TestDisk- partition tool install howto

TestDisk is a powerful free linux tool that can check, undelete partitions.

TestDisk is a powerful free data recovery software! It was primarily designed to help recover lost partitions and/or make non-booting disks bootable again when these symptoms are caused by faulty software, certain types of viruses or human error (such as accidentally deleting your Partition Table). Partition table recovery using TestDisk is really easy.

Testdisk is cross-platform software. Currently runs under DOS (either real or in a Windows 9x DOS-box), Windows (NT4, 2000, XP, 2003), Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, SunOS and MacOS. Testdisk currently works with FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, EXT2, EXT3, BeFS, CramFS, HFS, JFS, Linux Raid, Linux Swap, LVM, LVM2, NSS, ReiserFS, UFS, and XFS.

Below are known available features of testdisk:

* Fix partition table, recover deleted partition
* Recover FAT32 boot sector from its backup
* Rebuild FAT12/FAT16/FAT32 boot sector
* Fix FAT tables
* Rebuild NTFS boot sector
* Recover NTFS boot sector from its backup
* Fix MFT using MFT mirror
* Locate ext2/ext3 Backup SuperBlock


Running TestDisk:

Everything starts with further configuration setup of a package. Testdisk offers an option to log technical details and various folder/file information gathered during the entire process. By default, testdisk logs to testdisk.log. Below are more basic options on log output handling.

---------------------------------------------------------_
Use arrow keys to select, then press Enter key:
[ Create ] Create a new log file
[ Append ] Append information to log file
[ No Log ] Don't record anything
---------------------------------------------------------_

Moving forward after log file option, the below are the options presented from terminal by testdisk before any partition operation begins.

At this point, TestDisk had successfully detected your harddisk. TestDisk now offers you the type of partition that TestDisk would start working on. See below selections. Linux partition would not be presented below as you can see. Pressing Intel/PC would automatically make TestDisk to work on linux partition.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Intel ] Intel/PC partition
[Mac ] Apple partition map
[None ] Non partitioned media
[Sun ] Sun Solaris partition
[XBox ] XBox partition
[Return ] Return to disk selection
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Testdisk now presents you with further action to currently selected partition using the above menus.

---------------------------------------------------------
[ Analyse ] Analyse current partition structure and search for lost partitions
[ Advanced ] Filesystem Utils
[ Geometry ] Change disk geometry
[ Options ] Modify options
[ MBR Code ] Write TestDisk MBR code to first sector
[ Delete ] Delete all data in the partition table
[ Quit ] Return to disk selection
---------------------------------------------------------

If you choose to Anlyse a partition, you will be ask for more questions in a wizard type of question. Most of them have default values. Testdisk can also search for lost Vista partitions as well. You can further change TestDisk setup by going to Options as shown above.

Below details would be presented after selecting Option menu:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Expert mode : No
Cylinder boundary : Yes
Allow partial last cylinder : No
Dump : No
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Be careful with the other menus. It is advisable not to play testdisk operations with your live partition unless you know your intentions very well.


INSTALLATION
============

Simply issue the yum thing like so

# yum -y install testdisk


Launch: Ctrl+F2

More info can be found here.

TestDisk is really a nice partition linux tool.

I am giving this tool 4 stars **** !!!!