Linux Tools for rebuilding a FAT16 or FAT32 file system

[Jeremy]

On 2002.03.29 11:30 Steve Jenkin wrote:
> Hope this isn't too off-topic...
> 
> Can anyone point me to tools that can work with & rebuild FAT16 and
> FAT32 filesystems under Linux [any distro, I will install what I have
> to]?
> 
> My nephew had his hard disk 'zapped' last November, the last night
> before his final assignments were due...  He was unable to recover the
> disk with the Norton's recovery disk he had made.  The Uni staff were
> unable as well.  Thought I might take a look :-)
> 
> I suspect that whatever hit his disk changed the FAT table from FAT16
> [Win95] to FAT32 [Win98].  I want to take a copy and play with this
> idea.

Ummm.  If the FAT table was changed, you probably lost all the 
information therein.  Which means that the clusters on the disk now 
have no relation to each other, and your files are broken up into 4kb 
chunks.  However you may be lucky.  If the files aren't fragmented you 
might be able to do a 'strings /dev/hdxx' and start playing jigsaw 
puzzles.


> 
> Any suggestions or pointers will be most welcome.  Using 'dd' should
> only be a last resort :-)
> 
> cheers
> sj
> 
> 
> --
> --------
> Steve Jenkin, Unix Sys Admin
> PO Box 48, Kippax, ACT 2615
> 0412 786 915
> 
>