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folder and files with garbled up names. Need tool etc help


ROTS

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So today I turned on my Windows 98 PC which is running great and all. The problem I have encountered in the past was that a folder from time to time, would have a bunch of crazy Characters, inside of it. Look like a bunch of garbled up text, and symbols.

Sadly this folder was my folder where I kept my file utlities

So I am asking for a file utlity that can correct the folder and file settings, without creating forsaken CHK files, So in the future I am able to recover the folder and files.

..................................................................................

Usually I would pop my 9x drive into my XP/Vista etc computer and the file names and folder size would

be corrected. Remove the contents, of the files and then delete the original folder, and make a new folder

and move the files back. Then restart 9x. However this time, that did not happen?

Instead I used error chked and ended up with a wopper load of crappy broken CHK files. That is another problem ( insert Pee-Wees Bikes and clown scene ).

Maybe because my hard drive is over 100GIgs, ( I plan to upgrade to 2TB eventually ).

The point being, of this post is to ask, IS THEIR A UTLITy THAT WILL CORRECT THE FOLDERS

AND FILES

Edited by ROTS
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If the drive is larger than 128GBytes you have ran into the LBA24 limitation, anything that goes past the 128GBytes ends up in the beginning of the drive (wraparound) and that is where the file allocation table is. Recovery is typically not possible, I lost a ton of data like that before LBA48 patch existed that gives 48bit LBA support to 98 allowing up to 2TByte drives to be used.

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My current hard drive is an ATA 200GB

So you are saying that all hard drives over 128GiB all are 48 LBA ?

Or is is that once I store data past 128GB the location of the files are then lost?

Where is this patch?

Is thier any possiblity of getting my files back, in the current CHK state?

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If a drive is larger than 128GBytes it is LBA48 capable, there is no other way to address data beyond 128GBytes with LBA24. Whenever data is written past the 128GBytes it'll be written in the beginning of the drive and that corrupts the file allocation table and that leads to loss of data that is very hard to recover.

Install the latest uSP which installs the fix. Alternatively you can also download and install stuff from Autopatcher (you can even extract just the LBA48 patch from its files).

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So all I had to install was the USP patch after I had installed WIN98. Thanks for the understanding of my fatal mistake.

I also have to look at the topic of SATA to IDE. While I have a SATA ( the red guy??? ) I hook it threw IDE currently. So those

drives should work right now?

Right now I am trying to recover a folder, I had all my utitlites and programs installation. Now I am dealing with CHK problems.

I have to recover that folder, before I install any patch.

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If a drive is larger than 128GBytes it is LBA48 capable, there is no other way to address data beyond 128GBytes with LBA24. Whenever data is written past the 128GBytes it'll be written in the beginning of the drive and that corrupts the file allocation table and that leads to loss of data that is very hard to recover.

Unlike many BIOSes and Windows XP RTM, Windows 9X does not wrap around to the beginning of the Disk.

It actually jumps around to various areas within the first 128GiB. This is why ROTS's Drive is not a total loss.

During the development of my High Capacity Disk Patch, I analyzed the code involved and verified this behavior.

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[it may actually be a bit more complicated than that (because)...]

Elsewhere, jaclaz suggested to ROTS (but he still has not done this);

"You should post the specific make/model of the motherboard"

To which buyerninety would add;

ROTS, ALSO say what you are connecting the drive to, if any card you

are using,

[because elsewhere ROTS SAID "the VIA fasttrack that is connected to my drive"

which sounds to me as if he may be using a version of something like (e.g.)

Promise Fasttrack Controller, (PCI to SATA)?

http://www.promise.com/storage/raid_series.aspx?region=en-global&m=21&rsn1=5&rsn3=9

]

_

AND ROTS said;

"My current hard drive is an ATA 200GB So you are saying that all hard drives

over 128GiB all are 48 LBA"

so he may not understand that his (windows 98 computer) motherboard also has

to have a BIOS which is 'LBA48 capable' (cela doit également être établie)

_

However, to answer ROTS specific question,

"The point being, of this post is to ask, IS THEIR A UTLITy THAT WILL CORRECT

THE FOLDERS AND FILES",

if you have too many CHK (.chk) files, I suggest placing your drive into

your "XP/Vista etc computer", and try using a utility such as:

Chk-Back;

http://trcdatarecovery.com/software-apps/chk-back

or

FileCHK;

http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/File-Management/FileCHK.shtml

to attempt to get the CHK files back to the correct 'file type' (BUT still there

may be damage, not able to be corrected, to data INSIDE the files).

_

THEN after, still on "XP/Vista etc computer" also make a BACKUP COPY of

all your data files!

Edited by buyerninety
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Recovery from this damage is complicated and a fair amount of data has probably been irretriveably lost.

Newer Files that are assumed to be above the 128GiB limit may be recoverable, but NOT from XP.

XP will copy them from the intended Sectors, not the ones actually used.

It will be necessary to copy them using an UNPATCHED Windows 9x System.

Previously existing files in the damaged areas are likely to have been corrupted, even if they pass SCANDISK.

I would recommend that all files be backed up using the same UNPATCHED Windows 9x System to an USB Hard Drive or multiple Hard Drives that are smaller than 128GiB or have ONE Partition of less than 128GiB on each.

If this was was the System Drive, reinstall Windows from scratch.

Then apply a Patch for the 128GiB Limit.

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Interesting to know the data gets jumbled around rather than causing a wraparound, it makes sense too or there would be complete wipeout of the FAT area.

When the BIOS supports LBA48 and you can live with some performance loss I imagine you'll be pretty safe by disabling IDE controller in device manager so all HDD access will go through BIOS int13 instead of the non LBA48 capable driver that 9x comes with. There's a patch already existing so this is not really necessary anyway.

I lost a lot of data when I got my first bigger than 128Gbyte HDD, due to file system errors and because new files overwrite data in existing ones, for example almost all video files had pieces of wrong files in them, and thus unplayable after some point.

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Recovery from this damage is complicated and a fair amount of data has probably been irretriveably lost.

I would add that data recovery is an "art" (or at least artisan work ;)).

NO way *any* program will automagically recover *everything* and in any case they are ONLY tools, it's the hand that drives the tools that may make a difference between a total loss and a (almost) total success in data recovery.

In any case, the FIRST thing to do is to make a "dd-like" or "forensic sound" image of the disk "as is", BEFORE *any* and I really mean *any* further step/attempt/whatever, as any and all tools, particularly CHKDSK and the like, may recover *something* but at same time prevent *forever* the recovery of *something* else, this way there is a "second chance".

jaclaz

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When the BIOS supports LBA48 and you can live with some performance loss I imagine you'll be pretty safe by disabling IDE controller in device manager so all HDD access will go through BIOS int13 instead of the non LBA48 capable driver that 9x comes with. There's a patch already existing so this is not really necessary anyway.

Yes, that will work. You will lose access to CD/DVD/BD Drives unless you install DOS Drivers for them.

A lot of people don't realize that Patching Windows is not enough. The BIOS must also support LBA48.

Real Mode operations done during Boot use the BIOS. This includes CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.SYS, VMM32.VXD,

the Drivers themselves and others including the very unpredicatable WININIT.EXE.

Without a DDO to correct this, a LBA28 BIOS would require that the Windows Boot Drive, Windows System Drive,

and any Partition used for Installing Software (because of WININIT) must be entirely below the 128GiB (137GB) limit.

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Without a DDO to correct this, a LBA28 BIOS would require that the Windows Boot Drive, Windows System Drive,

and any Partition used for Installing Software (because of WININIT) must be entirely below the 128GiB (137GB) limit.

Sure :), but come-on, this is not really a "limit".

A "normal" Win9x System partition, even a very large one, and considering all the software you might want to install to it can be at the very most what? 10 GB? :unsure:

(at the times I had both Win95 :ph34r: and Win98 in multi-booting (with DOS 6.22 and Windows NT 4.00 and Windows 2000, JFYI) I used a 1 Gb partition for both DOS 622 and Win95 plus a 2 Gb for Win98, if I recall correctly).

That allows to grow it 12x :w00t: before "hitting" the 128 Gb LBA28 barrier.

The LBA 48 upgrades came out for 2K with Service Pack 3 and for XP with Service Pack 1 which means August/September 2002, it's not like since 1995 users of Win9x had issues or particular problems, it's just a matter of using some common sense when creating partitions (and put not *everything* on "C:\" ;))

jaclaz

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Without a DDO to correct this, a LBA28 BIOS would require that the Windows Boot Drive, Windows System Drive,

and any Partition used for Installing Software (because of WININIT) must be entirely below the 128GiB (137GB) limit.

Sure :), but come-on, this is not really a "limit".

There's more.

This is only the minimum to get a system to work.

The last Partition must start below 128GiB and cover all of the remaining Space. Otherwise Ghost Partitions may appear and potentially cause problems.

If the Hard Drive goes into compatability mode, for ANY reason, corruption is almost guaranteed.

The rules I listed previously also apply to Windows NT, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, and 8.

If you want to use a LBA28 BIOS without a DDO, good luck to you.

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