HELP!!! Recover partition table (NTFS, FAT) using Knoppix CD??

I could really use some help ASAP. I have about 50 eBay auctions ending TOMORROW and I need to get my computer up and running!

Short version: Need Free, Easy Linux software to *recover* lost partition table with NTFS & Fat32 partitions past 128GB barrier.

Long Version::::::

Somehow my Win XP's partition table, not just the MBR, was lost on a 250GB Seagate: something like ~115GB NTFS, ~115GB NTFS, ~10GB Fat32.

I took a look at the drive with some recovery software on an old Win 98 (Compaq 7470, AMD K6-2), but I'm stuck at the 128GB barrier and can't find any BIOS updates that will get me past it.

I can't run this software from my Win 98 drive in the newer computer (that was running XP) because I get to the windows clouds screen, then it reboots. Every time, whether in Safe Mode or not.

There are CD and DVD drives on the new computer but no floppy, I can download (slowly) and burn CDs with the old Win 98, and I have the following boot CDs that will all boot:

Win 98 SE ("for PCs without Windows")
Win XP Pro (not a bundled restore disc)
Knoppix 3.7, kernel 2.4.27

Please help. What software is there that I can slap on a CD and run from a Linux boot disc like Knoppix?

For Bonus Points:
Why won't Win 98 boot on the new machine? I don't recall where the bootlog stopped, but I think everything loaded.

Thank you!
Jason P.

 

Forgot to paste in the specs list, though it shouldn't matter with this problem. The new PC has the bad drive, old works:

---------------

New PC
Medion Titanium MD 1100 ?, Win XP Home
2.66GHz P4, 1.25GB DDR, GeForce 4 Ti 4200
250GB Seagate HDD, CD-RW, DVD RW / Dual layer, no floppy
Modem, 10/100 NIC, USB 2.0, 1394 (Firewire)

Old PC:
Compaq 7470, Win 98 SE
566 MHz AMD K6-2 3d, 384MB SDRAM, onboard 8MB Trident MVP4(63)
60GB Western Digital Caviar HDD, CD-RW, could swap in DVD above
Modem, 10/100 NIC, USB 1.1

 

Boot from the Knoppix CD, and if you can read the Partitions then there may be hope.

If the partition in readable, use QTParted on the Knoppix Live CD to resize the boot partion; make it slightly smaller. This will rewrite the partiton table information in the MBR.

There is a good chance that you may be able to boot from the drive and read your partitions.

 

This thread might help you:

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=75811

Basically, newer MOBO/processor combinations might require you to install Win98 with the "/pi" switch to avoid PNP detection...or possibly "nm" to avoid processor detection...or both.

 

Shadow_Puter_Dude: QTParted doesn't see the deleted partitions as they were. It reports the entire drive as 1 partition, as free space, of status "hidden". I guess that won't work.

Wavetar: I have Partition Table Doctor for Windows, but it's on the 98 PC with the 128GB barrier. Unfortunately I can't spare that computer long enough to reinstall Windows.

Is there any Linux software, like Partition Table Doctor, that will scan for deleted partitions and restore them? Please Please Please!

 

If QTParted didn't see all three partitions, and only saw the 1 then your partition table is 'toast'. You are going to have to do a clean install. There is no getting around the FAT32 128Gb barrier, without special software. If you what Windows 98 installed and bottable then it must be on the boot partition and must be the first OS installed.