recover linux based hard disk data to windows

Hi,
I am using a Synology simple server (DS108j) which has a Western Digital 500GB HDD.
I have a problem with the server and I need to back up my HDD externally before I install new firmware to the server, as the new installation requires to format the HDD.

The HDD is linux based and I cannot access the files with a docking station which I have in hand.

Can you advise how I can access all the files, so I can back them up properly with all their names and folders?

Thank you,

Ishay

 

Windows can not see linux files so if you are trying to view them on a Windows computer, that will not work.
Create a linux partition on your Windows computer, install a distro, boot into it, attach the HDD and mount it, then copy the files from the HDD into the linux partition.

Of course if you already have another computer running linux, use it and not the windows one to copy the files to.

 

Or a LiveCD may be a quicker one-and-done solution, assuming he's using a Windows computer. Furthermore, if it's a Windows 8 machine with UEFI hardware, he should choose a LiveCD distro with UEFI-enabled installer, such as Fedora 18(?) or Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS (12.04 will not suffice; it must be the most recent 12.04.2 with UEFI support, updated/released last week!).

 

Thank you very much but I kind of lost you both...
Can you send me a tutorial reference of the steps I need to take?
If I run the following will it be ok?: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/virtualbox

Really not familiar with anything that has to do with Linux, all I want to do is access my files and copy them to another hard disk, so my office can access them from their windows PC.
Living in China, I rather first back up my data first before I let any Chinese touch my stuff, they have proven to do serious damages before already ;(

Thanks again,
Ishay

 

If you're a Linux newbie, I'd definitely suggest the LiveCD route. Download a distro ISO and burn the ISO to a CD, DVD or Flash Drive. Instructions to do so can be found here:

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

However, your first issue MUST be to determine whether you are running Windows 8 on UEFI, rather than BIOS. If so, please start with the instructions regarding Windows 8.

If you are NOT Windows 8, you may proceed directly to the section "Try Ubuntu before you install it" on the right hand side. I would recommend the version 12.04.2; choose the 32-bit or 64-bit version that is appropriate for your device. If unsure, 32-bit works on everything.

Once you have booted with a LiveCD (Try before you buy!) you should be able to recover/save your files from the faulty computer to an external device. If you like what you see, you should repair your Windows install FIRST, then consider installing Linux as a dual-boot option?! ;-)

Good luck!

 

I love Virtualbox. It's a wonderful tool, but not for the job you describe. Virtualbox needs a working OS to be installed on. Fix your OS first, then install Virtualbox if you want and try out all kinds of different OS without sacrificing the familiarity of what you currently have installed.

 

If you simply want to mount the HDD that is external, you may find you can do this with a "Live CD" demo. The Live CD may run very slow, but should allow copy. You will then need to change permissions again from Windows to share the files.

BE CAREFUL YOU DO NOT OVERWRITE THE WRONG DISK

I did that once, and lost 10 years of photos......

 

maybe this will help, if the issue is not already resolved

http://www.fs-driver.org/index.html

its windows software installed so you can read and write to ext2 and ext3 file systems