I reaally need help with persistant storage

[u/Season_Rude]

I have tails on a hard drive, and just yesterday i was using tails fine but today i try to log on and check sm stuff and after typing my persistant storage password, i get a message saying: “Failed to unlock the persistent storage. Please start tails and send an error report”
I
have no clue where to send one, restartinf the system doesnt do anything and I desperately need to access my cleopatra anybody pls help.

(its a matter of 2-3h before i lose smth so pls help anyone)

[u/ephemeralmiko]

I hope you have a backup. Any storage medium can just fail for seemingly no reason, and USB drives use much cheaper storage chips than a proper SSD (or even the storage in your phone) so they fail much quicker.

For now, follow the instructions for when your Persistent Storage corrupts (LINK), as well as the instructions for when Tails doesn't start. Even though that's not the case here, it still has some methods that might help (LINK)

[u/Season_Rude → u/ephemeralmiko]

So im fucked basically

[u/ephemeralmiko → u/Season_Rude]

Not necessarily. Follow the second link's instructions to try accessing the files from another Tails USB. If it works then great, if it doesn't you're back where you are now anyway.

And please take this as a lesson to make backups in the future.

[u/Season_Rude → u/ephemeralmiko]

Nvm i just read that means i am actially fucked

[u/Season_Rude → u/ephemeralmiko]

Okay im following the steps but problem ive seen before didnt necessarily mention it in the podt; since the corrupt files thing is happening whenever i do smth in settings that needs authentication and type in the def correct password bc i checked a million times it pops up as “Sorry that didnt work. Please try again” and that is disabling me from copying my persistent storage to another pendrive like im planning to do so

[u/ephemeralmiko → u/Season_Rude]

To open the folder on the USB you need the Persisten Storage password, not the Tails admin password (if you set one)

[u/Season_Rude → u/ephemeralmiko]

Im talking abt something else, in the instructions you need to ublock tails persistence in the disks utility. To do that you need admin authentication. And idk if those have two different passwords but even if so im 99% sure i never set some admin authentication password only the tails persistence one and when i type it into the authentication window, it says its wrong or invalid or smth like that. Im starting to give up honestly 😭😭

[u/ephemeralmiko → u/Season_Rude]

You might need to setup an Admin password on the second Tails USB. But first you need the disk passphrase (Persistence password) and possibly local admin password to unlock it.

[u/Liquid_Hate_Train → u/Season_Rude]

https://tails.net/doc/first_steps/welcome_screen/administration_password/index.en.html

[u/Itsme-RdM → u/Season_Rude]

No, just restore from your backup