Switching Back to Windows: My Experience and How I Retrieved My Data Using an Ubuntu VM

After spending over a year on Ubuntu 20.04, I grew frustrated with its limitations, especially regarding gaming and compatibility with some of my favorite software. Although I tried using Wine to bridge the gap, it didn’t meet my expectations, and I wasn't inclined to spend days troubleshooting the issues.

Additionally, I encountered persistent performance problems that eventually became intolerable. These challenges led me to decide to switch back to Windows.

Hardware Overview

I’m using a Dell Vostro 5568, which has decent specifications. However, I encountered a significant hurdle during the transition—my hard drives, including my backup external drive, were all formatted with an MBR partition table.

The Partition Table Dilemma

Ordinarily, accessing my data shouldn’t have been an issue with the correct BIOS setup. However, I complicated matters by switching my hard drives to a GPT partition table. This change rendered my backup files inaccessible.

Understanding GPT vs. MBR Partition Tables

Before diving into how I solved my problem, it’s essential to understand the difference between GPT and MBR partition tables, as this was the root cause of my issue.

Master Boot Record (MBR):

• Old Standard: MBR has been the standard partitioning method since the early 1980s. It’s widely compatible with various operating systems and BIOS setups.
• Limitations: MBR can only support up to four primary partitions and is limited to drives up to 2TB in size. Additionally, MBR stores partition and boot data in a single location, making it more susceptible to data corruption.

GUID Partition Table (GPT):

• Modern Standard: GPT is a newer partitioning method introduced as part of the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) standard, which is gradually replacing BIOS.
• Advantages: GPT supports drives larger than 2TB and allows for virtually unlimited partitions (although most operating systems limit this to 128). GPT also stores multiple copies of partition and boot data across the disk, significantly enhancing data integrity and recovery options in case of corruption.
• Compatibility: However, GPT is not universally supported, especially on older systems or when using legacy BIOS mode, which can cause accessibility issues, as I encountered.

My Solution: Creating an Ubuntu Virtual Machine

The solution I devised involved creating an Ubuntu VM and setting up file transfers between my new Windows host and the Ubuntu guest OS using VMware Workstation 16.

If you have an older version of the Ubuntu ISO file, particularly one older than version 14.04, I recommend referring to Paul Vesey’s YouTube channel for a detailed guide on setting up shared folders between a Windows host and an Ubuntu 14.04 virtual machine.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up File Sharing

1. Install VMware Tools: Once your guest OS is installed (note that this might not apply to all operating systems), go to VM > Install VMware Tools. There’s no need to reinstall if the tools are already installed. VMware Tools enhance the interaction between the host and guest OS, enabling features like full-width guest GUI, copy/paste functionality, and, crucially for this situation, shared folders.
2. Configure Shared Folders: Access the guest OS settings and navigate to the Options tab. Scroll down to Shared Folders.
3. Note: It’s preferable to configure this while the guest OS is powered off.
4. Enable Sharing: In the Shared Folders window, select Always Enable to activate file sharing. Then, add the folders you wish to share by following the prompts in the dialog box that appears after clicking Add.
5. Access Shared Folders: Once the setup is complete, start your guest OS and navigate to the /mnt/hgfs folder, where your shared folders should be listed.

If, like me, you need to use your Ubuntu VM to retrieve your backup, this method should work for you.

Troubleshooting Tip

Note: If your shared folders disappear after rebooting the guest OS, try disabling and then re-enabling the file-sharing feature in VMware. This simple step resolved the issue for me.