular problem, but I have run into
similar ones. I use FreeBSD so a few things may be a little
different, but the basic idea is the same.

Take the umass (USB mass storage) driver *OUT* of the kernel.
(Unplug the drive first). You might just unload a kernel module,
or perhaps this involves building and installing a new kernel. (I
have sometimes had to switch between generic USB devices and comm
port emulation to try to figure something out. Same idea here -
unload the more specific driver.)

Now plug the stick in. You should get a generic USB device that
isn't recognized as a disk at all. Now figure out if there's some
way you can do something with the device as a generic device. I
have no idea how you'd send requests to write the partition table.
Perhaps a thorough reading of the USB mass storage driver might
suggest how you do this, but from userland.

After the fix, put the USB mass storage driver back in the kernel,
take the stick out, and plug it back in. Now see if it works.

 | 
Pages: 1
Prev: Another doubleunderscore thingy
Next: More quirks importing from bsd