R-Linux Tutorial: Recovering Files from Damaged or Corrupted Disks

How to Use R-Linux to Restore Partitions on Ext4 and NTFS

Overview

R-Linux is primarily designed for recovering files from Ext2/Ext3/Ext4 file systems. It can scan drives, detect previously existing partitions, and recover files from found partitions. For NTFS recovery, R-Studio (commercial sibling) is recommended; R-Linux’s Windows build may detect NTFS images but has limited NTFS support compared with R-Studio.

Preparation (do these first)

1. Stop using the affected disk — avoid writes to prevent overwriting data.
2. Work from another system or use a live Linux USB so the target disk stays read-only.
3. Attach a separate destination drive with enough free space to store recovered files (never recover to the same disk).
4. Create a disk image (recommended if the disk is failing):
   • Use R-Linux: Tools → Create Image of disk (or use ddrescue: sudo ddrescue -f -n /dev/sdX imagefile.img mapfile).

Step-by-step: Scan for lost partitions and recover (Ext4)

1. Open R-Linux and select the physical disk or image file.
2. Click “Scan” (or “Scan for Partitions”). Choose default parameters first; enable Deep/Intelligent scan if the partition table is badly damaged.
3. Wait for scan to finish — R-Linux will list found partitions and file system structures.
4. Inspect found partitions: expand each to preview folders/files. Use the built-in preview for critical files.
5. Mark the partition or individual files/folders you want to recover.
6. Click “Recover” (or right-click → Recover). Choose the external destination drive/folder.
7. Monitor recovery; verify recovered files on the destination.

Notes for NTFS

• R-Linux is not optimized for NTFS partition reconstruction. For NTFS partitions use R-Studio or other NTFS-focused tools (TestDisk for partition table recovery; PhotoRec for file carving).
• If you only have R-Linux, create a full disk image then process the image in Windows with R-Studio or TestDisk for better NTFS recovery.

Useful options & tips

• File type (RAW) recovery: enable file signature scanning if file system metadata is badly damaged — recovers by file type but loses original filenames/paths.
• Save session/project: if available, save scan results to avoid re-scanning large disks.
• Avoid writing to source disk. Always recover to a separate drive.
• Bad sectors: create an image first and work from the image to avoid further damage.
• Compare previews before full recovery to prioritize important files.

When to seek professional help

• Disk shows mechanical/physical failure (clicking, very high SMART reallocated sectors).
• Critical enterprise data or complex RAID/LVM setups.
• Multiple failed recovery attempts or if recovered data is corrupt.

Quick command alternatives (Linux native tools)

• TestDisk — recover lost partitions and repair partition tables.
• photorec — file carving for many file types (no filenames).
• extundelete / ext4magic — undelete specific files on Ext4 when metadata remains.

If you want, I can provide a concise recovery checklist you can follow at the console (commands for imaging with ddrescue, TestDisk steps, or R-Linux menu sequence).