Folders Structure

[tan]

Hi, I need help. At the beginning of July I had a File System crash. The hard disk is 4TB with about 1TB of important data (photos, MP3s, videos and documents) on top. The system on which it took place is updated Linux mint. The hard disk is not the system one os-disk. I made some attempts with the utilities of linux but they were not successful. I had to recreate the partition table and the hard disk was empty afterwards. At that point I met R-Linux. I tried to do a first deep scan and data recovery. The first attempt actually retrieved the data but not the folder structure. A second attempt recovered the folder structure but I had space problems because I didn't realize that it would recover extra data in addition to the 1TB, probably data deleted before the crash.I stopped trying because I had to leave. I started trying again a few days ago but I can't recover the folder structure... I tried 2 old scans made in July. I tried with a new scan. I tried for each partition found but I can't see the folder structure. I didn't write anything about the hard disk to be recovered. Instead, I have chosen the medium on which the recovered data is saved. Before it was an internal hard drive and now I'm trying to recover data on a USB drive. I attach some images of the attempts made and the options selected.

Sorry if there are any mistakes in my English, I helped myself with a translator. Thank you very much
tan

[tan]

images

[Alt]

Is this system still running? If yes, it has "cleaned up" the disk removing all information about those lost files/folders. Scanning for Known File Types is the only options.

[tan]

First of all, thank you for the answer.

Is this system still running? If yes, it has "cleaned up" the disk removing all information about those lost files/folders. Scanning for Known File Types is the only options.

What you mean? The system is running but the hard disk from which I have to recover the files has remained inactive since the "successful" attempt. In July, as I said, the second attempt at file recovery recreated the exact structure of folders and subfolders.... however, it stopped due to insufficient space. Since then, nothing has been written on the hard disk and it was "processed" only by R-Linux a few days ago. Now, however, trying to make another attempt to complete the file recovery, it can no longer recreate the structure of folders and subfolders but finds them only as extrafiles dividing them by extension.... Actually 1 folder I had manages to recover it correctly with its subfolders but all the others do not. Stupid question: is it possible that it depends on the power supply? having added a USB peripheral to the system I would not want it to work in some way badly....
Thank you very much
tan

[Alt]

Any modern OS (Linux included) is constantly performing background disk maintenance works on a running system even when there's no visible disk activity. In your case your system has being performed the so-called "garbage collection" deleting the remnants of the previous file system. That's why this new scan revealed nothing.
You wouldn't have lost the data had you physically disconnect the hard drive.

[tan]

Understood.... Some doubts still remain, such as why one of the folders finds it with its subfolders and the right files while the others do not. I will do other tests. In case of a positive result I will let you know.
Thank you very much.
tan

[Alt]

such as why one of the folders finds it with its subfolders and the right files.

The OS hasn't touched it yet.