sony hdd sr30 recover deleted videos - testdisk

So anyway, when hiking up Errigal with Daire and Conor and Casey I made some videos. And ran out of space on the HDD. Wayyy back in the spring when we burned DVDs of everything in camera we didn't format the HDD and clear everything off as we were using the camera to show people the vids. Since then on occasion we have to manually clear out older videos to make space. You can delete video by video or "delete date" or "delete all". Now the wind was blowing quite hard, we were on the steepest bit and the lads were getting a bit ahead of me and somehow "DELETE ALL" was hit.
Excellent interface by the way sony HDD DCR-SR30 otherwise but no "are you sure you want to delete ALL your videos you eejit?" on the "delete all" option. Wahh! OFF! OFF! Nope no off so I clicked off the battery.
Battery back in and after a period of "recovering disk - do not vibrate camera" (while smoothly running up Errigal!) something seemed to be left. One date left besides Errigal (didn't notice it was only one date at the time. I legged it to catch up with the boys so at least if they got blown off down the steep side of the mountain I could tell their parents I saw them (AND maybe even get a video of it!!!!)

Now at home I see AUGH! We've lost a couple of months :(

http://www.google.ie/search?q=sony+hdd+recover+deleted+videos
Lots of stuff but maybe unreliable, costs money.
But then I see a reference to testdisk. (with a good report of other options tried)
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=5857136
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TestDisk
http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

http://www.google.ie/search?q=sony+hdd+partition+type+testdisk
testdisk docs: it detects type automatically => intel

Excellent, open source and free and yes :) browser showing deleted files, can copy them off at least.

Now first to burn CD of existing videos.
Two bum CDs now though !? wtf?
... http://www.ainotenshi.org/2008/07/10/infrarecorder-free-open-source-cddvd-burning-solution-for-windows/
http://infrarecorder.sourceforge.net/
Hmmm. Well testdisk can recover the dvd files ...
InfraRecord "fixating" the disk seems to do the trick.
... or ... ? The 1st corrupt CD is now magically ... not ... corrupt?
Hmfff.


Waiting for this ....

PhotoRec 6.10, Data Recovery Utility, July 2008
Christophe GRENIER 
http://www.cgsecurity.org

Disk /dev/sdc - 30 GB / 27 GiB (RO) - Sony Camcorder
     Partition                  Start        End    Size in sectors
 1 P FAT32 LBA                0   1  1  3647 252 61   58604929 [NO NAME]


Pass 1 - Reading sector   12730626/58604929, 1 files found
Elapsed time 0h03m33s - Estimated time for achievement 0h12m47
mpg: 1 recovered

EDIT: testdisk rocks! :)
Sony HDD disk is familiar FAT32 and just copied manually testdisk deleted videos to PC. A few were corrupt but recovered months and months (>2 DVDs worth). whew!

thoughts on using svn (and branching/merging)

Posted here: http://subversion.tigris.org/servlets/ReadMsg?listName=users&msgNo=79884

We (and I) used cvs a good bit in past.
With the move to subversion many things are the same or very similar.
It is a good move I think.

The svn backend/database is better IMHO. I did on occasion see some corruption with cvs but
svn is more solid and access methods are more scalable/easier (usually http).

Merging/branching ... :)
We used branches cautiously on cvs for some things.
After moving to svn we're now mostly using branches for all changes, ... larger distributed
development team. BUT you then also have to make time/resources for more testing and merging.

Best practice for branches for both cvs and svn is to rebranch regularily and merge
regularily also (when you can). That is VERY IMPORTANT! Merging lots of code that has changed
in the same area gets complicated very quickly, even with simple changes. You can get merge editors
that help you with this a little but best practice is to minimize merge conflicts.
I believe some tools (git) can do magical things with merges, but I have no experience with that.

We use branches extensively on large projects and it is a good system.
If we didn't use branches users work would conflict with each other more.
If you can have smaller projects with very tight teams and very good communication you can
work without isolating features on branches. You have to figure out how your company/teams
can work best. We build all platforms and regression test projects before branch merges to trunk.

With svn 1.5 and merge tracking (and I believe more coming in future?) things should get a bit
easier. We use tools to help us manage branches. To figure out the correct merge commands (what
revision number of last rebranch and currect revision number ....)
We use Trac for bug/ticketing, managing branches and integrated view of svn.

There are some other ~messy~ things that trip up users with merging.
I don't think I can cover everything but:
* rebranching or merging, if a user does something wrong they can make a bit of a mess
and need someone that really knows svn and revisions to recover from the mess.
Some svn error reports or behaviour doesn't help
* e.g. if user runs a merge command in wrong directory!
(they might see lots of "skipped" warning messages but think they did the correct thing
* if dirs are deleted in svn,
often users local copy has unversioned files (e.g. left over from testing and building) in
dirs, svn up or merge is cautious and will not remove unversioned items so commands can fail
and puzzle users.
This is also problem for svn switch.
* for large projects users over a slower connection some commands will sometimes timeout/fail
it is possible to resume svn command but sometimes svn cleanup is needed

One thing lost from cvs is your commit log.
It's not lost really. Commit log messages are still on ticket branch at those old revisions which
you merged. But on trunk (or parent branch) you only see the merge log message.
Pity because svn blame or svn praise listings are also less useful.

Tagging is different - people seem to not understand it initially and think that cvs has better
tagging. But actually svn has better tagging, every native svn revision number is a tag.
It's easy to have a tags directory.

For users off-site over slow links if you have a large svn repository you have to consider
time taken to checkout or merge or ... You can use svn switch and clean copy of svn to switch from
to make getting a new branch faster. It is better if svn status -u and other commands are fast
so users check carefully what actions they take before running them.

motorbike puncture

eep! After up work on computer merges, emails kick off more stuff.
Then breakfast, shower, girls breakfast/lunch.
Out to motorbike and it has a puncture again!
Hello to new next-door neighbours.

Ohhh. Nearly decide to cycle. But will have to get it fixed sometime. Merges running ... so have some time SO I head to Maxol for temporary plug and decide to get it to motorbike shop in town. Och also despite trickle charging in night won't start (last time used last Friday - cycled to work Mon & Tue). Free-wheeling down hill not easy with flat tyre. I get off & run beside & get engine going. At Maxol get warm inside motorbike clothes (Park up, hello, wheel over, inflate SSSSSSssssssssssss, yep, same hole, looks like some of plug leaked out and smeared across wheel. How? Not sure. Wheel it back, plugged. Back over, inflate. Yay. Looks good. Won't start again though. Phoo. Run with bike again. VRMMMM. Then back over, gear on and head away.)

Into town Drummartin link - right beside Dodder at Clonskeagh, left at RDS, right at the schoolhouse, left ... ask at car tyre repair place and he sends me around a couple of corners to Ken in bike shop. Can get new tyre 130 euros. Tomorrow. First says plugging is grand, there's life in the tyre ... but I might save me some time.

On to work. Phoo need coffee and the guys are making some and kindly include me.

Then mostly merging, checking tests, fixing builds, some emails in day.

svn merge testing

Work from home wed.

Very very busy in work.
* Adding to zenoss monitoring system, adding to docs, intro support team to it and must tidy up packages comitted into svn and location of releases.
* Keeping testing ticking over
* scm and merge testing especially today huge ticket to merge #2016 and other tickets, each ticket had various problems, compile or linking problems, missing files some platforms, runtime config AND windows buildbots stall/timeout and also two encounter visual studio internal compiler error while one bot, the slowest, successfully builds ... eventually.

Break from work for tea and girls bedtime.
Fionn goes shopping so me back to work.
But I take a break and do this: http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?23273#comment4

Index: remake.c
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/make/make/remake.c,v
retrieving revision 1.137
diff -u -r1.137 remake.c
--- remake.c 5 Nov 2007 14:15:20 -0000 1.137
+++ remake.c 9 Jul 2008 16:58:29 -0000
@@ -353,6 +353,13 @@

if (!keep_going_flag)
{
+      // bug #23273: http://xkcd.com/149/ 
+      if (!strncmp ("me", file->name, 3))
+ if (getuid())
+   fputs ("What? Make it yourself.\n", stderr), die (2);
+        else
+   fputs ("Okay.\n", stderr), die (2);
+
if (file->parent == 0)
fatal (NILF, msg_noparent, "", file->name, ""); 

That's been in my head ever since I saw it on make bugs mailing list.
Maybe I can stop thinking about it now :)

Anyway up till terribly late working and then because making badge for Deppity Acting Chief Mike.
Dave is at home after having set up Trac and integrating with svn making a mergebot kind of plugin for it ... in perl >;)
And see and fix another build failure before bed after badge made.

Up at 8 in morning and YAY! #2016 good to merge. merge.
Then rebranch Dave and Paul's tickets.
Both have conflicts, also on .sln files. Send email, start tests on other tickets for merge later....

Walks in South Dublin hills, Dublin Mountain Initiative

Weekend before last I walked up by hellfire club, Massey's wood and then up further in woods and hills near there with Martin and friends.

On Sunday Fionnuala showed me the walk up to the Blue light. We put trailgators on both our bikes. Kate with Fionnuala and Maeve with me. Cycled to bottom then climbed up. Had fruit at the top outside small houses with lots of interesting statues outside. Met some horses (had an apple core to give one), met lady in sweet shop, had a guinness for me :) and then back down.

Lashed rain in morning but lovely and sunny for us.
Midedle of path had mud & leaves washed cleanly away.
Up near top at boggy place a spring was welling up, looked like maybe a big pool would form if someone stood in the wrong place.

The Dublin Mountains Initiative gave a talk at the Green Party meeting.
Very interesting. Had seen DMI before and liked the ideas alot. Impressed with the list of organisations they're affiliated with but it makes sense really. Woah. 45000 associated members :). I think DMI are providing the vision and it looks like they've also got coilte, the county councils and parks & wildlife all on board. Things also seem to be moving forward. Initial reports done and now a study area is formed in places extending to the National park. The ideas on rambler buses sound excellent.
http://dublinmountains.ie/ Maybe less cars will invade the area and more people enjoying the outdoors :-)
Hopefully this will also benefit the locals!
The walk in the hills was lovely but somehow it is always a bit annoying to drive to the walk.
And then if walking and have to go on road you have to watch out.

planning ideas, provide simple social areas/spaces/facilities

We have loads of space really in our estate.
Nice big green area.
Some of it wooded/bushes, lots of grass.
Paths and coming a transformation of old tennis courts into MUGA.
We're very lucky.
Luas is coming very close soon as well.
Very very lucky.

But things could be better with some simple changes.

Everyone with gardens needs to get rid of green waste.
We have a very awkward corner with a pile of clippings/rotting plant material.
An area for green waste would be useful for everyone on any estate with gardens.

Common facilities for recycling and composting can save space needed by every house or apartment.
Garden and allotment space for apartments especially release green-fingered urban dwellers from urban stress for a time.

We're lucky to have an active residents association http://lhra.info
Good contact is maintained with the council (the parks dept, roads, ...).
Meetings are held in people's houses or local pubs.
Equipment is stored in various people's houses and sheds. (Gazebos for outdoor days, soccer goals, tools, ...)
Any estate or apartment complex could easily have communal meeting and storage areas.
As well as residents groups using these it can provide a space for any local games or music or sports or whatever clubs to both meet and to store equipment.

On the continent in Germany some apartment complexes have useful communal areas.
With space for meetings or parties, space for storage and shared facilities - clothes laundring, shared heating systems, ...

Apartment living can especially be more restricted and some communal space can really increase the possibilities people have for doing many activities - whether it be doing some laundry, DIY, holding a toddler or 60th birthday party or simply storing bikes/tents/canoes/...

If we expect some communal space to be provided in housing estates and especially apartment complexes and if we start asking for or demanding the space (are there any empty apartments built unattractively below ground level that are unoccupied and could be converted? :-) :-P) Then we can give ourselves the space and freedom to do many things.

Am I making sense here?
Please tell everyone! :)
If you have opportunity to give input into planning then as a point suggest that communal utility, meeting and storage areas should be provided. Retro-fitting shared facilities is more difficult than having them up front. So consider laundry, heating.