Need to copy my iuser files without booting to my system(Im plugging my hdd as a usb)

[br_prashant]

I was running my laptop with XP and open suse 11.0 .
It had two partitions in NTFS and three in ext3.. The NTFS was for Windows. The three ext3 partitions were for the /root , /home and /usr folders.
Dont ask why i gave a partiton for /usr.. there was no reason and somhow i dint bother to change it later.

All of a sudden i csee that my computer does not boot. I check my ram , my batterey , my bios batt.. it plainly does not boot. My hard disk data is fine. The display is blank and even when i connect an external o/p its useless. So i guess the mother board / processor fired. Yeah FIRED.
So i sat down to check my HDD and so plugged it out and wanted to check it. Figured out that i could buy a Serial ATA to USB convertor and retrieve all data on plugging it onto any other machine by just plugging it in as a USB device.

Now when i did plug it into a Windows machine it recognizes the two windows NTFS partitions. But not the ext3.
THen i tried plugging in my HDD and start partition magic to retrieve my data.
Well it did read all my partitions but in my home directory I have kept some 70GB of data on my desktop. it goes like /home/user_name/Desktop/.....
This Desktop folder and a few more folders seem to be blocked.
Similarly the /root partition is also locked. Forget this /root. I dont want it. Its my user folders desktop. I cant at all afford to loose it.
And the thing i could not understand is that my /home/user_name/ folder is accessible . But my Desktop folder is not !

Any idea on how to retrieve this data.
I cant afford to check change my processor and mother board on my computer because i could rather get myself a new Desktop for the same price. So I feel i am in a situation where i need to get this thing to work. "To unlock the user data" in the worst case and to make a copy of it.

I guess i have been clear in my situation and questions.
Any clarifications.
Any help ?

Thanks
prashant.

[Segfault]

Now when i did plug it into a Windows machine it recognizes the two windows NTFS partitions. But not the ext3.
THen i tried plugging in my HDD and start partition magic to retrieve my data.

I'd boot up with some Linux liveCD and use it to read Linux partitions.

[MikeTbob]

I'd boot up with some Linux liveCD and use it to read Linux partitions.

Agreed!
I think it might be a permission error or something, anyhow, Any LiveCD should get past this problem, just be sure and use su or sudo when you copy the files.

[br_prashant]

Yes. It is a permision problem.
And partition magic is also similar to a live linux if i am right. I could access and move around files with it, i guess. I only expected such a feature Haven yet tried it as i dint yet unlock it.
That shouldnt be a problem to use a live linux. But then , How?
If such thing say something like
unlock /home/user_name/Desktop <password>
is possible can i even log in as a root of another computer if i plug in my hardisk somewhere else? Is this not a security issue?
By the way What is the command to unlock or log into a folders using a username/password from the terminal??

Point is i am using this as a plain USB drive .. THat would mean the live CD or anyother system running linux would not be able to recognise the users in it. It would only plainly look into it as a drive with folders in it.It shouldnt be able to give you the ability to log in.But, if they are not locked we can open it... Am i not right?

[MikeTbob]

Once you boot a LiveCD and login as root or sudo, you should have permission to copy/delete/modify all files on all Linux partitions. You may have to mount these partitions manually first, which is no big deal. If you prefer the LiveCD to mount for you, then I would suggest that you use Ubuntu or MintLinux because they mount these things for you.

[D-cat]

Root is the god of all on a Linux system. The only way you might not be able to meaningfully access files off a hard drive as root is if you had made /home an encrypted partition... in that case you will need to salvage other files with the code. Short of that, it makes no difference if the drive is internal or external, you should have full control over every file on that drive.

[br_prashant]

Sorry Mike and D-Cat... Dint reply yesterday. Couldnt connect while backing up the system. Thanks for your replies. It was probably a slight panic that dint make me log in a new thredr. I had logged on earlier using the live CD.. But dint open as root. Got too used to openSUSE that i was searching for a different browser that would ask for my password insead of just plainly finding the button Open as root.!!

I understand that logging in as root you get access the code of all data connected to the Computer. Then .. What is the point of having user data that cannot be reached by other user? All you got to do is plug that hard disk onto another disk log in as root and open the files..
What happens to a user folder or any folder for that matter! by telling it could be opened only by a particular user?

Also, in this same way i can also plug in a windows drive and take a copy of all user data. This i have done before.

[br_prashant]

Also.. Thanks a lot for your calm answers.

Did help reasuring my data was not lost..

Thanks again.

[D-cat]

Your concern is exactly why you should not log in as root unless you absolutely have to. Honestly, it's the same thing with Windows, but they've chosen to default as an admin anyway. The root user has complete control to use, misuse, corrupt, and otherwise damage the system.

By running as a user, you prevent access to areas that could harm your system. This is enough to thwart most forms of malware. The OS kernel has the job of keeping the user data separate, so say your malicious little brother can't delete or "fix" your pictures from his account.... or if in a corporate environment, R&D can't decide to get revenge on the certain misinformation spreading marketer....

If everyone was root, human nature would inevitably lead to much data loss and malicious usage of your work and private data, much like in the Windows world. However, this very basic security principle can be overridden from a local console, simply by booting up as the root user or with a different OS on another disk, as you have just demonstrated. This is useful in data recovery, but otherwise is a security risk. Extra security precautions then become necessary in such environments where contact of the local console by other (presumably unauthorized) users is possible or even likely (say, a mobile laptop). Most home desktop users do not have such a necessity.

[MikeTbob]

Your concern is exactly why you should not log in as root unless you absolutely have to. Honestly, it's the same thing with Windows, but they've chosen to default as an admin anyway. The root user has complete control to use, misuse, corrupt, and otherwise damage the system.

By running as a user, you prevent access to areas that could harm your system. This is enough to thwart most forms of malware. The OS kernel has the job of keeping the user data separate, so say your malicious little brother can't delete or "fix" your pictures from his account.... or if in a corporate environment, R&D can't decide to get revenge on the certain misinformation spreading marketer....

If everyone was root, human nature would inevitably lead to much data loss and malicious usage of your work and private data, much like in the Windows world. However, this very basic security principle can be overridden from a local console, simply by booting up as the root user or with a different OS on another disk, as you have just demonstrated. This is useful in data recovery, but otherwise is a security risk. Extra security precautions then become necessary in such environments where contact of the local console by other (presumably unauthorized) users is possible or even likely (say, a mobile laptop). Most home desktop users do not have such a necessity.

I agree wholeheartedly!
The only other thing you can do to prevent this type of attack is to secure the machine inside a locked vault in a cargo container on a ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!lol (Then you still need to worry)