[comp.sys.acorn] EMERGENCY: HD WIPED BY TAR !!?, FILE RECOVER UTILS ANYONE?

aroest@fwi.uva.nl (Axel Roest (N)) (03/14/91)

To everyone (and Frank Lancaster):

Yesterday I used TAR to extract files from largeness and
IT WIPED MY HARDDISC !!!!
DON'T USE THIS F***ING PROGRAM!!!
From 200k free I suddenly have 41M free. (I can't say I'm very happy about 
this)

The thing I did was this:
	tar -x largeness

Quite harmless don't you think????
BTW, this was the first time I used tar. I don't know which version it
was since my library is also completely erased. I just updated it quite 
regularly from usenet postings...

The program must have 'known' what it was doing, since my harddisc file 
structure is still intact (from what's left). So no low level SCSI commands
down the line. Because all my locked files in locked directories are also gone
I suspect some rigorous WIPE * was done.
However it stopped when my library was erased. All files in the root which
names starts after L are still there.

EMERGENCY CALL:
Is there a blessed soul out there who has written a file recover utility which
works with SCSI harddiscs???
I don't care if it's free or costs me a fortune (well...), I need it badly.
Last backup is ofcourse months old and I've done a lot lately.

Please help!!
Axel
-- 

jho@imada.dk (Jens H. Ovesen) (03/19/91)

aroest@fwi.uva.nl (Axel Roest (N)) writes:

>To everyone (and Frank Lancaster):

>Yesterday I used TAR to extract files from largeness and
>IT WIPED MY HARDDISC !!!!
Well, it reminds me of a friend who had the same problem, only I thought it 
was his fault, not Tar. I think the problem lies in the new Tar$Scrap variable.
If it is set to say :4.$ (which is a directory), it'll erase you root after
it has finished extracting. But I still can't figur out why to use Wipe 
(OS_FSControl nn). It gives no meaning at all.
I always RTFM, if you had done the same you wouldn't be in the present
situation. I know that won't help you a lot. I always RTFM with large PD
programs. Such programs are never fully tested.

Jens.