Help recovering code from faulty computer

Discovery

My Eee PC laptop computer is used to develop .ide and .cpp programs for a propeller micro controller that runs a factory. Yesterday, the PC encountered a problem and produced a blue screen with white lettering stating that the computer encountered a problem and the machine must be restarted. If the machine does not restart then get the system administrator to check the problem.

The computer restarted fine but when I started Simple IDE, only the Welcome and Blank IDE files were shown. Using the IDE open command produce nothing. There should be about fifteen project files listed but there were none. I searched the computer but could not fine them then I recalled that Simple IDE stores project files in HIDDEN files. Why that is done is beyond me.

I had a software GURU try to open the hidden files but could not do so. He thinks that there may be a difference between Windows 7 Starter that is on the Eee PC as opposed to regular Windows 7.

Do you know how to unlock the HIDDEN files where Simple IDE stores the project files that it generates? This is a major problem for me since it is not possible to make any changes to the factory propeller operating code.

If the problem is Windows 7 Starter, can another version of Windows be downloaded onto the machine and regain full Simple IDE function?

Sincerely,

Discovery

Hal Albach

With Simpleide open, click on Tools, then Properties to see where the Ide is looking for your Workspace location for GCC. In mine it is C:\Users\Admin\Documents. Using File Explorer go to the location show under properties and see if your folders and Files are there.
I'm not sure what you mean by Simpleide using hidden files for your projects.

Heater.

Blue screen, white lettering....

I do hope you have back ups of these important factory running programs.

I don't recall SimpleIDE hiding it's files anywhere.

If you cannot see them or search for them they may well be hosed.

twm47099

I use SimpleIDE on a computer with Windows 7 Starter. My project files are not hidden and can be accessed using windows explorer.

Tom

Discovery

On my machine...when it was running Simple IDE and storing projects it worked fine finding all the projects using OPEN however, a search of the computer for all .cpp files and .ide files showed only the Welcome and Blank files. Since the computer search could not find the files...I was unable to copy them to a thumb drive for safety. Rats.

Discovery

Discovery

Hal,
Following your instructions:

Tool
Properties

Workspace Folder

c:/users/user/documents/simpleIDE/

Shows only the projects that come with the download of SimpleIDE

It appears that all my factory projects are gone or are in another section of the computer not pointed to by this workspace folder address.

This machine has only OPEN OFFICE for file search and manipulation.

Discovery

kwinn

You might try using power shell and try to find the files (dir c:/users/user/documents/simpleIDE/) or cd c:/users/user/documents/simpleIDE/ and then dir .

frank freedman

I would highly recommend doing nothing further with that machine before booting from a knoppix cd and backing up the entire HDD with dd. If there was nothing overwritten yet you may have a chance. Copy the disk image to a backup and work on the second image. If you foul up, copy a new working image and continue from there. Maybe the directory was in another partition windows lost or can not connect to. But make the backup of the machine first. You could also reload the image to that or another similar machine for analysis and a good forensic backup will let you work without causing further damage.

kwinn

Great suggestion Frank. Should be do that first.

Peter Jakacki

Knoppix was perhaps the first live CD but it is pretty old in the tooth these days and practically all the distros are live nowadays. I always carry a Linux Mint imaged onto a USB stick on my keyring, that has gotten a lot of other people out of trouble and I can also install from there as well. CDs are pretty old in the tooth too.

frank freedman

Disclaimer
This is not a why one *nix is better than another, rather why I like to use it.
/Disclaimer.

Agreed Knoppix has been around a while. Currently I use v 7.2 and am about to try 8.x out. Including USB. Thing I like about Knoppix is it was never intended to be a day to day distro. Rather it started life as a rescue tool and its main objective was to be able to look at and configure itself to whatever hardware it found itself on. It has performed remarkably well in this regard and as such is a critical tool in my work. It may not configure all the less than common features of an NVIDIA card, but on a down box, that is not even a consideration. I have yet to be unable to resurrect a system that can at least boot up enough enough to communicate. It also (like any other flavor of *nix) will not execute or propagate Windows malware that I have seen. Further booting independently of installed storage is why I recommended its use in the OP's situation.

Agreed that CD is getting very long in the tooth, but many older systems (remember that medical and military hardware can be significantly older than the curent bleeding edge stuff available now) do not always have the ability to boot from USB, but if there is a CD reader, and nearly always is, then I can work with the CD size version with all my usual rescue and analysis tools at hand. Version 8.1 has the CD image on the DVD iso which as before can be put into a USB drive. USB is better when available for sure due to increased speed and having a section on it for writable storage, something the CD can not do. (Important when trying to save logs and configuration files on a down system).

Oh, my day to day desktop is Mint 18.2_x64. BST works quite well for me in that environment. Wish we had the source for that!

Disclaimer
This is not a why one *nix is better than another, rather why I like to use it.
/Disclaimer.

Peter Jakacki

@frank - sorry, it wasn't meant as one is better than the other it's just I can't see any advantage in using a less than current although well known linux and mint has proven to be very useful. I too use LM18.3 and BST because you can't beat the proper listing it produces which enables me to position sections optimally for the Tachyon kernel. Brad Campbell! Where are you! Pity though about the QT interface, some parts of it don't always scale well on HiDPI on my 4K laptop.

Actually I just installed LM18 on my sister's laptop which is a few years old (maybe even 7) but in good condition although it only has 2GB of RAM and Win7. It was slowly dying, and dying is what it had been doing, very slowly. Even the USB Mobile Broadband Modem for her Internet took quite a well to connect etc. Now it all runs like a dream and she is very happy as it has all the latest, runs all the latest (LibreOffice, FF Quantum etc).

Discovery

Peter and Frank,

You guys talk a language that no one here at the company understands. We don't have the tools nor the expertise to tackle this job. We expect computers to do their job every single time and not morph into something else. When I reach into my tool kit and extract a 3/4" box wrench...I expect it to fit onto a 3/4" bolt every single time.

My factory needs a set point change to track a changing parameter but right now the propeller is running a complex program perfectly. I look at the system working perfectly and wonder...this is really not good!

I would be pleased to no end if either of you would receive my little Eee PC in the mail, run your tools on it, and hopefully restore it to full operating function. I imagine that you may not have the time or interest in doing so but I am really in a deep quagmire here.

Sincerely,
Discovery

Shawn Lowe

Discovery-
While I totally understand your POV, creating a live USB disk and using it to boot my desktop when the hard drive went KAPUT! was in my opinion a very valuable lesson in computers and recovery tools. I would recommend trying to create a live USB CD and booting your laptop from it. Peter lives in Australia, so i'm not sure you would want to mail it to him due to transit times (though he is a person of great expertise). I am unsure of where frank works/lives.


Shawn

RS_Jim

Last I heard, frank was in the Phoenix area.
Jim

frank freedman

Frank lives in Phoenix,Az. In no way shape or manner would I recommend sending out your eepc to anyone without making at least a forensic backup. That device is the only possible location of your files. I don't know the storage capacity of this device, but here is what you should immediately do
1. Download knoppix 7.2 (not the Adrienne version) and burn the iso to cd using someones Linux machine or another windows machine; Power2Go from cyber link does this very well. If you know someone who can install knoppix to USB stick if the eepc can boot it then good.
If you do not have a CD reader in the laptop, plug in a USB hub if you only have one. Then plug in an external cd reader (or Bootable USB image)

2. Turn on and boot from external CD or USB

3 Once you are booted up, type in the following:
dmesg | grep sd <

---

case sensitive, should read lowercase sd.
Then hit enter look for lines with sda, sda1, sdb etc. Your hard disk is likely sda, sda1 is the first partition.

4 plug in external USB HDD larger than the storage capacity of your eepc, (Costco, Frys, Best buy or wherever) usually has these cheap).

Do step 3 again and if it originally found sda, you will probably see sdb is there if so you are good for the next step.

This next step is the MOST CRITICAL step, copying the eepc. If you have someone who can help you with I highly recommend it.

5 run the following command:

dd if=/dev/sda of=/dev/sdb bs=8192

Alternatively, if the external drive shows up as a formatted drive, you can use

dd if=/dev/sda of=/(whatever directory the external drive mounted as)/eepc_backup bs=8192

The first variant will cause the external drive to look logically identical to the storage in the eepc, the second variant will create an image file on the external drive that can be restored to any drive large enough using the same dd command.

dd command takes an input if= source and of= means destination, the bs is block size 8192 bytes per block is significantly faster than the default.

If you are in any way unsure you can do this, get help from someone who has done this. Reversing the dd command parameters can wipe out everything. Consider a local reputable professional recovery service at least for this step if not file recovery.

Once the image is created I would be willing to work on a copy of it with the caveat that it would be best efforts, no guarantee of outcome beyond the return of the copy on whatever medium it is sent on. Full confidentiality would apply of course. Pretty much what a recovery service will also likely offer. But again get an assist with making the initial forensic copy. The second variant is the easiest result to work with since the image is in the form of a normal file. It can be copied over and over to another drive or machine so the initial copy is never altered an in both variants, the original machine is undisturbed and can be copied again if you somehow damage the master copy.

Good luck.

Fr a nk

PM for other information if needed.

Discovery

Ugh...

Discovery

Heater.

Discovery,

You guys talk a language that no one here at the company understands. We don't have the tools nor the expertise to tackle this job. We expect computers to do their job every single time and not morph into something else. When I reach into my tool kit and extract a 3/4" box wrench...I expect it to fit onto a 3/4" bolt every single time.

I do understand your problem and frustration.

On the other hand, sorry to say, I have no sympathy.

Tools do break. All the time. Even 3/4" box wrenches. When they do, if your business depends on it, your know how to replace the tool or work around the problem.

Computers have been in the tool box of the common man and businesses for four decades now. That is probably your whole working life. Certainly mine.

As such we should all know how fragile computers are. And take precautions in case of the inevitable failure. Which mostly is a simple case of making backups of the important stuff.

I'm curious. Who created this Propeller software on which your factory depends? Presumably they have backups.

Peter Jakacki

I would just boot off an LM18 USB stick since these small notebooks don't have CDs, and let it load up to the GUI. First thing I would do is simply look at the faulty drive through the GUI file manager. Can you locate your files? No matter, plug in another USB stick and drag all the files across from the faulty drive onto it. You are not trying to repair or clone the original drive, simply trying to find your old files that Windoze "won't" help you with.

Do that first, nothing complicated, just the simple basics. But for goodness sake, the year is 2017, not 1917, learn not only how to use a PC to talk on the forum, learn how to fix simple things much like you might change a tire or a flat battery on you car. You don't have to be a mechanic, just learn the basics. Download a copy of LM18, install it on any PC so that it might dual-boot with Windows etc and become familiar with it. From there it is very easy to create USB sticks as well using USB Image Writer although you should be able to do that on any Windows machine too for that matter. Remember, you are on the forum here, we don't take ignorance as an excuse to finding out and doing more.

Discovery

Heater,
I wrote the propeller code.

The Eee PC came with Windows 10 operating system and with a small screen the touch screen was very difficult to use so I had a Windows 7 shell installed. I did not install it but it worked well enough with the problem that when SimpleIDE saved my projects those files could not be found for copying to a back up. So, periodically I generated a hard copy as the back up. Something must have happened at the Windows level to hide the files since a search on all .ide and .cpp files produced only the original downloaded Welcome and Blank files.

By contacting the forum, I was hoping that this situation was found before and a simple fix could be implemented. Apparently this has never happened before and it will take a mechanic to ferret out the problem...if the problem is there to be found. Peter...thanks for your insight.

Discovery

mikeologist

Discovery wrote: »

Apparently this has never happened before and it will take a mechanic to ferret out the problem...if the problem is there to be found.

Every problem has a cause, but not every problem has a reasonable solution.
Given the cost of your netbook device taking it to a mechanic might cost more than a current replacement.
Any modern Atom Win10 tablet should do the job that you've described.

Setting up SimpleIDE on the new machine and transferring your files should both be tasks that you are capable of.

I know it sounds like a massive overreaction but in the end it may prove to be that fastest, easiest, and longest lasting solution.

Just my two cents

Discovery

Oh,

I just noticed that in the SimpleIDE Tools/Properties the work space address is:
c:/users/user/documents/SimpleIDE/

But looking at the PC's c:/users/user/ there is no "documents" file but there is a "My Documents" file and the downloaded SimpleIDE files are there. The "documents" folder is missing and that is where SimpleIDE put my projects.

Apparently, when the PC encountered a problem and shutdown...giving a blue screen and restart instructions, the "documents" file was removed from the user listing.

Discovery

David Betz

Discovery wrote: »

So, periodically I generated a hard copy as the back up.

So I guess there is no real problem. You just need to type in the most recent hard copy of the code and build it again with SimpleIDE.

frank freedman

@mikeologist, the issue is not the cost of a replacement pc. That is likely less than a fraction of the cost should a process in the factory take an unexpected and at this point unrecoverable dump. That is the current situation of the OP. I recently lost a drive, mostly collected digital dandruff, but it did set me back on a couple projects and occasionally find something I wished I had. But for the most part nothing really more than an annoyance. Figured I could back it up anytime, yeah, I'll get around to it...... But not in time.Boo Hoo, and after all the classes I have taught where I even recommend back ups because YOUR HDD WILL DIE. I got complacent.

Our OP on the other hand should have had the sense to seek out the knowledge to protect his business as soon as it became a non-trival enterprise. Now, he is on pins and needles because when the first digital woodpecker comes along the factory will not function properly for a while. Question is can it survive the downtime? Guess he had better replace his pc and start typing and testing while hoping he did not make changes later than the contents of his shoe-box backup method. Hopefully this is as close to a company of one so that others are not hurt by this event. So really, it comes down to the exposure in event of a failure, balanced against the cost of hiring a computer recovery team to get the code or risking failure while typing everything in and retesting everything ahead of the woodpeckers arrival. Guess he's gonna be a good bit more responsible protecting his business the future.

macca

Discovery wrote: »

The Eee PC came with Windows 10 operating system and with a small screen the touch screen was very difficult to use so I had a Windows 7 shell installed. I did not install it but it worked well enough with the problem that when SimpleIDE saved my projects those files could not be found for copying to a back up. So, periodically I generated a hard copy as the back up. Something must have happened at the Windows level to hide the files since a search on all .ide and .cpp files produced only the original downloaded Welcome and Blank files.

Just few toughts about your problem:

Windows 7 loves to hide things to the user, that's not related to SimpleIDE, it is an OS-wide "feature", I had to fight with that few days ago. There should be an option in File Explorer to see all hidden folders but seems that doesn't always work.

Anyway, when you open the command line prompt you should be in your C:\Users\Yourname folder, try to "cd AppData", this folder is hidden, if you try to look at it with dir you can't see it but is there and accessible by changing to it. Inside that folder you should have some directories named Local, LocalData and Roaming, inside one of these directories you may find the files your are missing. I don't know why SimpleIDE can't find them anymore, it is possible that it was installed a bit differently and the things are changed, for example programs installed in the usual C:\Program Files folder often store user data under AppData in the user's folder. I got tired of fighting with Windows years ago so I'm not sure about the rules.

If you search with Google how to access AppData hidden folders you may find some more answers on that subject.

Hope you can fix your problem, and always backup your valuabe data!!!

Discovery

Macca,
Thank you for this information. I will follow up on it.

One more thing I noticed about the Eee PC: It ran for years with no problem except for apparently random resets of the propeller micro controller. A Forum solution was to insert a switch in the /reset line to the propeller. Close the switch for downloading programs then open the switch for normal running. There was no problem closing the switch and downloading the propeller program with set point changes then opening the switch for running ops. Everything worked for about two weeks when the PC encountered a problem and shutdown. Now, what I found was that, with the computer removed from the factory and placed in the shop, the PC would recognize a thumb drive inserted into the USB port and the files could be viewed; however, when I looked at the PC directories the thumb drive did not show up. Usually the drive shows as drive f or g. When I went to remove the drive using the safe power down icon...the thumb drive was not listed.

My thought is that Windows periodically checks the USB ports. I do not know this to be true...I rely on expert Gurus to know the answer. If the disconnection of the /reset line out of the PropPlug interferes with Windows checking the USB port, tries a gazillon times to verify the connection then identifies it as a problem, shuts down, and causes havoc...that matches the conditions quite well.

Since no one has encountered this problem before...there are no statistics for its occurrence. Thinking a bit further, I will take the PC to a Guru to fix the USB port problem then download SimpleIDE again from the Website and hopefully, SimpleIDE will make the connection to the "documents" folder if it really exists.

Sincerely,

Discovery

Electrodude

"My Documents" and "Documents" are the same thing. SimpleIDE is correct in thinking it's in "Documents", because that's what the directory is really called internally. Windows tries to display it as being called "My Documents" wherever possible, which is annoying and stupid.

Discovery

Electrodude,

Thank you for the information...didn't know that.

Discovery

msrobots

is it maybe possible that the username changed?

just in case log in as administrator, then you can access all user folders. Could be in another folder then now.

Mike

Genetix

Discovery,

Have you tried using "Safe Mode"?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode

Discovery

msrobots,
There is no username entry for this machine. The computer was stripped down by a Guru so that it has no automatic features, no daylight savings, no Internet, no nothing. Open Office is the Operating System.

It ran this way for over a year with no problems. The design requirement was to make the laptop as simple as possible so that nothing would interrupt the operating program.

Genetix,
No, I have not.

Discovery