Ubuntu – Altering files kept on Windows through Ubuntu

backupcrashwindows

My laptop which had Windows 7 on it crashed today. Being unable to access any file kept within, I found about the LiveCD. So I created a LiveUSB with Ubuntu in it, and managed to access my Windows desktop. I'm now backing up files important to me, but I have a question:

Now I'm cutting and pasting the files I want to save, using Ubuntu. Are these files being moved in Windows as well, or do the alterations I make through Ubuntu not affect the Windows state?

So let's say,if I cut and paste all of the D drive, and then format C and reboot with Windows, would the files in D have been gone (since they were cut and not copied) or still be there?

Thanks.

Best Answer

Any files you move on your drives using the live cd will be moved on these drives. In other words, these files are "moved in windows as well" to use your words.

There are a few things that you want to go about carefully, though:

  1. Copy rather than cut your files. If something is wrong with the harddrive you might lose files while cutting.
  2. Make sure you backup the D drive before you format the C drive. We have people coming in here every week with data loss because they don't fully understand all the implications of partition (and they are many).
  3. Take into account that some files might have windows specific permissions. So don't just expect to copy-paste all your stuff and have it work out of the box. Word files, images, videos, and all that should be fine, but app data might not.
  4. Why not stick with Ubuntu?
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