If you lose your RDB and don't have a backup copy, then this page can help. Specify the device and unit as per section Backup and click on Start.
Your entire hard disk will now be scanned, which depending on its size, gives you enough time for a coffee break. RDB-Salv searches for recognizable data from AmigaDOS partitions and thus arrives at previous Partition Boundaries. The progress indicator shows the percentage of the scan completed. A drive name will be listed in the left window panel whenever a partition has been found. Only AmigaDOS partitions will be found.
Items can be selected from the list after the successful scan and subsequent (short) compute interval. The right window panel indicates detailed information about the selected partition.
Check the list carefully. Does it list some partitions which don't really exist? Or perhaps partitions which have long been over-written? Maybe you've even saved a floppy disk image to the hard disk; as this would be shown as a separate partition. Check each list entry individually and verify that it actually exists. The panel to the right shows additional information about each partition so that you can tell if it overlaps one or more other partitions. If two or more partitions overlap then it indicates that all but one of these do not really exist; they are so-called pseudo-partitions.
Having identified all the incorrectly-indicated partitions, select them using the mouse and click on Remove. Don't panic; this does not alter or erase any data on the hard disk! You're only telling RDB-Salv which partitions really exist and help it to avoid subsequent errors. If a partition does not overlap others, you will be asked to confirm its removal by a requester as it makes little sense to do so in most cases.
You must remove all incorrectly-indicated partitions to avoid subsequent problems. Exceptions to this are partitions named RDSK ... and Unused space. These pseudo-partitions serve as "place holders" and cannot usually be removed.
Under exceptional conditions, it can take several seconds to remove a partition (depending on CPU), this time being required to recalculate several values. This is the exception, rather than the rule.
Perhaps you are asking yourself why RDSK ... and Unused space appear in the list, yet not in HDToolBox and other prep tools. The answer is simply that prep tools do not generally allow you to use the whole hard disk for partitions as they silently reserve small sections for themselves. RDB-Salv indicates these sections as follows:
As mentioned previously, the end of the disk often contains a pseudo-partition called Unused space. This is the only pseudo-partition which can be removed using Remove. If you're sure that you have no more partitions at the end of your disk, then you should remove this pseudo-partition from the list using the Remove button. This can avoid subsequent problems with other prep programs.
If you'd like to test if RDB-Salv has established correct data, then you can use the Salv/Read menu to mount partitions or to generate a MountList. You can also save and print all results. Please read Using the section The Salv/Read Menu Menu for details of how to do this.
If all went well, you'll probably want to set up a new RDSK. Use the Save as RDSK and partition blocks ... menu option to be found under the Salv/Read menu. Further information about this can be found under Using the section The Salv/Read Menu Menu.
After writing out the salvaged RDSK, you must edit it using HDToolBox or similar. The procedure to follow with HDToolBox is detailed herein. Refer to the Appendix entitled section RDB-Adjustments for a tabular outline of the exact procedure.
Start HDToolBox and select the damaged drive. Click on the Partition Drive button and select Advanced Options. Check and alter the following values on every partition.
Note that partitions named as UNUSED<n> (where <n> is replaced by some number) will require special handling as they refer to an unrecognized file system or free blocks. RDB-Salv stores all pseudo-partitions with such a name. You'll usually know the correct values to enter as you probably set up the partition yourself some time ago.
A small unused partition at the end of the drive indicates that you (or your prep program) gave away some blocks when the drive was partitioned. This is no cause for worry. If you'd removed the Unused space as described above, then this confusion would have been avoided. Simply ignore the partition. If you really want those last few kilobytes, then they can be mounted and formatted. Under no circumstances should you attempt to merge it with the previous partition as that would make it unreadable.
Undefined regions between partitions usually indicate an unrecognizable partition. This partition cannot be completely salvaged by RDB-Salv. It requires manual intervention on your part. Note that such regions may actually be more than one partition. You must try to remember which partition(s) are located in the region (AFS, NetBSD, Mac, ...), and to configure them using HDToolBox. Due to technical constraints, RDB-Salv is only able to identify and salvage real AMIGA partitions.
If you wish to use non-resident file systems, click on Add/Update and create a new file system entry -- as detailed in the system manual. When done, return by clicking on Ok.
Now click on Change... for every partition. Verify if the partition should be mounted automatically by setting the Automount this partition option accordingly.
RDB-Salv attempts to set values so that a useful configuration results on as many systems as possible. This configuration is however conservative and results in noticeable performance degradation on many systems. You can change this behaviour by verifying that optimum values have been set for MaxTransfer and Mask for every partition. These values are set in the same window where Automount this partition was just verified.
Check your hard disk system manual for appropriate values if you are unsure. If the manual indicates better values, then they should be changed accordingly. You can save yourself some time and effort later by saving them in RDB-Salv's ToolTypes as described in section Installation.
When you have corrected all values leave this page using Ok.
Having completed adjustments for all partitions, leave the partitioning page using Ok and then click on Save Changes to Drive.
You may wish to change some global values which have not been changed by RDB-Salv:
Please check your system manual, and your hard disk manual to know how to set these values and what they mean!
If you change any of these values, please note that the values for Cylinders, Heads, Blocks per Track and Blocks per Cylinder established by RDB-Salv, will not be destroyed. Should this be the case anyway, as with HDToolBox when Change Drive Type creates an entry and Read Configuration is activated, then you must re-enter the values calculated by RDB-Salv manually! RDB-Salv indicates these values under Drive Parameters for every partition. The values are, by the way, identical for all partitions on the same drive.
It's recommended that you use HDToolBox's Read Configuration function (click on Change Drive Type followed by Define New... and Read Configuration) to obtain the default parameters for your disk drive. You must always however restore the values destroyed by this procedure as described above, otherwise your data will still not be available because of a defective RDB!
When you've complete the above changes, click on Save Changes to Drive again.
You can now dare to reboot and keep your fingers crossed...