Hey everyone! I'm brand new to Linux and had a bit of a disaster while trying out Ubuntu. I was using GParted and somehow managed to format the wrong drive. I'm not really sure how it happened—I clicked on something, and before I knew it, the formatting was done and I didn't have a chance to cancel the action.
I tried using the 'attempt data rescue' function in GParted, but after almost 72 hours, it couldn't find any recognizable file systems on the drive. I also attempted to use Testdisk, but the instructions were pretty vague and I'm feeling lost.
This drive had my partner's Minecraft server on it, which they've put so much work into. If it's really lost, they'll be heartbroken. Is there any way to recover this data? I could really use some help!
5 Answers
If you’re using a virtual session, try clarifying how your drives were connected—this can sometimes change recovery methods. If the drive was external, what type of connection did you use? Knowing these details might help others guide you better.
Sounds like a tough situation! First off, regular backups are key, but I get that it’s too late for that now. If you created a new partition table, then unfortunately you might have overwritten the original data, which makes recovery difficult. Running a hexdump could help you check if any data remains, but it might be a long shot. Just remember, in the future, always keep backups of important stuff!
Yeah, I learned my lesson the hard way. I should have been more careful.
In a similar situation, I learned that emergency data recovery services can help, but they can be super pricey and don’t always guarantee success. If you ever get your drive back, definitely consider regularly backing up important files in the future!
I went through something similar! You may still be able to recover files using Testdisk, as long as you haven't written any new data to that drive since formatting. Check out this tutorial that helped me: [DigitalOcean TestDisk Guide](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-testdisk-on-linux-and-recover-deleted-files). Good luck!
Thanks! I’ll definitely give that a shot.
Look into other recovery tools like ddrescue, especially if the data was important. Just be cautious—if the disk was encrypted before, recovery might not be possible. Make sure to read guides carefully and follow the steps!
I was just testing Ubuntu from a USB stick. The drive is connected via USB as well.