How to decompress backup files?

I'm going to try to have another go at this here.

I started another similar thread that made its way into the Windows forum, but

no solution could be found there.

Now I'll try to be as explicit as possible with this.

I have many compressed backup files that were made by a Linux program called PING.

They are named hda1.000, hda1.001, hda1.002, hda1.003 etc.

Each file is around 660 Meg in size.

I can't use the program (PING) to decompress the files.

Are there Linux tools I can use to get at these files (decompress them)?

At this point I'd settle for decompressing them in Linux just to read them.

https://peazip.github.io/#:~:text=Cross-platform%20(Linux%2C%20macOS,%2C%20ZIP%2C%20ZIPX%2C%20ZST.
 
Peazip -
 
 

7z,  Google Android's apk, Google's Brotli br, bz, bz2, bzip2, tbz2, tbz, Facebook's Zstandard zst and tzst, gz, gzip, tgz, tpz, tar, zip, zipx, z01, smzip, arj, cab, chm, chi, chq, chw, hxs, hxi, hxr, hxq, hxw, lit, cpio, deb, lzh, lha, rar (and most recent rar 5 revision), r01, 00, rpm, z, taz, tz, iso, Java (jar, ear, war), pet, pup, pak, pk3, pk4, slp, [Content], xpi, wim, u3p, lzma86, lzma, udf, xar, Apple's dmg, hfs, part1, split, swm, tpz, kmz, xz, txz, vhd, mslz, apm, mbr, fat, ntfs, exe, dll, sys, msi, msp, Open Office / Libre Office (ods, ots, odm, oth, oxt, odb, odf, odg, otg, odp, otp, odt, ott), gnm, Microsoft Office (doc, dot, xls, xlt, ppt, pps, pot, docx, dotx, xlsx, xltx), Flash (swf, flv), quad, balz, bcm, zpaq, paq8f, paq8jd, paq8l, paq8o, lpaq1, lpaq5, lpaq8, arc, wrc, 001, pea, cbz, cbr, cba, cb7, cbt (and more...)
 

Edited by xrobwx71, 13 May 2024 - 02:28 PM.

I can't use the program (PING) to decompress the files.

Why?  PING is actually a Linux flavor according to:

https://www.linuxlinks.com/PING/

Why not use it if you are open to use Linux?

Partimage is the actual backup program, no longer active but alternatives are listed here:

https://www.partimage.org/

Good luck!

 

I can't use the program (PING) to decompress the files.

 

Why?  PING is actually a Linux flavor according to:

https://www.linuxlinks.com/PING/

Why not use it if you are open to use Linux?

 

Partimage is the actual backup program, no longer active but alternatives are listed here:

https://www.partimage.org/

 

Good luck!

 

Thanks Dominique.

Up until yesterday, the whole idea behind this was two-fold:

1. Not to have to dust off an old computer, get out multiple cables etc. just to access a computer that boots a CD.

2. More importantly, since I could never figure out how to restore the files to a USB drive / non-c: drive, I would be over-writing

    my c: drive and other partitions.

Yesterday I decided to bite the bullet. Dust off that computer and over-write my c: drive, just so I could access these

backup files. So far I've only had partial success. In the process I have already entirely wiped one of my four PING backup HDDs, which had at least 6+

sets of backups. 

• Format a drive that PING supports.
• Copy one or two backup files on it.
• Install the drive in a computer that PING supports.  It doesn't matter if the computer can't boot.
• Boot using the PING usb key or CD (as you used to do).
• Extract files from the backup onto the drive (or a second drive/partition if needed).
• Power down the computer.
• Put the drive in your new computer, and enjoy!

Edited by Dominique1, 14 May 2024 - 02:46 PM.

You live, you learn!
 
The procedure I would have tried is:

• Format a drive that PING supports.
• Copy one or two backup files on it.
• Install the drive in a computer that PING supports.  It doesn't matter if the computer can't boot.
• Boot using the PING usb key or CD (as you used to do).
• Extract files from the backup onto the drive (or a second drive/partition if needed).
• Power down the computer.
• Put the drive in your new computer, and enjoy!

 

Thanks again Dominique.

Yes I actually arrived at something very close to what you are recommending.

Today I should be able to see how it all turns out.

Read up on dd first before trying it

Why?  From what I understand, Partimage use a 'dd' like source code that skips free sectors.  UNIX's dd views disks or partitions as byte streams.  A restore operation would not be successful using dd.

If it's a split dd image and the splits can be combined a program called OSFMount can mount the dd image as a virtual disk.

https://www.osforensics.com/tools/mount-disk-images.html

DD is used to make images of drives, partitions, and can restore a wide range of low level file formats.

I agree, but your assumptions about Partimage are wrong as it has the ability to skip free sectors. We don't want to send MarkBeepBeep on a wild goose chase.

PS to MarkBeepBeep: Stick with PING.

Edited by Dominique1, 15 May 2024 - 01:34 PM.

 

DD is used to make images of drives, partitions, and can restore a wide range of low level file formats.

 

I agree, but your assumptions about Partimage are wrong as it has the ability to skip free sectors. We don't want to send MarkBeepBeep on a wild goose chase.

 

PS to MarkBeepBeep: Stick with PING.

 

Well I finally reached the end of my crazy journey with PING!

I made a bunch mistakes along the way but it was a learning process.

I used the method above that Dominique was recommending.

I formatted my c: drive in my old desktop to get it to function again. I suspect that corrupted boot sectors

were preventing me to boot to c:.  (I was able to boot to f: as I had set up a dual Windows boot on the drive years ago.)

At the start (before formatting c:)  each time I tried to get PING to restore my files, it balked and stopped the process.

This could also have been due to my continuing to use PING v. 3.0 instead of v. 2.1. Almost all of my backups were made with v. 2.1

and when I started to successfully restore the files I was using v. 2.1 (v. 3.0 gave me problems).

Once I had removed the drive from the computer and formatted c: I could begin to restore my backups.

As I suspected, all of my backups were just backups of c: drive (programs).

I had hoped that at least a few would be backups of my data.

So the entire effort really was in vain, unfortunately.

I mentioned that I somehow lost all data on one of my four PING backup disks, but chances are highly likely that it just contained

c: program files and nothing more.

So now I can finally put away my PING boot CD and focus on six other hhd's that contain pure data. 

Hopefully I can find the file I am looking for there.

I want to thank everyone here again who reached out to help me in my journey!