pspuser <netropolepdx DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:
> Long story short, when trying to use BootCamp to load XP on a MBP, I
> accidentally formatted the MAC OSX (latest version) partition (insert
> snickers here).
>
> I need a utility that I can point to the drive to reverse my handywork
> and get the OSX partition back - anybody have any ideas?
Assuming you just want to wipe the drive and start again (with no chance
of recovering any of your Mac data which was on the drive), you can do
that by booting from your 10.5 DVD and running Disk Utility (under the
Utilities menu). Use the Partition tab, click the Options button and
ensure it says "GUID Partition Table", then in the main window select a
single partition using "Mac OS Extended (Journalled)". You can then
reinstall the operating system and applications.
If you want to recover your Mac data...
Restore from the backup you took before installing XP.
If you only have a partial backup and/or one which was not done recently
and want to try to salvage recent data from your hard drive before
restoring the backup, then read on.
If you didn't have any kind of backup: good luck, but read on anyway.
NTFS has data structures scattered through the volume, so it will have
overwritten pieces of many of your files. The Mac directory will
probably have been overwritten to a large extent.
If you want to recover as much as possible, you need a tool like Data
Rescue II (from ProSoft Engineering), a second hard drive to store the
recovered files, and a lot of time.
http://www.prosofteng.com
If the Mac directory damage is minor it might be able to recover a fair
number of files relatively quickly. Some of them may have internal
damage due to NTFS overwriting parts of the volume, and this can only be
identified by opening all files and confirming they are OK.
If the Mac directory is gone then Data Rescue will have to scavenge the
hard drive looking for data patterns which resemble valid files. This
may take several hours. The end result of a scavenge is a huge number of
files with none of the original names, directory structure or
modification times. The only way you can identify individual files is by
opening them and seeing what they contain. (It will at least identify
the type of each file, and the size should be accurate for most files.)
It might produce files with extra junk on the end, or split some files
into pieces, or combined some files together. Some files may have junk
in them (due to being partly overwritten by NTFS).
Many files may be impossible to recover because Data Rescue II and
similar tools operate by searching for identifiable data patterns for
known file types, and if they don't have a rule to identify a particular
type of file then it can't be recognised or recovered. Mainstream file
formats are likely to be OK, proprietary ones are likely to be lost.
Tidying up this mess could potentially take days or weeks of your time.
After you have scavenged as much as possible, you will need to erase
your internal drive (see above) and then reinstall your operating system
and all applications. Don't even consider trying to salvage pieces of
the OS or applications from the recovered data, even if Data Rescue II
has managed to retain most of the names and directory structure. You
should only be looking to recover your personal data files.
If you want to try Data Rescue II without buying it, you can download a
demo copy. This will do a trial recovery and tell you what it will be
able to achieve if you buy the full version.
There is a competing product "FileSalvage" from SubRosaSoft but I have
no experience with it. My understanding is that it operates in a similar
way to Data Rescue II but it is likely to produce slightly different
results due to different algorithms used to identify files.
--
David Empson
dempson DeleteThis @actrix.gen.nz
>> Stay informed about: Accidentally formatted OSX partition with NTFS - Need to r.. 
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