[Solved] Hard disk data loss

[whatdhack]

Hi, what do mean by LiveCD mode ? There is no LiveCD as I mentioned multiple times . Did you look at the log files I sent ?

[whatdhack]

Where so I see the LiveCD mode in the Manager UI or the VBoxManage CLI ?

[mpack]

It is not a feature offered by VirtualBox. It's a trial mode offered by some Linux installers. It catches people who are frightened when the installer asks "do you want me to erase and overwrite your hard disk - or do you want to run in trial mode for now", because they don't realize that the first option only refers to the virtual drive (a VM having no access to anything else). Trial mode is a live cd mode, and the wording will vary.

[socratis]

@whatdhack
If you boot the VM as is, it boots in the state of February? Is that a "virgin" state?
Right-click on the VM in VirtualBox Manager, Show in Explorer, ZIP the .vbox file and attach it.

[whatdhack]

There is no LiveCD. No, it does not always go back to February.

So looks like you folks have no more insight to this than me . It kind of sucks that support for VirtualBox is not useful.

[socratis]

It kind of sucks that support for VirtualBox is not useful.

This is not a support site, this is a users' forum. If it was a support site, your pocket would be lighter by at least 6100$. That's part one.

Part two is that there is no mechanism, no logic to what you're describing. It doesn't make sense, so we're trying to come up with plausible scenarios. We're throwing ideas to see if anything sticks because either your description is not accurate, or your understanding is not up to par.

That's where we are. If you could revise your description, we could throw some better ideas of what might have happened. Otherwise, we (at least me) are out of ideas.

[Perryg]

I usually don't just jump in to someone else’s topic but I would like to know about the structure if the drives in this guest.

Code: Select all

0:00:01.508490 File system of 'C:\linux\ubuntu-xenial-2Copy.vdi' is ntfs
00:00:01.510428 File system of 'C:\linux\ubuntu-xenial-mnt2.vmdk' is ntfs
00:00:01.512176 File system of 'C:\linux\ubuntu-xenial-2.vdi' is ntfs

This looks highly suspect to me so if you could describe the actual reason and what each of these drives do it may lead to a determination of the cause.

[whatdhack]

One of the drive has the root fs ( ubuntu-xenial-2Copy ), the other 2 are mounted for additional storage. Is there any issues in VirtualBox NTFS support ?

[whatdhack]

socratis, I think you are not adding any value other than trying to be offensive . Let us keep the discussion technical.

[socratis]

socratis, I think you are not adding any value other than trying to be offensive . Let us keep the discussion technical.

Although I appreciate your guidance and advice (not really), you do not get to dictate who has a saying in a user forum. I'm sorry you didn't like my reply, but that's what the facts are. You're either describing it wrong, or you have misunderstood the whole thing. Because from a technical point of view, VirtualBox cannot do what you're describing. And that's a fact, it's not an offensive comment.

Technical #2: I asked you for the "recipe" of the VM, the .vbox file. Still waiting...

Technical #3: VirtualBox does not have issues with NTFS or any other *FS for that matter, because it doesn't deal with filesystems, as much as WesternDigital, Maxtor, Hitachi, Toshiba or Seagate don't have the faintest idea how you're going to use your new hard drive. They deal with the hardware, just like VirtualBox is.

[whatdhack]

socratis, as an expert on virtualbox you can help and guide folks like me in this list who are not experts ( and do not want to be). You could tell me what log and configs you want , and I will get you those rather than making some vague hand wavy demand that I need to provide more details. Your specific request gets drowned in the rest of your verbiage.

The vbox file is attached .

[socratis]

My message was:

@whatdhack
If you boot the VM as is, it boots in the state of February? Is that a "virgin" state?
Right-click on the VM in VirtualBox Manager, Show in Explorer, ZIP the .vbox file and attach it.

I wouldn't called that "drowning in verbiage". It's one of two sentences. I underlined it now to make it easier for you. But you had already figured it out...

And since you're not an expert (neither am I, more of a seasoned user I would say), and you're trying to convince all of us that we're seeing things, don't. Bear with us, listen to what we're saying, give us some slack because we're trying to troubleshoot it from far away based on a single, non-expert, witness account, and I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this. As you said, we're trying to guide you.

Verbiage? Not at all. I told you from the first message, you can't claim something without really specific steps to let us know what happened. As they say "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". And yours is a heck of an "extraordinary" claim.

[Perryg]

I usually don't just jump in to someone else’s topic but I would like to know about the structure if the drives in this guest.

Code: Select all

0:00:01.508490 File system of 'C:\linux\ubuntu-xenial-2Copy.vdi' is ntfs
00:00:01.510428 File system of 'C:\linux\ubuntu-xenial-mnt2.vmdk' is ntfs
00:00:01.512176 File system of 'C:\linux\ubuntu-xenial-2.vdi' is ntfs

This looks highly suspect to me so if you could describe the actual reason and what each of these drives do it may lead to a determination of the cause.

Why the vmdk, was it from another install?
Why the 2Copy, was it original a bootable container?

Please be as detailed about these as you can.

[socratis]

• Since you're at it, please explain a 4th disk that appears in the VM recipe:

  <HardDisk uuid="{94fd...}" location="C:/linux/ubuntu-xenial-2.vdi" format="VDI" type="Normal"/>
  <HardDisk uuid="{4aef...}" location="C:/linux/ubuntu-xenial-mnt2.vmdk" format="VMDK" type="Normal"/>
  <HardDisk uuid="{fd1f...}" location="C:/linux/ubuntu-xenial-16.04-cloudimg.vmdk" format="VMDK" type="Normal"/>
  <HardDisk uuid="{4008...}" location="C:/linux/ubuntu-xenial-2Copy.vdi" format="VDI" type="Normal"/>

• Was the data "lost" from the VM's bootable HD? Or from one of the additional-space ones?
• Are these additional hard drives used exclusively by that VM only? Or are you attaching them to other guests as well?

[whatdhack]

Noticed data loss from the boot disk - ubuntu-xenial-2Copy.vdi . The VM uses these drives exclusively. By the way , the underlying drive is an SSD.