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megasad · Aug 16, 2003, 12:29 PM

Bottom of stomach sinking into the abyss time...

I was working on some sensitive files that I keep locked up in an encrypted sparse disk image when my iBook suffered a kernel panic.

I boot back up, everything seems fine, and so I go to open the disk image.

Code:
"icons.sparseimage" failed to load due to error 90.
(corrupt image)

That's nearly 6GB of stuff locked up in there, and like a chump I wiped my only backup last week because I needed to use the space on the hard drive to back up my girlfriend's computer when she sent it in for service.

Is there any way I can recover my work? Or is it gone for good?

megasad · Aug 16, 2003, 12:33 PM

On a related tangent...

In Panther, I understand there to be encryption of the home folder. This is good as it stops others from looking at your stuff. However, does anyone know exactly how it is implemented? In the case of a kernel panic, what happens? Is the data recoverable? Or does it bugger off completely, as it seems that in my disk image has done?

pendragon · Aug 16, 2003, 01:26 PM

In the WAG Department, I don't think it will hurt to run DiskWarrior. I am hoping (guessing) the panic caused a directory fault and thus DW may be able to help. Also, I suppose a run of fsck -y & Reapiring Permissions would be OK too.

megasad · Aug 16, 2003, 02:03 PM

"WAG" meaning?

I don't have Disk Warrior and fsck -y is run upon booting up, but I'll try the permissioin repairing for the hell of it. However, I think what happened is that, because the disk image was not unmounted before the kernel panic, that is why I can not mount it; it's all bollocksed up. So, I was hoping for some utility that could examine a corrupt disk image and recover usable data from it. But Google seems to say, "screw you, hippy."

pendragon · Aug 16, 2003, 02:33 PM

Sorry, WAG = Wild Ass Guess

Pehaps others have better/more informed counsel that I, but until then, trying to locate, or even buy a copy of DW is my best advice.

mikesch1 · Aug 16, 2003, 04:43 PM

I too, thought I had lost some sensitive data, when I had a kernel panic when the disc image was mounted.

However I was able to ressurrected the disc image, by using the 'convert image' to select the corrupt image, and convert it o a different format. Surprisingly this saved all my data and allowed the new image to mount......

Mike

megasad · Aug 17, 2003, 02:29 AM

Am I being boneheaded about this, or am I right in thinking that if I can't even get the disk image to mount, there's little point to Disk Warrior?

With regards converting the image, I thought that this might work, my hopes were raised... But then I get:

Code:
"icons.sparseimage" failed to convert due to error 90. (corrupt image)

Craptastic.

Anyone else? Or am I done for?

chris.p · Aug 17, 2003, 05:22 PM

you could try using toast to mount the image- dont know how it handles encrypted images though. There are also a load of third party dmg mounters/ creators around, maybe they will fix it? searching versiontracker brought up a few. The only other thing i can think of is turning off the verification options in disk copy- might help.

On a sort of related note, I was thinking how to protect a folder- and I dont want to go down the encrypted dmg route due to the above. I know you can use get info to set the permissions to 'no access' and change the owner- and you cant open the file. so I was wongering if there is an option to let you enter your password, or maybe a permission changing ability to applescript, so you could have an drag-and-drop untility to change the file, to make unreadable by anyone? This would be cool, but I really dont know AppleScript.... and there maybe a good reason why there isnt one. but it sounds better than the dmg route!

c