Tag: MBR

Currently has loop partition layout Linux Error and Recovery

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Linux-based hard disk is divided into two major types of partitions: data partition and swap partition. Data partitions are the basic partitions that contain system data, including that for starting and running the system in root partition. On the other hand, swap partition is responsible for holding hard disk extra memory and expanded system’s physical memory. In most of the Linux systems, fdisk is used to initially set the partition type. These partitions can be ext3 journaled, ext2, Reiser FS etc. But, sometimes you may observe certain issues with these partitions. Thus,Linux Recovery experts suggest maintaining an updated backup of important data that is stored on hard disk.

Consider a scenario, you try to mount a Linux partition to install a Linux distribution and encounter a similar error message:

“/dev/hdg currently has loop partition layout.”

Where, name of partition, i.e. /dev/hdg, can vary. It can be /dev/had, /dev/sda tc.

Cause

Possible reasons of above error message are listed below:

If you are using a third-party boot loader on primary hard disk’s MBR, Disk Druid may fail to recognize your partitions.

Partition layout is damaged

Disk Druid is the tool to manage partitions and associate mount points. It is a graphical tool that displays existing disks and partitions in a defined format.

Solution

You can follow these steps to recover from the situation:

If boot loader has been the issue, uninstall the current boot loader and install GRUB on MBR of primary hard disk.

If partition table is damaged, backup all exiting and information files and folders and repartition the drive. Restore lost data using backup. If backup has not been taken, is damaged or incomplete, you can use commercial tools of Linux Recovery.

Linux Data Recovery software are advanced recovery applications that can scan drive affected from logical data loss. These applications use som algorithms that completely analyze existing disk structure. After locating missing files and folders, they compare their location information with that of existing ones. All the procedures are safe. Also, the interface provided is interactive and offer easy Linux Recovery options.

Stellar PhoenixLinux Data Recoveryis a complete and advanced tool to recover lost data from Ext2, Ext3 and Reiser FS formatted drives. It offers various advanced recovery options, like RAW File Recovery, Create Image, File Filter, Append Header etc. The software is compatible with almost all Linux distributions including Red Hat, SUSE, Debian, Turbo Linux etc.

Boot Block Corruption Causes Data Loss in Linux

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The Linux hard drive is partitioned in various partitions/volumes for effective management of your valuable data. Linux hard drive volumes start from the boot block where boot information of the operating system is stored. Last two byes of the Linux boot block contains boot block signature. In some cases, operating system cannot locate boot block signature and the disk cannot be accessed. It makes your significant data inaccessible and leads to data loss. Such cases require you to either restore data from backup or use Linux data recovery software to scan the drive and extract data from it.

For example, you might encounter an error message similar to the following one when you attempt to boot a Linux operating system based computer-

“Master boot record on /dev/hda has been updated.” Subsequent to the above error, you may also encounter further error message that states- “No boot signature found on partition”

The system cannot be booted in such cases and you face severe data loss situations. To recover your business-critical data in such cases, you are required to opt for Linux recovery tools.

Grounds of the issue

This problem most frequently occurs if you overwrite the LILO (Linux Loader) boot loader with the MBR (Master Boot Record) that was primarily installed on the /dev/hda disk volume. The boot loader might be overwritten if you try to install it using -M switch. Boot block corruption also results into the same problem. How to fix boot block corruption problem? In order to work around this problem, you have to overwrite the Master Boot Record with Linux Loader. It is possible with the help of /sbin/lilo Linux command. This command enables the operating system to overwrite MBR information on the /dev/hdX disk. Alternatively you can use LILO on the /dev/hda2 disk as:

boot=/dev/hda2 lilo -b /dev/hda2 lilo -M /dev/hda lilo -A /dev/hda 2

In case the above method does not work, you will have to reinstall operating system. As reinstalling the operating system removes all the data from Linux partition, you will need data recovery Linux methods to get your precious data back. Linux Data Recovery software employs highly-advanced Ext2 recovery algorithms to ensure absolute recovery. The advanced Ext3 recovery software are absolutely safe to use with read-only Linux recovery conduct.