Lifehacker [ http://lifehacker.com/ ] runs a special every week called Geek to Live, which usually turns up some incredible gems, but this one is worth reposting and spreading around the net as much as possible. Where I work, we often use Knoppix to retrieve data and information from dying or dead hard drives that refuse to read or mount properly in other distributions of Linux or in Windows (and possible soon in Mac OS X, now that there’s Intel architecture under the hood!) and its proven to be an invaluable tool for data recovery, often getting at data and reading drives that no other software has been able to read; all from a burnable, free Linux distribution that fits comfortably on a CD.
In this week’s Geek to Live, Lifehacker Editor Gina Trapani walks us through what many websites have instructions for but none of the offer screenshots or step by step guidance; recovering files from a busted hard drive using a Knoppix CD and a little bit of effort. It’s important to note that the new Knoppix distros can read and write to NTFS partitions (like the kind Windows 2000 and Windows XP are often formatted and installed on) so you may be able to recover from one connected drive to another connected drive all by booting up to a handy Knoppix CD. Did I mention Knoppix is free?
So while you run out and download a copy to burn and keep around at all times, make a point to bookmark Gina’s article for safe keeping. You never know when your drive will belly up on you, and you want as many tools in your arsenal at the time to make sure you don’t lose your data. This, however, is a particularly powerful one, complete with screenshots and lots of information that even the most novice computer user who might shake in their boots at the word “Linux” can follow along and set on the path to data recovery bliss. Be careful though, once you’re a master, everyone will ask you to do it! (or label you a geek, but hey-you get the job done, and who’s afraid of being a geek? I relish it!)