Recover Files from Corrupted Windows or Linux VPS

Today we will learn how to recover files from corrupted Windows or Linux VPS. Linux and Windows are the two most commonly used VPS operating systems. Sometimes, a few errors in their script can cause failure. In this tutorial, we will tell you how to recover files from corrupted Linux or Windows VPS. If for some reason, the operating system, Windows or Linux, does not load on your VPS server, you can follow this step-by-step guide and learn how to load the VPS in rescue mode and grab your files from the server before. Formatting your VPS and installing a new operating system on it. The first thing you need to do is connect to the server via VNC to make sure the operating system is not loading and then reboot the VPS from your control panel a few times. Since most corruptions occur on Windows VPS servers, we’ve written this guide around Windows VPS servers, but the same steps work for other operating systems as well.

How to recover important files from corrupted Windows VPS

Log In

First, log in to your Control Panel.

Then click on ‘Services‘.

Click on the target VPS server that you want to reboot into rescue mode. (If you have multiple VPS servers, please make sure you select the appropriate VPS instance.)

Select Rescue Mode

Choose ‘Rescue Mode’ as shown below:

Enable Rescue Mode

Wait for the server to reboot into rescue mode.

Now the VPS is loaded into rescue mode. Rescue Mode is a Linux-based utility that recovers your data from the server.

Now, open Terminal and enter the following command to install NTFS-3G. NTFS-3G is an open-source application that implements the NTFS file system.

apt-get update --allow-releaseinfo-change

  apt install ntfs-3g

Mount VDB

Then, use the following command to mount your Virtio block device.

mount -t ntfs /dev/vdb2 /mnt

Fix NTFS (for I/O Error)

If you get an I/O error, enter the following command in the terminal. An I/O device error is an issue with the device. This prevents your operating system from viewing or writing to its contents. Some common locations you can save your files are:

/mnt/Users/Administrator/Desktop /mnt/Users/Administrator/Downloads

Some common locations you can save your files are:

/mnt/Users/Administrator/Desktop /mnt/Users/Administrator/Downloads

 /mnt/Users/Administrator/Documents

After downloading all the files/folders you were looking for, please go back to the VPS control panel and click on ‘Rescue Mode’. Then, click on Disable button and press ‘OK’.

Finally, now you can recreate the VPS by reloading it into your desired operating system. Check here to find out how you can do it.

How to Recover Important Files from Corrupt Linux VPS

Login and Enable Rescue Mode

First, follow the first three steps from the above instructions.

Install WinSCP

To transfer data you need to download WinSCP software, which is used to transfer files between Windows and Linux operating systems. So, follow the upcoming steps:

WinSCP Download
Install and run the software. You will see the following window:

In ‘Host Name’ enter the IP address of your VPS.
Enter ‘root’ in the username field.
Enter the password you chose while booting into rescue mode.
Click on ‘Login’
Press ‘Ctrl + ‘T’ keys to open Terminal, then click ‘OK’ on the warning message to open a Terminal window.

Now, type the following code:

 mount -o ro /dev/vdb1 /mnt

Press ‘Enter’ or click ‘Execute’

When Windows loads in hard drive rescue mode. It’s time to find your files on the drive and transfer them to your computer.

Head Over to Root

Click on the right pane, then press ‘Ctrl + O’ to pop-up the Open Directory window. Enter ‘/mnt’ as shown below and click ‘OK’

Excellent! Now you will see the root page of your Windows drive which will look like the image below:

Download the Files

After doing all the steps mentioned above, you can go to the folder/location where you saved your files, right-click on the file/folder and click on Download to download it to your computer.