file system backup of postgresql db onto another installation

["Giovanni Gualdi" <giovanni.gualdi@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

 

I created a DB with PostgreSql 8.0.0beta4, and filled it up with data. It is installed on Windows 2000 server.

 

I turned off the service for some regular maintainance,

but for some reasons the PostgreSQL service cannot restart anymore.

I get the following error:

 

"Could not start the PostgreSQL Database Server [version # inserted here]
service on local computer.
The service did not return an error. This could be an internal Windows
error or an internal service error.
If the problem persists, contact your system administrator."

 

I've no idea what could cause the problem, but looking on the net i found that it could be a bug of the beta releases of postgres.

Anyway, i tried to turn of as many services as i could from my server, but it's still impossible to run the postgresql service.

 

 

Now my big problem is

how to get the data out of the DB, since i don't have any recent dump of the data (I've just the backup of the schema).

 

I tried all ways to copy the

\data directory and all its content inside a working installation of PostgreSQL 8.0

(not of 8.0.0beta4 since I cannot find anywhere the those installation files),

 

I also updated the paths in \data\postmaster.conf and \data\global\config_exec_params,

but the service crashes as soon as I try to run it: the error is the same as before.

(NET HELPMSG 3534, very useful =)

 

I even tried to uninstall 8.0.0beta4, keeping the \data directory, and then installing on it the new 8.0, but still I have the same problem.

 

i've no idea why i cannot run it...

should I change any configuration file?

or is there a compatibility issue between 8.0.0beta4 and 8.0? (strange...)

or is the DB files corrupted in any way? (strange, since the server didn't have any error or interruption...)

 

is there any way,

any utility, to recover the data of a postgres DB just starting from the file system?

 

thanks in advance,

Giovanni