I recently installed Linux Mint 22 alongside my existing Windows setup. I chose the option to install it beside Windows and allocated enough space for Linux. However, after the installation, my computer won't boot from the hard drive but works fine from a USB. I can see the Windows partition, but I'm unable to find another drive that contained ten years' worth of my personal data, including photos and videos. I'm really worried that I might have accidentally deleted it. Is this a normal issue after installation, or have I really messed up? Can I use any data recovery tools to retrieve my lost data?
3 Answers
I feel your pain, and honestly, a lot of us have been there! Just remember that backups are crucial. You mentioned not having a copy of your data, which is a real bummer. But there are tools like EaseUS Data Recovery that can help you recover lost files. Before doing anything, stop using the PC to avoid overwriting anything—and get yourself an adapter to check it from another machine if possible! Good luck!
Chances are, you just need to access your files properly. Sometimes, during installation, the installer might overlook certain partitions or mistreat them. Make sure to double-check your partition setup. It’s possible your files are just sitting unmounted on your disk, waiting to be accessed. If you’re unsure, running a file recovery tool could be your best bet!
Yeah, definitely try that before anything else.
No need to panic! Linux didn’t delete your data; it probably just hasn’t mounted that partition yet. Your data is likely still there, but you might need to install the necessary drivers to access it. If your other drive is NTFS, you can use the command `sudo apt install ntfs-3g` to get it working. Then use the `lsblk` command to locate your partitions and mount it. You can also create a mount point using `mkdir ~/mydisk` and then mount it with `sudo mount /dev/sd## ~/mydisk` (just replace `##` with the correct numbers for your drive). Give it a shot!
What if it's not recognizing my disk? It seems like it's there, just not mounted.
Thanks! I really hope to recover those pictures.