problem with Linux and external hardrive

[Roshan_Doon]

hi all!

i just recently saw a tv show about Ubuntu and i thought it was extremely interesting to try; so i did. i created a cd with ubuntu on it and everything was fine; until today. i have a very old Compaq computer which i thought would be cool if i had Linux on it, along with the Windows XP Professional that i have as well. i also have a 320G external hardrive with everything that i could possibly have (using windows) on it; music, vids, files, downloads, programs; everything.

the big problem that i have is, i don't know much about computers, but on the show that i saw with ubuntu, it looked really easy to install linux, and it was, the only thing is i did not do my research properly, and installed linux on my external hardrive; then the problem came.

i booted my computer (with the external hardrive plugged in) and i got an error... i then shutdown and booted my computer without the external hardrive plugged in, and got the same error... so i now have a compaq computer, no windows, no linux... i can only use linux from the cd that i made with the iso image on it. another big problem is, i cannot find any of the information/ files/ folders/ programs that i had on my external hardrive...
are they gone? forever? or is there a way that i can find them? i am confused because... before i installed linux, i had about over 15-17G of data on my external hardrive, and when i check the memory usage now... it still says 15-17G of usage space and about 299G free! that is my only hope in thinking that all of my files are still there... but the only thing i am finding is all of the linux files that were installed...

if there is a way to retrieve my files, can someone please let me know asap? please?

i would be forEVER greatful to you!!

please...

Thanks in advance,

Roshan

[devils casper]

Hi and Welcome !

Did you create separate partition for Linux in External Driver? Boot up from Ubuntu CD, open Terminal and execute this

sudo fdisk -l

Post output here.

* Its small L in fdisk -l.

[Roshan_Doon]

thanks for the reply...

i executed what you told me to execute... but what does that do exactly?

it looked like gibberish to me =S

[devils casper]

sudo fdisk -l lists all available partitions of Harddisk. We can check filesystem of partitions and other necessary information to sort out your problem.

[Roshan_Doon]

hey... i typed it in again and this is what i got

Disk /dev/sda: 15.3 GB, 15307407360 bytes
240 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1977 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15120 * 512 = 7741440 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x22c822c7

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 1976 14938528+ 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0006d07c

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 38726 311066563+ 41 PPC PReP Boot

[devils casper]

Its listing two Harddisks, 15.3GB having one NTFS Partition and 320GB having one PPC PReP Boot partition.
How and why did you create it? PPC partition should not be exceed 10MB but its occupying almost whole disk space of 320GB HD.