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Folders converted into exec files

Good evening, I have a memory stick with format MS-DOS (FAT32) where I usually put documents created in my computer (mac, OS X El Capitan) to print afterwards at my job. I printed a couple of documents today from a Windows computer and when I came back home and connected the memory stick in my mac half of the folders were converted into EXEC files.

I've read all the related threads and I can't find any solution to recover the folders. There's no virus in the memory stick, there's no hidden folders/files and I don't have a backup of some documents I created this week (the ones I need) since I make a copy once a week.

Thank you very much and I hope somebody can help. I include a screenshot of the info of one of the folders as example.

User uploaded file

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.3)

Posted on Feb 11, 2016 11:31 PM

Reply
4 replies

Feb 13, 2016 3:47 PM in response to MuzzyG

I think you should try a full byte by byte backup. See carbon copy cloner.


With the copy try running some data recovery software. Something specializing in fat recovery. I suspect the data is there, but the filesystem entry for the directory go messed up.


In the future, try exFat.


These terminal commands will give you a hint on byte by byte copy too.


dd if=/dev/disk0s10 bs=4096 | gzip | dd of=~/disk0-s10 bs=4096
dd if=~/disk0-s10 bs=4096 | gunzip | dd of=/dev/disk0s10 bs=4096

Feb 13, 2016 3:53 PM in response to rccharles

Thank you very much rccharles!


I managed to get back the data, as you said they were still there. I used a data recovery software called "Do your data recovery" (as daft as it sounds) which allows you to recover up to 1GB for free (I actually used a few but all of them were trials and I just could see the files but not recover them).


So problem solved!


Thanks again 🙂

Folders converted into exec files

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