Data recovery from semi-partioned external drive - Disk Utility

In a hurry to erase a DVD-RW over the weekend I stupidly started to erase an external HD!
In DU's disk list I selected my main external USB HD and clicked erase... I noticed when the progress bar said 'Partitioning' and realised that this wasn't an optical disk. I quit DU as quickly as I could (about 2 seconds into the erase) but fear now that my data is not recoverable.
Can anyone explain the erase process when this command is executed?
I have Disk Warrior and Tech Tool to help recover data but I'd like to know a bit more about what I'm doing. Opening a Finder window and the HD is empty. Showing hidden files through Onyx only shows hidden OS files. Does DU start by erasing the directory file? If so is my data likely to be intact and recoverable?
It is a Barracuda 500gb disk, which contains around 210gb of movies, music, photos, letters, website masters, and other important stuff. I was planning to get a 2nd HD to start backing up but thought it was pretty safe for now as it's a new disk and I wouldn't do anything as stupid as to accidentally erase it...
Any help or tips you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Follow-up and further headaches...
I used Data Rescue 2 to thoroughly scan the hard disk and identify the vast majority of files on the disk, despite the absence of the directory (I didn't use Disk Warrior until after the scan/salvage, DW couldn't successfully replace the directory to reflect the data on the disk). I have salvaged everything I could to other external HDs.
DR2 identified 2 groups of data: CBR content, with files organised by type, and the folder hierarchy as it was originally.
I salvaged the original hierarchy, only to find out later that the files were in fact 'ghosts' (filename intact, file icon present, and file size as it should be) which can't be opened by any associated app.
So, I have gone back to salvage the data by CBR content, which is all intact and openable, but virtually unusable: Generic file types like JPEG, MP3, AVI etc are fine to an extent, but I have no idea where to find my website master (domain.sites2) for example! Plus all of these files by type have been given sequential file-type names which makes sorting through a near-impossible task.
Is there any way I can merge the two lots of data to have my original hierarchy with the data of CBR?

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Data recovery from serially installed hard drives

Like many other users on these boards, by X205 is refusing to boot.
My question: How can I recover the data on my hard drives, since there are two of them?
I ran a search to find all of the files I wanted (*.jpg in this case), and the search came back with hundreds of files (photos) that I am trying to recover....but it won't let me open them up.
I'm guessing since the drives are installed in series in this machine, somehow I need to find a way to read them both to access these files?
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> {quote:title=rok_hunter wrote:}{quote}
> Like many other users on these boards, by X205 is refusing to boot.
>
> My question: How can I [recover the data on my hard drives , since there are two of them?
>
> I ran a search to find all of the files I wanted (*.jpg in this case), and the search came back with hundreds of files (photos) that I am trying to recover....but it won't let me open them up.
> I'm guessing since the drives are installed in series in this machine, somehow I need to find a way to read them both to access these files?
>
> Any help is appreciated!
You might be able to hook it up externally and run some data recovery software on the drive...
That being said, you'd need probably need to buy the software, since this type of recovery is a little more advanced and will need to rebuild the control table/data.

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Dear All,
I am trying to backup my Mac Mini to a Firewire drive with an image file (dmg) using Disk Utility. But I get this error: "Unable to create dmg. Resource busy." That is due to my startup disk being my Mini which I'd like to backup. So I've tried to make a backup drive with a working system 10.4.10 folder, but found that my Mini did not come with install disks. Dragging and dropping the files from the Mini to an external disk does not result in a hard disk that can be used as a startup disk. Is this normal? When I opened the Mac Mini package it did not indicate that I was due to find install disks.
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Long time mac user --- this one has me stumped.
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Daryl, Welcome to the discussion area!
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Is that what you have?
In your system information you list an Intel based iMac. If that is what you are discussing you should post in the Intel based iMac discussion area.

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sigh
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http://ftp.georgetek.com/George/DiskUtilMS-DOS.png
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JL9283 wrote:
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Data recovery from semi-partioned external drive - Disk Utility

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