Stuck in HD recovery loop

I corrupted two non-vital files on hdd0 from linux then tried to use fsck to fix, but the command failed saying some ufs command was missing. At this point, my PS3 was still functional and could boot fine even though there were corrupt files.

Then I made the mistake of trusting Sony's "Restore File System" option in the recovery menu. According to their site, it "Checks for corrupt/missing system files.". It booted into pre-xmb and said:
"The hard disk's file system is corrupted and will be restored" then
"An error occurred during the restore operation. The hard disk must be formatted. All data on the hard disk will be deleted during formatting. Do you want to format?"

I pick no, because I don't want to lose all my data.
It says "Cannot start. The correct hard disk was not found"

Every time I start PS3 I get this. I tried messing with various options in the recovery menu and I tried re-plugging the HD. Yes, I know I can format, but I don't want to. Anyone have any ideas?

DO NOT USE "Restore File System"

First thing I can think of is:
1. get another hdd
2. remove old HDD and replace with new one.
OPTIONAL: Install linux again
3. attached old drive using an external reader and plug into ps3
4. use file manager app (or through linux) and back up your old files back onto your hard drive.

Never tried to test this before, but it might work.