Disaster after cleaning [SOLVED]

[Stefano_IT]

I hope this is the right section to ask for help. (otherwise please move)

I executed a command found here:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... -mint.html

That would be it
rm -rfv ~ / .cache / miniature

After a quick cleaning at the terminal, I found myself:
delete all my desktop preferences and customizations (icons, panel icons, plugins installed in the panel)
Absent desktop background and Linux Mint restored to its original appearance.
The worst damage is that on the desk I had 3 or 4 folders and one of these was full of important text files.
Yes now the pc seems faster but I lost my text files on the desk.
What can I do to try to fix it?
Timeshift could help me?
Thanks for every suggestion

Edit:
I realized that I lost all the files that were in the documents folder!
I also lost all browser extensions, and even stored passwords. (but I have a backup of them)

[trytip]

can we see the complete text in .bash_history ?

Code: Select all

xed $HOME/.bash_history

[Pjotr]

I hope this is the right section to ask for help. (otherwise please move)

I executed a command found here:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... -mint.html

That would be it
rm -rfv ~ / .cache / miniature

What kind of command is that? You most certainly did not, I repeat *not*, learn that from my website.

[rene]

If indeed you added the spaces to that command as you say above then I'm afraid you're likely royally effed, I.e., rm -rf foo bar ... means rm -rf foo and rm -rf bar, ..., and seeing as how in your case the first one was "~", your home directory, all its contents will have been dutifully deleted.

No, generally Timeshift isn't setup to backup your home directory. Sorry; you'll need actual file recovery with help of something like TestDisk.

[Stefano_IT]

@trytip
I entered your command and I get:
rm -rfv ~ / .cache / miniature

[Pjotr]

@trytip
I entered your command and I get:
rm -rfv ~ / .cache / miniature

The only command on the "Cleaning" page of my website that even remotely resembles that absolute horror of a command, is this:

Copy/paste the following command line into the terminal, in order to avoid typing errors:

rm -rfv ~/.cache/thumbnails

Press Enter.

Conclusion: PEBKAC. Don't blame my website for your own mistakes.

Edit: replaced some harsh words by milder ones.

[rene]

Conclusion: PEBKAC. Don't blame my website for your own disastrous incompetence.

Ah, kick a man when he's down, uh...

[Pjotr]

Conclusion: PEBKAC. Don't blame my website for your own disastrous incompetence mistakes.

Ah, kick a man when he's down, uh...

Yeah, well.... I tend to get a bit irritated when people blame my website for their own mistakes. I'll modify my reply to make it milder.

[Stefano_IT]

@Pjotr

I only indicated where I found the command.
I didn't accuse anyone.
Of course I did copy paste, it's convenient, where did I go wrong?

[Stefano_IT]

I hope this is the right section to ask for help. (otherwise please move)

I executed a command found here:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... -mint.html

That would be it
rm -rfv ~ / .cache / miniature

What kind of command is that? You most certainly did not, I repeat *not*, learn that from my website.

[rene]

Once again, see above, you added spaces.

[Pjotr]

@Pjotr

I only indicated where I found the command.
I didn't accuse anyone.
Of course I did copy paste, it's convenient, where did I go wrong?

Well, you definitely did not use copy/paste, because this is what the command is on my website:

Code: Select all

rm -rfv ~/.cache/thumbnails

Which resembles only remotely the disastrous command that you have executed:

Code: Select all

rm -rfv ~ / .cache / miniature

Search the differences. I count at least five.

[trytip]

well i have no idea what that command in your bash history is but if that's the only thing in your history of terminals then your improvised command did go above and beyond.
i did use ctrl+F to search that command on the website in question and did not find it. sorry for your troubles, you're not the only one that posted the wrong command in a terminal and ended up with disaster. i have fallen victim to that on quite a few occasions

[Stefano_IT]

I do not understand
I am convinced that I have copied and pasted.
I don't even have the competence and skill on the keyboard to type that command without copying and pasting.
What could have happened?

I also rebooted twice after cleaning, convinced that thumbnails and flipping files would come back after reboot.
See the attached photo, in my browser at the top right there are some missing icons (they are my extensions)
I am the only user of the computer but after the reboot I found myself as if it was just installed Mint (I also found the welcome screen)

[Stefano_IT]

Once again, see above, you added spaces.

I can't see the difference.
Where are the spaces?

[rene]

Please note that the at this point for you only relevant information is that you deleted your home directory and that if you have no backup, using TestDisk will be your best option at recovering the important bits. It can be installed straight from the repository: sudo apt-get install testdisk; I'd advise some googling as to how then in fact use it; it's menu/feedback driven and as such not easy to lay out in a forum post.

[Moem]

I can't see the difference.
Where are the spaces?

spaces.png (7.57 KiB) Viewed 1413 times

[Pjotr]

I do not understand
I am convinced that I have copied and pasted.

Well, not from my website then. The right command has always been the same on my website, as this snapshot from the Wayback Machine archive shows:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190212074 ... -mint.html

God knows where you got it from. Or perhaps (which is far more likely) you did type that monstrous command yourself.

For the rest: proceed as rene advises.

[Stefano_IT]

I hope this is the right section to ask for help. (otherwise please move)

I executed a command found here:
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... -mint.html

That would be it
rm -rfv ~ / .cache / miniature

What kind of command is that? You most certainly did not, I repeat *not*, learn that from my website.

@Pjotr
I don't understand, I don't even see that command on your website. !!

It is not present on that page even in Google cache or web.archive.org
But I'm sure I did copy paste into the terminal.
Once when I did the cleaning
The second one when I asked for help here on the forum.
Otherwise I wouldn't even have been able to remember the command typed.

Do I have to think that I have a PC compromised from the outside?
Otherwise I don't know what to think, are there ghosts?
Or can there be another explanation ??

[Stefano_IT]

I do not understand
I am convinced that I have copied and pasted.

Well, not from my website then. The right command has always been the same on my website, as this snapshot from the Wayback Machine archive shows:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190212074 ... -mint.html

Yes, I had already searched a few minutes ago before you mentioned it, both on Google cache and on archive org.
That command on your site is not there !!!

At this point I don't know what to think maybe it's better that I format the PC