File segment unreadable and data recovery

[Konrad_k]

I have external hdd pluggable via usb. It stopped working immediately. When I connect it to computer with Windows it hangs explorer for about 3 minutes. After this time I get message that disk has to be formatted before usage. Disk has single partition with NTFS file system. Chkdsk without params shows a lot of unreadable file segments. I never let it finish since it takes a lot of time. The question is whether should I try to run chkdsk with /f or /r? The priority for me is to recover data from the hard drive if possible. Does chkdsk overwrites corrupted sectors so that data cannot be recovered or it works more gently and recovers files to unused sectors? Next question is what does it mean when chkdsk shows unreadable file segments of different numbers everytime? If its logical issue it should show the same numbers of corrupted segments until I let it fix it. Am I right?

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, Konrad_k.

If data recovery is your main priority then you shouldn't run chkdsk. Correcting file system errors could result in corrupted data.
Try the drive with a different USB cable and a different computer, to see if the same thing happens.
You could try getting to your files via Ubuntu Live USB/DVD, to see if that OS is capable of recognizing it properly. Another option would be to try data recovery software: https://www.lifewire.com/free-data-recovery-software-tools-2622893.
A professional solution, such as a data recovery company would be the most reliable option of all.

Hope that helps. Good luck!
Boogieman_WD

 

[Konrad_k]

I connected disk to linux system. Mounting drive is not succesful due to consistency errors. However I was able to access data using testdisk utility. It found NTFS partition and full file structure. When I copy data using testdisk 10-20% of data is corrupted (e.g. images are half black). Sometimes it helps to copy the same file twice or more until success. I think nothing more cam be done by myself.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

It sounds like the drive has developed a lot of bad sectors and the software is having trouble reading the data, thus resulting in corrupted files if unable to copy data properly.
Basically what you've left as an option is to keep trying data recovery software or go for a data recovery company.

I hope you're able to get to all the files you need. Fingers crossed!