On 2021-04-27 3:45 a.m., Doug McGarrett wrote:
I am assuming that if I can boot a Linux system from CD that I can then read the internal drive and copy files to another drive. If I'm wrong, then what do you suggest? Please keep it as simple as possible, I'm not a guru!
"Simple" is a relative concept. If I can supply a "Type this ... 1...2..3.." then you don't need to understand. Right? You aren't asking for a solution. You've decided on a solution, you're just asking how to get there. "Crashed" - meaning what? Meaning you've been tracking with a disk monitor and ignored degradation? Meaning you had a power loss and a head crash? Must be an old drive. If that's the case then a recovery, perhaps booting from a Knoppix CD, and mounting the old disk to copy from isn't going to work 'cost the old disk is 'crashed'. There are many reasons you might not be able to boot. heck, this is tumbleweed! You might have screwed a kernel (why I keep back-issues around as alternative boots), grub or the MBR. If so then all your 'data' is fine, your DISK isn't crashed, it is still intact. You need to repair what was wrong -- the kernel, grub or MBR. And while you're at it, run FSCK and check logs for disk performance. All that's well documented on the net. Given the above, I going to proclaim loudly: BTDT ____ _____ ____ _____ | __ ) |_ _| | _ \ |_ _| | _ \ | | | | | | | | | |_) | | | | |_| | | | |____/ |_| |____/ |_| I could boot from the LiveCD, fix up the old disk and then reboot, but I gather yu don't have the skills for simply that.. Well OK..... But it might be simple. On a booted system you could check the logs on the old disk and perhaps that will supply illumination if not enlightenment. Perhaps there is a clear like about "missing ..." My googling years ago led me to: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/General_troubleshooting#Boot_problems I picked up on If booting the system is not possible, boot from a live image and change root to the existing system. And yes there is a "1 ..2..3.." for that subsequently documented "Mounting and chrooting a broken system" I have that printed out, along with handwritten notes, in a folder on my desk. Well the TL;DR is that if you disk is crashed then the disk is damaged and you can't get at the files. BTDT That's where I learnt about Schroedinger's backups. If you _system_ crashed and not your disk drive then unless the crash was a 'dance fandango over your drive' then it's a software problem,: MBR, GRUB, initramfs/initrd. Logs may indicate which. The above described 'boot and mount and chroot' Accuracy of the description of the problem and not presuming about the solution are essential for realistic determination of the status. As I say, if you disk really has crashed the data isn't going to be that recoverable. If the data can be recovered by a LiveCD boot and mount of the old disk then it is also system repairable by that method. As for a boot disk, well I've found that Knoppix is fantastic for booting under just about any conditions, but there are plenty of LiveCD/DVD system, one for SUSE-KDE and SUSE-Gnome as well. You don't have to recourse to the install disk. As I move to each new release I also update my collection of LiveCD/DVD. It doesn't cost me apart from time since I buy my DVDs in bulk for backups (q.v. many other posts I've made on that subject). -- “Reality is so complex, we must move away from dogma, whether it’s conspiracy theories or free-market,” -- James Glattfelder. http://jth.ch/jbg