Getting old files off dead Vortexbox

[Transporter]

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Need suggestions from one of the Linux Gurus. Here is what I have:

Older VBA with dead motherboard that was a single drive system with OS and Data on same drive.
What I need:

I need to get some music files off the old hard drive.
Solutions:

Am I better off finding a donor motherboard that will boot using the old drive OR
installing the drive in one of my newer Servers in an open drive bay?

Suggest?
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[bart]

Transporter,

Did you try an external hdd case ?
Convert an Old Hard Drive into an External Unit

I use these with old harddrives... as a backup of the files on deceased laptop's and pc's (windows),

cheers
/bart

[brubacca]

Will your other servers recognize a Linux Filesystem? Are they other VOrtexbox computers? Really it just depends on you Linux knowledge and other systems available. What do you have to work with?

[Transporter]

Will your other servers recognize a Linux Filesystem? Are they other VOrtexbox computers? Really it just depends on you Linux knowledge and other systems available. What do you have to work with?

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Linux knowledge is the biggest issue, I am not afraid to use the CMD Line, the problem is I only know basics which means I need CMD Instructions to use. I do most of my file maintenance and transfers over the Network by using a Windows 8 Laptop on the Network so I can just delete or drag and drop files VIA Samba and Explorer. As for hardware, I have a VBA 2.4 Server just for Movies with an SSD OS drive and five fully spanned 6TB hard drives (Dell Office 6 Drive Bay Server). The Windows Laptop and a Macbook Pro. A VBA 2.4 Music Server with USB Thumb drive boot on the MB with four spanned 8TB hard drives (no RAID on any Server as I need almost all the space for FLAC or Movies). Since posting this thread, the Server at the beach house kept crashing so I just replaced it yesterday with an HP Prolaint Mini Server running VBA 2.4 (which is still here at home). It has an SSD OS drive in bay 0, 12TB Seagate in bay 1, and 12TB Seagate in bay 2 leaving bay 3 currently open.

If I mount the old hard drive in Bay 3, the Server should still boot off the SSD in bay 0 even though the old drive was from a single drive system with IIRC VBA 1.8 or 1.9 OS and Files on same drive IE it was a boot drive? If it only boots off the SSD drive, what commands would I need to use to make the old drive reachable/recognized in the new server and on the Network as that would allow me to use the Windows Laptop to just drag and drop the files.

From the previous suggestion, I was considering getting the $19.95 USB SATA enclosure from MicroCenter and just attaching it to one of the VBA Servers.

Thoughts?

[brubacca]

I think the key here is the windows 8 laptop or at least how I would handle it. I like the external enclosure idea. I don't think that Windows 8 will read that Linux drive directly (could be wrong, I'm on Win 7). I would try this and not worry if it doesn't work. If it doesn't I'd download the latest Ubuntu and create a bootable USB or DVD from it. Boot the Win 8 laptop to the Live CD (DO Not install it). This will give you the opportunity to try Ubuntu in its graphical enviroment (like windows). Attach the external VortexBox Drive, it should automount in Ubuntu. Now just copy it across the network to one of your servers.

Alternatively maybe the MAC Book can directly access the Linux File System? Don't know this one. I personally wouldn't add the existing drive to an existing array. In fact, I'd investigate this MacBook angle first.

Your systems are much more complicated than mine. Sorry that's all I've got.

[Transporter]

Back in 2010 while our daughter was back at home while finishing up her Masters, she kept getting on bad sites and opening spam/viruses on my Windows Desktop. So I build a Ubuntu machine with 10.04 Lynx and put Open Office on it for her and all my Windows problems went away. I think I still have that old E Machine PC either in a closet or in the garage someplace. Think I will pick up the drive enclosure tomorrow and hunt down the Ubuntu machine this weekend. That way I can use the Windows laptop to monitor what is going on between the two boxes. Was there an issue with Samba in Ubuntu 10.04, I remember having hell trying to move files or acquire permissions or something back then? I think the E machine is to outdated for current Ubuntu distros.

[brubacca]

Ubuntu is up to ver 18. The graphical environment is the problem for old machines. Check out the varients with xfce or lxde window systems. Xubuntu or ??? They are both for old low spec machines.

if it makes you feel better I am running the latest Ubuntu on a netbook from 2009. Its a low spec dual core with 4gb ram.

[Wirrunna]

Disclaimer - I am not a Linux guru!!!

If you have a working Vortexbox with a spare SATA port then you should be able to rescue the files by attaching the disk, identifying the partition with the data, mounting that partition and then use WinSCP on your windows box to copy the files back to your windows box and then to wherever you want them.

The procedure would be something like I used in this -

http://vortexbox.org/forum/vortexbox/beta-development/64016-quick-dirty-upgrade-a-vb2-3-to-2-4-multi-disk-install-using-a-2-5-drive-as-system

Steps -
1. list the disks by uuid on your VBox
[root@vortexbox ~]# ls -l /dev/disk/by-uuid
and note the devices - sda,sdb etc .

also list the disks using fdisk
[root@vortexbox ~]# fdisk -l
and note them down

2. power off, attach the old drive and power back on and run the command again
[root@vortexbox ~]# ls -l /dev/disk/by-uuid
there should be another device or two, and if the old disk was a vortexbox system disk there should be a dm-1 for the old VBox data.

3. Edit /etc/fstab in the same way I did in the quick and dirty upgrade, but call it oldstorage to avoid having two mounts with the same name

4. reboot

5. list the disks
[root@vortexbox ~]# fdisk -l

In WinScp on your windows box you should be able to access /oldstorage and get your files.

Good luck.

[Transporter]

Ubuntu is up to ver 18. The graphical environment is the problem for old machines. Check out the varients with xfce or lxde window systems. Xubuntu or ??? They are both for old low spec machines.

if it makes you feel better I am running the latest Ubuntu on a netbook from 2009. Its a low spec dual core with 4gb ram.

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OK, so I bought a SATA to USB adapter plus another one of my neighbors saw what I had at the pool over the weekend on Saturday so he bought a $89 Lenovo of lease refurb today and wants me to build him a VBA from it and he picked up his RPi at Fry's and ordered a HiFiBerry DAC HAT. Long story short, I loaded Ubuntu Live 18.04 onto the Lenovo and have it looking at the old drive. What is strange is that Files can only see the OS Partition on the old drive plus the Lenovo Drive. But when I drop into terminal and run Sudo fdisk -l I see the old drive as /sdb1 and /sdb2 and all the space is accounted for. Why doesn't Files see /sdb2 and my /storage/music/flac? Is this a permissions issue for Files as I had to use sudo fdisk to finally see /sdb2?

And now for a different problem. My Mac can see my Vortexbox (both of them just fine), my Windows 8.1 Laptop can see both Vortexboxes, but neither can see each other and neither can see the Lenovo. I am about to think that Wirrunna has the only solution I can make this work with.
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[Transporter]

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Problem solved with "a little help from my friends" with the suggestions about hardware and a big hat tip to Andrew for pointing me in the correct direction on Command Line Commands. This is worth putting in the Wiki so I will write it up and post it (instead of boring everybody in a long winded post here).

One thing I will cover though is that it was OK to install a second bootable drive in the server, just make sure to is a far from the main boot drive SATA 0 as possible SATA 3 or SATA 5 depending on a 4 or 6 drive Server so the Server boots off its normal boot drive.
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