[NCLUG] XFS, "Can't read superblock"

[Chad Perrin]

My father uses a Linux box as a fileserver.  The partition on which he
stores all the important data uses an XFS filesystem.  This weekend,
that filesystem, which comprises one entire hard drive, stopped working.

It's reporting I/O errors and won't mount.  The xfs_check utility and
QTParted (from a Knoppix LiveCD) can't read it.  The xfs_repair utility
reports several problems that can't be fixed.  The most prominent,
common, and troubling error amongst all attempts to do anything with the
drive reads "Can't read superblock".

I'm trying to help him find tools and techniques that might help him
recover his data -- and there is some important data related to his work
that had not been backed up yet, so he's kind of in panic mode now.  Any
help would be appreciated.

We're hoping this won't turn into a need to go to a data recovery
specialist, because he doesn't have the several thousand dollars that
would cost right now.

-- 
CCD CopyWrite Chad Perrin [ http://ccd.apotheon.org ]
This sig for rent:  a Signify v1.14 production from http://www.debian.org/