Zapped /etc,/bin,/dev ... how to recover user files?

[paul kirkaas]

I am posting this instead of e-mailing it, so if what I suggest is certain
disaster, someone reading this who knows better can save my
potential victim from harm.

With that disclaimer, I think that all you have to do is "update" your
operating system by reloading the system disks.  You will be asked if
you are installing a new system or upgrading an old one.  Tell your 3b1
that you are just upgrading to a newer os and you want to save all old user
files.  (Before you do that, you should probably rename or delete the
spurious /etc, /bin, ... files/directories.

I bet that will work.  Take a chance.


Paul Kirkaas
kirkaas at cs.ucla.edu