NTFS folder disappeared, dual boot (SOLVED)

[nberidze]

Ok, thanks. I installed ntfs-config, which is in the Peppermint package system, and enabled automount for my NTFS partitions. When this folder incident happened, the NTFS partitions didn't mount automatically, I mounted them manually as needed, and that could be a contributing factor to why it happened. Maybe JPEGCrops or some other program tried to access the NTFS partition when it was not mounted, but this is just speculation on my part.

I have tried various Linux programs to crop jpegs, but haven't found any that can offer the ease and speed which JPEGCrops does. If you are involved in publishing, you will know what I mean: You want to crop many photos (fast!) to a certain aspect ratio (not exact pixel size), but at the same time keep a hands-on control over exactly what part of the photos get cropped, so it must be a graphic interface.

Overall, I'm impressed by what people have created with Peppermint OS. It does what I needed, a lightweight Linux. I also looked at AntiX and some others, but Peppermint seemed  most user friendly. Hope also it is rigorous "under the hood".

[PCNetSpec]

NTFS file systems aren't Linux native (obviously), so a third party plugin is used for writing (ntfs-3g), it's the same across all Linux distro's .. it is very good at what it does and problems are rare, but you have to accept it's probably not as robust as Windows own NTFS support.

Again I'd expect it to amplify already existing NTFS file system problems, where Windows may be able to work around them .. so if the Windows file system already has minor errors ntfs-3g may make things worse.

On top of that you were using a Windows application to write to a Windows file system, but through first a compatibility layer (WINE),, and then through ntfs-3g.

Personally if I were ever to use a Windows app in WINE, I'd copy any files to be manipulated to Linux partition/file system first, run the Windows app on them, then once finished, copy them back to the Windows partition.

ie. .. take WINE out of the loop as far as copying to the Windows file system goes.

This can't really be a "Peppermint specific" problem .. it's either going to be an ntfs-3g issue, a WINE issue, or an already corrupt file system issue .. or more likely some combination .. there is nothing Peppermint specific involved here.

When getting Linux to deal with Windows (and vice versa) .. probably best try to keep it as simple as possible .. eg.  not letting the Windows app running in WINE directly write back to the Windows partition (as it would need to do this through TWO interpreters if you get my meaning).
And if you're going to use WINE a lot .. check the Windows file system (in Windows) a lot too.

Besides this hiccup, I'm glad you're enjoying Peppermint, and that you managed to recover your files

[nberidze]

Well, I am not sure we have established the cause. I realized that there are more files missing which did not show up in the found-000 folder. Another thing: my installation of Peppermint has crashed two times. I have no idea why, but it is scary when that happens, and the only option is a hard power-off, with the data loss implications that entails.

[PCNetSpec]

Are you sure you haven't got hardware problems such as bad sectors on the hard drive ?

[nberidze]

Are you sure you haven't got hardware problems such as bad sectors on the hard drive ?

I had some bad sectors, yes, but this is not unusual?

[rjm65]

Bad sectors means it is time to buy a new hard drive, and use that one as a slave without any operating systems on it....
You can't blame the programs or the operating systems when you are running them on a drive with bad sectors.... 

[nberidze]

Bad sectors means it is time to buy a new hard drive, and use that one as a slave without any operating systems on it....
You can't blame the programs or the operating systems when you are running them on a drive with bad sectors.... 

Sure, and thanks for all the comments. I've tried a few minimalistic Linux distros, and Peppermint is the one I like the best, as it has the best "look and feel", and is very user friendly. I only have one question to you guys: Is Peppermint a solid Ubuntu system? Or have you modified it? I.e., would I have had the same problems with NTFS - had I been running a standard Ubuntu or Lubuntu?

[PCNetSpec]

99% of Peppermint is DIRECTLY from the Ubuntu repositories (including both WINE and ntfs-3g) .. so this is HIGHLY likely to have happened in Ubuntu/Lubintu/Xubuntu/Kubuntu/Mint, too.
(nothing in the file system handling is changed by Peppermint)

But as I said, all the NTFS stuff is taken care of by ntfs-3g .. the same as in every other distro that I'm aware of, so this is likely to have happened in ANY distro .. and as it may have been caused by a write to a bad sector that could then not be read, it stands a good chance it would have happened in Windows too.

[AndyInMokum]

Hi nberidze, wow you are having a time of it.  I would say  you are going to have problems irrespective of what distro you are using.  Those bad sectors are like a cancer with no cure.  I had recently a 250GB HDD start to show bad sectors.  I had Crunchbang 11 and Peppermint OS Four on it. I couldn't figure out what was up because odd goofy things started to happen.  Bad sectors showed up during a routine Clonezilla backup.   Bought a new 750GB HDD and Clonezilla'd an earlier image onto it. The weirdness stopped immediately.  Hang in there and good luck  !

[nberidze]

Again, thanks. The biggest obstacle to leaving Windows for me is that I need to run these applications that mobile companies make to connect with their mobile broadband USB sticks. But there are a few other reasons too. If my 122 bad sectors is causing the problems, it will presumably be solved by replacing the hard disk. But I understand that Linux  has compatibility problems with NTFS. Still, Linux has come a long way - well done.

[PCNetSpec]

Connecting with a mobile dongle is taken care of in NetworkManager.

And as far as I know there's no compatibility issue with NTFS and Linux

[nberidze]

    Connecting with a mobile dongle is taken care of in NetworkManager.

    And as far as I know there's no compatibility issue with NTFS and Linux

Mobile operators publish their own modified applications, which only run in Windows and are the only way to connect to their network. I have tried running such applications in wine, but without success.

NTFS: Please read the earlier post in this thread. Thanks.

[PCNetSpec]

Mobile operators publish their own modified applications, which only run in Windows and are the only way to connect to their network. I have tried running such applications in wine, but without success.

NetworkManager can connect to most mobikle operators WITHOUT the need for their software, which after all is only a GUI front end for applying some standard network settings.

NTFS: Please read the earlier post in this thread. Thanks.

Dude .. you're still assuming this was a problem with Linux's handling of NTFS, as opposed to their being a problem on the file system to begin with.
(or are you under the impression that Windows never suffers file system corruption .. in which case you have to wonder why they include tools to recover from it

There is NO WAY of knowing if this was caused by Windows / ntfs-3g / or WINE .. or any mixture of those, so why so quick to say it's a "linux" compatibility issue ?

[nberidze]

I don't know the cause. I asked because of what you wrote earlier, that ntfs-3g is not as robust as Windows own NTFS support and you advised against running a wine application and let it manipulate files on an NTFS partition directly.

The folders disappeared while I was running Linux and they were on an NTFS partition. I haven't noticed files / folders disappearing before using Windows 7. The disk has 122 bad sectors. So, after installing Peppermint OS and trying it for about a week, two folders disappeared. My computer had crashed twice at that time (now three times).

[PCNetSpec]

Yes I "advised" against overcomplicating matters in a "better safe than sorry" way .. it doesn't mean there's a compatibility issue.

Bad sectors are bad sectors .. if they're written to (by ANY OS) and it just so happens that the folder boundaries drop on the bad sectors the folder will not be discoverable.

It's contents however may* be recoverable.

Now you "appear" to be blaming system instability on Linux, even though you admit to having hardware issues ?