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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!news.wildstar.net!news.ececs.uc.edu!newsfeeds.sol.net!news-xfer.netaxs.com!netaxs.com!grr From: grr@shandakor.tharsis.com (George Robbins) Newsgroups: comp.unix.amiga,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc Subject: Re: tar salvage? Date: 4 Apr 1997 17:36:11 GMT Organization: George's Pet Unix System Lines: 28 Message-ID: <slrn5kaeu3.avt.grr@shandakor.tharsis.com> References: <992.7033T1092T1352@ping.at> NNTP-Posting-Host: robbins.jvnc.net X-Newsreader: slrn (0.9.1.1 BETA UNIX) Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.amiga:15349 comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc:5754 In article <992.7033T1092T1352@ping.at>, Manfred Matzinger wrote: >Hi! > >I had a tape, which contained a 60 MB backup, which was made by >"tar cvf /dev/rst8 /usr2" and overwrote the backup by accidently entering >"tar cvf /dev/rst8 /usr2" when the /usr2 contained only an empty "lost+found" >directory (I wanted to restore the backup to /usr2, but typed the wrong >parameters :-((( ). > >Is it possible in any way to recover parts of the old backup, because I >overwrote only a very small part at the beginning???? I have the contents >of the old archive as text file. It depends a lot on the tape drive. If it's like a real 9-track drive, you can use the mt command to skip past the end-of-file mark into the data for the backup, and then use something like gnutar that will search for the first valid header. I think there's also a "fixtar" program in the comp.*.source archives. If the drive is one of the newer drives that write a special "end of medium" mark after the last data written on the tape and automatically rewinds when you stick in the catridge, there may be no practical way to get past the end of the tiny backup you created into the data you want. -- George Robbins - not working for, work: to be avoided at all costs... but still emotionally attached to: web: http://www.netaxs.com/people/grr Commodore, Engineering Department domain: grr@tharsis.com