Right long story short but I "accidently formatted the wrong drive on Sunday and wiped my 100 GIG emule download hard drive

No biggey really coz was a real quick format and didn't really do any damage.

So I loaded up the usual tools to restore data (Easy Recovery, GetDataBack etc etc)

And away I go recovering.

So they scan the drive and start picking up files and things that look familiar.

When they're done i see the exact content of the drive BEFORE it was formatted and begin restoring!

MP3's, Isoz,Moviez,Docs,Pictures all comes back perfect.

So I'm lucky................BUT......................

The one directory that has been there the longest and never moved is my EMULE directory, and thats FUCKED

Every attempt to get the files from there results in knackered avis,corrupt rars and messed up documents

I really don't understand this whole recovering technology!

The part files, what little i had of them are fine, but dvdr's and xbox isoz etc i was sharing are...what looks like....UNRECOVERABLE!

The only solis I can take is that at least I know what was in the directory and can start from scratch. But we're talking GIGS

Anyway just thought would share the pain.
And it happens to us all, at least in some way!

But gonna take me a while to catch up on all these downloads and be a dedicated releaser.

But thats why I talked my dad into getting broadband so I could use emule on his connection

Firstly, lol!

Secondly, Your emule folder will inhabit the part of the drive that is accessed, written to, and rewritten to the most meaning that it was more likely to be overwritten, fragmented and unrecoverable when the file listing was nulled (that's how formatting works as you'll probably know, it simply takes the file listing and nulls it all (sets everything to 0 or 'free space', the data itself is only overwritten if data is written over the top, and even then residual file listing still remain))

The only way to really sort this ongoing nightmare (for the whole hdd using community!) is to operate your drives in a RAID mode (with lots of redundancy). That's expensive and wasteful though

Yeah at my work EVERYTHING is RAID!!!

And mirrored and then backed up constantly etc etc.

But for the home PC the options of safe storage are limited!

I do try and back up to DVD when ever possible but whats the point of having 100 GIG hard drive if you're not gonna store stuff on it!!!

But suppose you're right, looking at it, that folder was be fragmented to hell

How many of us would be fucked if we lost data on our hard drives RIGHT NOW?

I bet the majority

i have all my temp files on one drive (160GB) with shit loads of cooling on it. I then have a "network" drive (250GB) where stuff sits in limbo (ie. building up 4.3GB of suitably groupable files, plus shit loads of pre-processed DVD images). I have a 60GB drive which is partitioned in 3. 256mb = web server, 7GB = windows only, and the rest is Programs + 'uploads' (which is actually, newly downloaded stuff and on going in apps like BT). Then my other drive is 200GB is for "to burn" and pre-burnt stuff (ie mp3s)

This setup works best for me, never have problems and have a kind of error contingency plan:
http://forum.dead-donkey.com/viewtopic.php?t=2938

My sys. specs are here:
http://forum.dead-donkey.com/viewtopic.php?t=2817


hmm this has turned into a software/hardware thing --> moved

Well I aint as extravagant as you spud.

If you got time or can be arsed.......

With my set up.

1 - dvdr drive (Burning 4.7 gig off!)
1 - 60 GIG Hard drive
1 - 120 GIG Hard Dirve
1 - 10 GIG networked Hard Drive on a seperate PC downstairs!

What would you suggest?

Partition the drives off into windows and emule etc like you have then?

LOL, no no seriously it is real sad.... <ha> terrible acident... ... . ROFL!!

Lets not temp fate!!

What software were you using to recover the data? I have had a lot of experience recivering data b4.

I'm using Runtime's GetDataBack for NTFS.

And has done a wicked job so far except for the real fragmented stuff!!!

But it recovered the file names and file size of my emule directory, just not the data WITHIN those files!!!

So can re download!!!

But thing I'll try and partition my HD's off into system, downloads, prgrams etc etc!!!

personally, i'd put emule temp files on a drive of their own (decent IDE drive costs about ?40, my little brother just got a 120GB 8mb cache doo-dar for ?68, and I'd say that would be too good for a dedicated emule drive), and partition windows and core apps on a drive of its own, leaving you with an active drive and some play space.

I don't know though without knowing your download habits (huge number of files and space needed) or what spec pc you got. But i'd normally say, windows and core appz by themselves and emule temp on a seperate drive are the key points (and what i work by when I build new machines)

I've got a PC purely for emule.

2 drives:-
1x 8 Gb (yeah I know, but speed isn't an issue)
1x120 Gb for all the temp files and I aim to keep ~30Gb free

then on my "main" pc (80Gb system and 250Gb storage and "stuff"), I store the files in different sub dirs (i.e Movies, series, games, xbox, utils, emulators etc.) until I have 4.38Gb of "grouped files" then burn to DVD (remembering to verify every file )

TBH external backups are MUCH less of an issue nowadays, the only thing I've ever backed up mutiple time and had copies in different places was my full set of MAME (and other) roms, but TBH nowadays, it's easier just to re-download them.

OK well sometime this week I'll start from scratch and rebuild my system.

So I'll partition my 50 gig off into say a 5/10GIG windows/system drive
The rest for installed programs? (Program Files?)

And the 120 GIG I'll parttion off into 1 big drive for emule (temp/incoming!)

I've always just kept everything on one BIG drive and then moved it to my 120gig for staroage/burning.

But makes sense to split everything apart.

Right last question :

You have a windows / system drive, and then a SEPERATE DRIVE for all your installed applications?
Or do they go in the windows drive? i.e the program files directory?

Just double checking, bit unsure about that one

I've got some serious formatting and partitioning todo then

For me I have a system drive which has Windows on it and in the Program files on the same drive is emule and that is all.
On the 120Gb drive is all of emule's temp files and a temporary storage place (root) where the finished files sit.

So you keep your installed appz on a seperate partition/drive then.

And just have windows installed and the emule.exe on your "system" drive?

I have my installed apps / games etc on a different PC !!!

the only thing on the PC I use for emule is emule and windows XP

Ah right lording over us with your multi PC's

Well I am poverty striken and can afford only one PC to function as my emule'er and work machine with installed appz.

So still need an answer to what you multi partioning/drive people do?

No i have a large partion for applications off of the windows partion. So its windows = ~7GB, and then the rest of the 60GB drive is applications and active. This isn't physically hard drive protection as it is windows screwup protection. You don't need apps like office, java, gknot, etc. in your program files and i recommend games you install into \Games\.


The layout I have is

c:\windows
c:\shell --> replacement shells
c:\program files\ --> only apps that must be installed there
d:\Games --> all games
d:\Programs --> nearly all my programs
d:\programs\Art --> paint apps
d:\Programs\Audio --> audio appz
d:\programs\Filesharers --> filesharing appz
d:\programs\FTP --> ftp server and programs
d:\Programs\IPAQ --> ipaq/ppc stuff
D:\programs\messengers --> messengers
d:\Programs\network --> network tools
d:\programs\Office --> m$ and 'office' type appz
d:\programs\Programming ---> java, vb, g++,python
d:\programs\tools --> misc
d:\programs\Video ---> all video apps
d:\programs\Video\encoding
d:\programs\Video\players
d:\programs\Video\dvd
d:\uploads\ --> various incoming folders
e:\ --> just emule temp files
f:\Games --> ISOs to burn
f:\GCN --> gamecube roms
f:\mp3s --> pre-burnt mp3s
f:\Partially Completed
f:\To burn
g:\DVD-r
g:\Movies\genre
g:\mp3z (to burn)
g:\TV Episodes
g:\warez

That's how i got it very clean, runs like it did when I first installed windows

Ah all makes sense now!

Cheers spud, I'll try and go along with the style you have although I aint got nearly as much space/drives!

THANKS!

Very excessive for some, but it is a lot faster and much easier to manage.

Simplify your drive and simplify your life!

Doesn't it have any effect on performance when emule finishes a download (part file) and has to hash/copy the file to an incoming directory on another drive?

Basically copy a file from 1 drive to another espectially if that files a gig?

Although you'll prob post back that your PC is high end and blah blah Mhz/RMP - hehe!

nope, not really. I mean my pc is fine if it suddenly starts virus scanning whilst i'm watching a movie, but copying from one drive to another is no problem. Just makes HDD noise pump up a notch, but performance wise it doesn't really take a hit. Copying from one drive to another just uses the IDE channel more, but when it does a complete and copy to one drive, it still copies, then deletes, so you still get HDD activity either way. Infact, I find it better using two drives, because the activity on each drive is just a read or a write, rather than both