Re: Questions about GParted for Data Recovery

[7EN]

On Wed, 3 Mar 2021 08:25:18 +0000, Mike Scott
<usen...@scottsonline.org.uk.invalid> wrote:

>On 01/03/2021 17:49, Steve Mysterious wrote:
>> On Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 10:30:40 PM UTC-5, MegaWattz wrote:
>>> There are some harder-core recovery tools, but the choice
>>> depends on what you most need to get back - raw data,
>>> individual files or the whole structural layout. Even then
>>> there are some errors you can never recover from.
>>
>> What I want most is to restore my *.jpegs and other picture types. Those are memories. I can download/rip my
>
>Sorry, I have to ask..... if the files are valuable and irreplaceable,
>do you not have backup copies? If not, maybe you should check out some
>backup software (such as duplicity) to avoid this problem in the future.

Seems like nobody thinks of backup - until it's too late. That
includes big govt and business. Scan for news on ransomware
attacks the past few years. One attack and all their stuff is gone
forever, or has to be pieced back together from random scraps
stashed here and there. Several LARGE hospitals were zapped
last year, seems they had 20+ years worth of records only in
some active databases, no backups.

In Linux it's EASY to write backup scripts. Just employ 'rsync' in
its command-line mode. Run it with root crontab commands.
Maybe keep the backup drive unmounted until right when you
need it - a few lines in bash or Python.

Rsync has enough IQ to deliver any sort of backups you need,
you can even sync with remote servers (also running rsync
in client/server mode). Hard disks are cheap, terabytes for under
$200. E-Disks are more pricy though, but they're really meant for
other purposes. Thumb-Drives are NOT good backup - the things
fail all the damned time, even just sitting in a drawer.

For Winders there are many options to make whole-disk images
in "sparse", compressed, form. Macrium Reflect is popular. Not
really anything exactly like that for Linux that I've seen (except
in MX, you can make an ISO of a running system with their
special utility).

But almost nobody DOES.

Having experienced a ransomware attack, I've made smarter
backup programs that won't copy bad data over the top of
your last good backups. I have several repositories, some
of them time-layered. You can buy Dropbox space where
you can 'rewind" all your stuff for up to a YEAR depending
on which plan you pay for.

Yet almost nobody DOES it .......

[Carlos E.R.]

On 04/03/2021 06.00, 7EN wrote:
> On Wed, 3 Mar 2021 08:25:18 +0000, Mike Scott
> <usen...@scottsonline.org.uk.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 01/03/2021 17:49, Steve Mysterious wrote:
>>> On Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 10:30:40 PM UTC-5, MegaWattz wrote:
>>>> There are some harder-core recovery tools, but the choice
>>>> depends on what you most need to get back - raw data,
>>>> individual files or the whole structural layout. Even then
>>>> there are some errors you can never recover from.
>>>
>>> What I want most is to restore my *.jpegs and other picture types. Those are memories. I can download/rip my
>>
>> Sorry, I have to ask..... if the files are valuable and irreplaceable,
>> do you not have backup copies? If not, maybe you should check out some
>> backup software (such as duplicity) to avoid this problem in the future.
>
> Seems like nobody thinks of backup - until it's too late.

Not that. We think of it, we want it, but it is expensive.
I do my backups, but I can not back it all.

--
Cheers, Carlos.

[7EN]

Sure you can !

And it's NOT very expensive either.

Hard disks are cheap. Dropbox and its ilk are pretty
cheap. If your users can be prodded into using an
NAS for most everything then you can get at it
simply for backups. If not, well, there are automated
solutions that can run on Linux and Winders boxes.
MS has cloud storage, Google, even Canonical.
Be it hand-writ scripts/programs or something
like Bacula - it's out there. Even the aforementioned
Macrium Reflect can be directed to a network
destination.

You just have to DO it.

Now if we're talking widely-distributed users, lots
of little regional corporate offices, then it becomes
a bit more complex. Hardly un-doable, but you have
to get the cooperation of more entities.

But it's WORTH it. The horror stories in the news of
late ought to be all it takes to provide motivation. Just
list the $$$ lost, the lawsuits ... that'll convince them.

[Carlos E.R.]

On 05/03/2021 04.45, 7EN wrote:
> On Thu, 4 Mar 2021 15:10:36 +0100, "Carlos E.R."
> <robin_...@es.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 04/03/2021 06.00, 7EN wrote:
>>> On Wed, 3 Mar 2021 08:25:18 +0000, Mike Scott
>>> <usen...@scottsonline.org.uk.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 01/03/2021 17:49, Steve Mysterious wrote:
>>>>> On Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 10:30:40 PM UTC-5, MegaWattz wrote:
>>>>>> There are some harder-core recovery tools, but the choice
>>>>>> depends on what you most need to get back - raw data,
>>>>>> individual files or the whole structural layout. Even then
>>>>>> there are some errors you can never recover from.
>>>>>
>>>>> What I want most is to restore my *.jpegs and other picture types. Those are memories. I can download/rip my
>>>>
>>>> Sorry, I have to ask..... if the files are valuable and irreplaceable,
>>>> do you not have backup copies? If not, maybe you should check out some
>>>> backup software (such as duplicity) to avoid this problem in the future.
>>>
>>> Seems like nobody thinks of backup - until it's too late.
>>
>> Not that. We think of it, we want it, but it is expensive.
>> I do my backups, but I can not back it all.
>
> Sure you can !
>
> And it's NOT very expensive either.
>
> Hard disks are cheap.

If you have money, they are cheap, yes.
The 8 TB disks I use cost 143€, and I need three or four.


--
Cheers, Carlos.

[Charlie Gibbs]

On 2021-03-05, 7EN <7...@r974x.org> wrote:

> Hard disks are cheap. Dropbox and its ilk are pretty
> cheap. If your users can be prodded into using an
> NAS for most everything then you can get at it
> simply for backups. If not, well, there are automated
> solutions that can run on Linux and Winders boxes.
> MS has cloud storage, Google, even Canonical.
> Be it hand-writ scripts/programs or something
> like Bacula - it's out there. Even the aforementioned
> Macrium Reflect can be directed to a network
> destination.

Just remember that cloud storage is as fallible as any
other sort. A friend lost a lot of valuable photos to
a cloud failure. And then there's the chance that your
provider gets taken over by a management team that decides
that holding your data hostage is a good business plan...

> You just have to DO it.

Aye, there's the rub. Back in the mainframe days I wrote
a job for one site which backed up literally every bit of
their data. They couldn't be bothered to ever take the
half hour required to run it - and guess who got called in
to pick up the pieces once the inevitable disaster occurred?

--
/~\ Charlie Gibbs | "Some of you may die,
\ / <cgi...@kltpzyxm.invalid> | but it's a sacrifice
X I'm really at ac.dekanfrus | I'm willing to make."
/ \ if you read it the right way. | -- Lord Farquaad (Shrek)

[7EN]

On 5 Mar 2021 22:09:34 GMT, Charlie Gibbs <cgi...@kltpzyxm.invalid>
wrote:

>On 2021-03-05, 7EN <7...@r974x.org> wrote:
>
>> Hard disks are cheap. Dropbox and its ilk are pretty
>> cheap. If your users can be prodded into using an
>> NAS for most everything then you can get at it
>> simply for backups. If not, well, there are automated
>> solutions that can run on Linux and Winders boxes.
>> MS has cloud storage, Google, even Canonical.
>> Be it hand-writ scripts/programs or something
>> like Bacula - it's out there. Even the aforementioned
>> Macrium Reflect can be directed to a network
>> destination.
>
>Just remember that cloud storage is as fallible as any
>other sort. A friend lost a lot of valuable photos to
>a cloud failure. And then there's the chance that your
>provider gets taken over by a management team that decides
>that holding your data hostage is a good business plan...

Oh, absolutely ! You NEVER have *a* backup. Two
minimum. different media, preferably different physical
locations too in case the place burns down. My present
job has several out-buildings - I keep an aux-backup
unit out in one of those PLUS "cloud".

Oh, word to the wise, anything you put on the "cloud",
encrypt is before it goes there. There are plenty of bad
actors, not to mention possible "fishermen" at the cloud
service. If you EVER get a complaint about storing
"unknown" data - SWITCH SERVICES INSTANTLY,
it means they WERE trying to pry. If you have lawyers,
sue the shit out of them. The HIPPA laws are more
than enough leverage.

>> You just have to DO it.
>
>Aye, there's the rub. Back in the mainframe days I wrote
>a job for one site which backed up literally every bit of
>their data. They couldn't be bothered to ever take the
>half hour required to run it - and guess who got called in
>to pick up the pieces once the inevitable disaster occurred?

Heh, heh .... I was just a little after mainframes, but I
absolutely know what you're talking about. Something
about how the human mind works. You willl NOT
convince them to run the backup procedure, you'll
have to HIDE it in the background, a service they never
even notice running.

And AFTER the "Aaaauggh ! My drive *somehow* got
reformatted - you can be the "miracle worker" :-)