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  "path": "/t/panic-i-lost-access-to-my-encrypted-debian-usb-hdd/38100#post_1",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-23T16:53:27.000Z",
  "site": "https://discuss.privacyguides.net",
  "textContent": "I installed Debian 13 on an USB portable drive because I like the portability of these devices, it’s a portable HDD.\n\nI installed Debian 13 following the wizard setup and selected full disk encryption.\n\nI have been working just fine for this month on a document and im panicking at the thought of having to start from scratch because I don’t have it backed up elsewhere.\n\nWhat happens is, I enter the password, the password is correct, but then I see a bunch of errors that said [FAILED] in red letters. Eventually it just freezes and I had to press the reebot button.\n\nI have tried the recovery mode thing on the GRUB menu (I selected the oldest version in there, there are a couple version to choose from), entered the password and it says this:\n\nCode:\n\n\n    Please unlock disk sd5_crypt:\n    cryptsetup: sdb5_crypt: set up successfully\n    done.\n    Begin: Running /scripts/local-premount ... done.\n    PM: Image not found (code -22)\n    Begin: Will now check root file system ... fsck from util-linux 2.41\n    [sbin/fsck.ext4 (1) -- /dev/mapper/debian--vg-root] fsck.ext4 -a -C0 /dev/mapper/debian--vg-root\n    /dev/mapper/debian--vg-root: recovering journal\n    Inode (some number here) extent tree (at level 1) could be shorter. IGNORED\n    Inode (some number here) seems to contain garbage.\n\n    /dev/mapper/debian--vg-root: UNEXPECTED INCONSISTENCY: RUN Fsck MANUALLY\n                (i.e., without -a or -p options)\n    fsck exited with status code 4\n    done.\n    Failure: File system check of the root filesystem failed\n    The root filesystem on /dev/mapper/debian--vg-root requires a manuacl fsck\n\n\n\n    BusyBox v1.37.0 Debian (some numbers here) built-in shell (ash)\n    Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.\n\n\n    (initramfs) _ and it lets me type here\n\n\nIm on a laptop and typing this as I see it on the desktop screen btw not copy pasted.\n\nIf I just use the normal GRUB option to boot, I cannot see it because it goes too fast but like I said, tons of [FAILED] errors during boot. At the begining something about mounting exfb4 with errors or something.\n\nI have tried booting on Tails and see if I can open it from here, it opens and I see all the files, however, none of the files work. I cannot copy them out of the drive or open them.\n\nIs the drive dead? what the hell happened between yesterday and today?\n\nMan this is devastating, a month of work wasted.\n\nIm not going to be using these portable drives again, im going to make backups on all SATA HDDs I can find now. But please let me know if I can somehow recover the files. All I need is a small document file, the rest I have backed up, I just need that one file. This is mental.\n\nThe only hope I have is that I see the files and recognizes the password. However im not sure if the drive is busted and has I/O errors. Please let me know ASAP. I just need to recover a small file. Hopefully there is a way.",
  "title": "Panic: I lost access to my encrypted Debian USB HDD"
}