Linux Disk Editing: Accessing Linux Partitions (Red Hat) & Fixing Issues with Win/Linux Tools

Hello.

I have such a question related to accessing linux partitions.
Sometimes you come across a computer with a Linux distribution (usually Red Hat) where something happened and it either doesn't start or some configuration needs to be changed.

For example, change the COM port where the mouse is connected in the \ etc \ X11 \ xorg.conf (text) file.

I put Ext2fsd on Windows, got on the partition, changed the text file and .. the system does not get up.
It can only be done from this computer.

Why?
How to do such actions?

If you search the Internet about accessing the "extN" partition from the MS Windows side, then maybe you will come across advice not to use the proposed software, as it can be unreliable. The reverse relationship is less damaging to NTFS partitions, although it can also be broken.

That's why I use Linux filesystems - mostly SystemRescueCD or other "live" distributions. I am trying to understand "coLinux" from MS Windows. This seems to be the most secure way to access "extN" media as it uses a Samba server and virtual LAN. However, this is not about service access, i.e. partitioning, but rather about the ability to write-read the medium.

I warn you - configuring "coLinux" may not be easy (or I am "not a gag").

Krzysztof Podstawa

For such a task I would not use MS Windows, but LIVE Linux distributions and it is appropriate for the system being rescued.

I wouldn't use Ext2Fsd => http://www.ext2fsd.com/

Don't use Ext2Fsd 0.68 or earlier versions with latest Ubuntu or
Debian systems. Ext2Fsd 0.68 cannot process EXT4 with 64-BIT mode
enabled, then it could corrupt your data. Very sorry for this
disaster issue, I'm working on an improvement.

Second thing first, before working on the disk with OS and IMPORTANT DATA, I do a backup on another disk or a clone of this disk


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Important in RHEL 7 the default filesystem can be XFS, i.e. not ext3 or ext4

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So you're talking about Red Hat (RHEL) and you have counterparts such as CentOS liveCD and LiveDVD
RHEL 7.4 I think it will be CentOS-7-x86_64-LiveGNOME-1708.iso LiveCD thrown on a USB flash drive.

I think it is important that the filesystem version is equal to the LiveDVD System

that is, OS hard disk, e.g. RHEL 7.4 kernel 3.10.xxx then the filesystem is in this particular kernel version (and ext2 / 3/4 fsck programs etc.)

therefore to edit the contents of the OS disk you only use livecd e.g. CentOS with the same kernel 3.10.xxx along with filesystem repair programs e.g. fsck depending on the file system whether it is XFS or EXT4

pp:) wrote:

Second thing first, before working on the disk with OS and IMPORTANT DATA, I do a backup on another disk or a clone of this disk

So you're talking about Red Hat (RHEL), you have equivalents such as CentOS liveCD and LiveDVD RHEL 7.4 I think it will be CentOS-7-x86_64-LiveGNOME-1708.iso LiveCD thrown on a pendrive.

Welcome.

Backup - sure, I do with HDDRawCopy and / or DMDE. Especially that more than 10 years ago I had a disk that after connecting it could only be read once, and fortunately this one time was a program for making a RAW image of the disk. I did it for the first time because the disk was dying and also Linux which I didn't know. Then I only worked on the image, putting it on a new disk. Interesting, it was also RedHat and also a specialized computer.


I downloaded Fedora, Knoppix, some Puppy distributions and I will test. I'll see what works, because it's only Pentium M with 512MB RAM.