If you need to maintain multiple, visible primary partitions under Windows NT, you should run PQBoot with the /M switch.ġ. PQBoot makes the partition active and reboots the computer. Type the ID number of the partition (shown in the first column) you want to make the bootable primary partition. If you are using Windows, click Yes to continue.ģ. Change to the directory containing PQBOOT.EXE or PQBOOTX.EXE, type PQBOOT or PQBOOTX, then press. (Windows 95/98/Me, Windows NT Workstation, or Windows 2000/XP Professional) Click Start > Programs > PowerQuest PartitionMagic 8.0 > PartitionMagic 8.0 Tools > PQBoot. This, in my opinion, is more important than backing up your volume header. But if you do, NEVER ever click "Yes" on a screen that looks like this:ĥ) In the future, whenever you create a TrueCrypt encrypted partition, fire up WinHex and write down where on your hard drive your encrypted volume starts and ends using the steps above. where you have your encrypted volume sitting.Ĥ) Don't use Partition Magic. I myself don't know any more that what I laid out above.ģ) Unless you know what you are doing, don't run any sort of hard drive applications/tools/etc. Create a backup copy of the hard disk containing your encrypted volume before starting any repair work.Ģ) Get a little familiar with WinHex. However, do not assume it is the latter just because you cannot mount on first try! Be patient. partition table info) around my encrypted blob, but not the blob itself - what I had to do was "simply" get it out of my hard drive and put it somewhere (like in a file) where TrueCrypt could select and mount.ġ) If you cannot mount your blob then it is possible you are missing a piece of your blob or have extra stuff somewhere in there (probably at beginning or ending) that isn't a part of the blob, OR that the blob is damaged. You see, Partition Magic 8 f*ed up data (e.g.
If you are lucky, it should mount, like it did with mine. Use the pass/keyfiles that your originally used to encrypt. Save the file somewhere.Ħ) Open up TrueCrypt and try to mount the file as you normally would an encrypted file container. Enter the starting and ending locations like in the image.ĥ) Now that you have your blob of selected, export it to a file by going to Edit > Copy Block > Into New File. After you find what looks like the beginning (again, English or not as random stuff as the rest means it is not a part of your blob), selected it - go to Edit > Define Block. It just so happened that clicking there automatically took me to the beginning of my blob - the starting location is "4A85200000". you should be able to tell from its size). You see at the top where it says "Partition 2" - this is my encrypted partition (. The last two characters should usually be "FF".Ĥ) Now, this is where I got lucky with WinHex. In this example, the end is located here: "4A85AFFFFF". If you start seeing English words then you are not looking at your blob. the biggest circle in the image shows where your hard drive data is displayed).
You should see a whole lot of random data (. This is to find the end of your blob.ģ) Determine if you found the end. the big Magnifying glasses at top that says "Find Text"). Select your physical media where you encrypted data resides.Ģ) Scroll down to the very end of disk. But I think this method would apply to most set-up scenarios.ġ) Run WinHex. In my case, I had a second partition on my hard drive encrypted (standard format). The basic idea behind it is to yank out your undamaged encrypted blob of data from wherever it cannot be read using regular methods. All other suggestions and tips and welcome!! Thanks. Finally, I hope to be able to restore this volume header on to my damaged drive.īefore I undertake this plan, I would like to know if anyone else out there has tried it and, if so, how successful they were. Now, to get back the volume header, I am planning on recreating the exact same partitions on a new disk of the exact same model, and then encrypting it with the exact same password/keyfiles, and then exporting its volume header to a file. that I should have kept an external backup of the Volume header. I am not ready to drop the big bucks for professional help.TestDisk analysis says of the disk containing the encrypted partition: "Space conflict between the following two partitions".įrom the googling and searching on various sites, I have learned the following: In short, my encrypted partition is now invisible. and I let it happen! And now I am left with cleaning up the mess. Partition Magic 8 took a dump on my TrueCrypt partition.