How to get hardware/logs/system specs from backups?

[wert]

If I have a backup of puppy linux, can I find out what the configuration was like for the system it was installed on e.g. are there any log files etc. that I can look through?

Let me break it down why I need that. I lost my partition definition which defined a truecrypt partition. In the puppy that I used, I always mounted the volume in it at a particular directory every time I used the OS. So I'm looking and hoping to find the mounted volume's details somewhere e.g. logs etc. hopefully if OS keeps those records somewhere. Thanks in advance for your help

[Flash]

If those details are logged in /tmp, I doubt they would have been saved in a backup.

[wert]

If those details are logged in /tmp, I doubt they would have been saved in a backup.

Nice, would you be able to know what file(s) to look for in the /tmp? thanks

[musher0]

Hi wert.

Ahem. Flash said "If..." ?

I'm a bit out of my territory here -- disks are not my forte --, but I think
what you want are the "partition logs" (probably not the right name).

AFAIK:
-- those are created by the file system on the partition itself;
-- vfat and ext2 don't have them, but the other FS do;
-- they're semi-permanent ?? Certainly dynamic (those logs change a lot
over time).

I also get the impression that backups have nothing to do with it. Don't
take this the wrong way.

I would tend to think that you only need the natural mounting capacity of
Puppies, for iso's, sfs's, partitions, even directories, given your
description of your problem. Maybe I'm wrong...

IHTH

[musher0]

Hi wert,

Re-reading your OP...

I'm pretty sure no Puppy keeps detailoed volume specs for a partition or
disk beyond the basics, like what you can access from command

Code: Select all

blkid

or similar.

In your 2nd paragraph, you mention "truecrypt". Again out of my territory,
but from good old logic: maybe you don't have a disk problem, but a
crypting problem? Maybe the initial crypting application that you
used kept a log in plain text somewhere?

I don't want to send you on a "Canadian" goose chase, but wouldn't
gparted give you some answer to your question? (Warning: In gparted,
just look at the partition info, don't "edit" or "touch" anything.)

Hopefully a real partition expert will chime in and be able to help you.

BFN.

[wert]

Hi wert.

Ahem. Flash said "If..." ?

I'm a bit out of my territory here -- disks are not my forte --, but I think
what you want are the "partition logs" (probably not the right name).

AFAIK:
-- those are created by the file system on the partition itself;
-- vfat and ext2 don't have them, but the other FS do;
-- they're semi-permanent ?? Certainly dynamic (those logs change a lot
over time).

I also get the impression that backups have nothing to do with it. Don't
take this the wrong way.

I would tend to think that you only need the natural mounting capacity of
Puppies, for iso's, sfs's, partitions, even directories, given your
description of your problem. Maybe I'm wrong...

IHTH

It was a vfat so I'm out of luck. The partition was mounted with non-puppy software called truecrypt. Thanks dude

[wert]

Hi wert,

Re-reading your OP...

I'm pretty sure no Puppy keeps detailoed volume specs for a partition or
disk beyond the basics, like what you can access from command

Code: Select all

blkid

or similar.

In your 2nd paragraph, you mention "truecrypt". Again out of my territory,
but from good old logic: maybe you don't have a disk problem, but a
crypting problem? Maybe the initial crypting application that you
used kept a log in plain text somewhere?

I don't want to send you on a "Canadian" goose chase, but wouldn't
gparted give you some answer to your question? (Warning: In gparted,
just look at the partition info, don't "edit" or "touch" anything.)

Hopefully a real partition expert will chime in and be able to help you.

BFN.

blkid only gives the FS type and UUID whereas the size of the partition is pretty much what I need.
Also, your right, I believe truecrypt mainly decrypts volumes into the /dev dir although can also mount. My partition definition is lost and I'm trying to recover the truecrypt partition of which I remember the FS type but now I need the exact size of it in order to help me recover it. Thanks alot for your help by the way.

[amigo]

Partition info is always in the first block of the disk -before any file-system formatting/magic.
Most partitioning tools create at least one backup of the partition table somewhere else on the disk.
testdisk is a program which tries to retrieve old copies of the partition table.

[wert]

Partition info is always in the first block of the disk -before any file-system formatting/magic.
Most partitioning tools create at least one backup of the partition table somewhere else on the disk.
testdisk is a program which tries to retrieve old copies of the partition table.

Thanks man

[wert]

Hi! Testcrypt has found my partition after 9 hours of analyzing. Now I am stuck with a small puzzle. In the testcrypt analyzer results which I have attached a screenshot, on the Normal Header column, the numbers there which I want to dertermine the header's location from are 0/32/33 – 2185/43/34. What do those numbers mean? e.g. do the forward slashes mean divide or does the group of digits between them stand for sectors or what? I have tried to find this out from many data recovery and ecncryption forums without recieving any replies coupled with that testcrypt documentation not having any info on this. In desparate situation.