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i tried to install again Ubuntu in the Windows host OS via the VB after i realized that Ubuntu was not accessible any more. While trying to create a new machine for Ubuntu and mounting as virtual drive the existing .VDI file ( so that hopefully i can reach to the data saved in the previuos Ubuntu virtual machine ) i have to make a choise of Installation type: should i choose ''Erase disk and install Ubuntu'' as i did initially when i installed the former Ubuntu, or one of the other choises, if so which one ?

''Erase'' might eventually mean to erase the existing .VDI file of the former Ubuntu machine, which i precisely want to recover ! So which one of the four Installation types should i select ?

Thanks for any help.

user249018
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  • Won't this question achieve what you want? https://askubuntu.com/questions/425518/recover-files-from-a-broken-virtualbox-machine-vdi?rq=1 – Ben Hillier Oct 04 '17 at 08:18
  • Thanks. I am not quite sure if it is about the same or similar subject. The link seems to handle and deal with some more complex questions. At the other side i have no experience with VB. I therefore posted the question in order to avoid any inappropriate action. – user249018 Oct 04 '17 at 09:12

1 Answers1

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To distil Ben Hiller's link:

Don't install at all to the disk you want to recover.

  • Create a new VM with a lightweight Ubuntu (eg. lubuntu)
  • Create a new VDI for that VM
  • Install to the new VDI
  • Through the Storage tab of your new VM's settings add(+) a new harddrive
  • select 'use existing disk'
  • navigate to your difficult VDI and select it

  • In your new VM, Ctl-Alt T to open a terminal and issue

    $ sudo mkdir /mnt/difficultdrive
    $ sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/difficultdrive

You should be able then to access your difficult drive.

To confirm that your added drive is at /dev/sdb1 :

ls -l /dev | grep sd

You should see something like 

brw-rw----  1 root    disk      8,   0 Oct  3 06:06 sda
brw-rw----  1 root    disk      8,   1 Oct  3 06:06 sda1
brw-rw----  1 root    disk      8,   0 Oct  3 06:06 sdb
brw-rw----  1 root    disk      8,   1 Oct  3 06:06 sdb1

Note that last line.

Stephen Boston
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