Help recovering from a failed HDD

[hyukj]

Hi, long story short I had a disk read error on my HDD (Samsung 1TB). I'm running it externally off a different laptop (Windows 7). I tried Recova since I have used it successfully in the past; I had to run a quick format on my drive because it was displaying as raw However, Recova is not working. As in, it never gets past stage 1, hangs at 0% and didn't move for over 12 hours. (Regular scans fail, this is a deep scan I'm attempting. I know a 1TB HDD is going to take a while, but I'd assume there would be some sort of progress after 12 hours... and when I canceled it, no, no partial data was recorded as found by the program.)

So, I decided to try using Photorec instead. Problem is that when I try to run Photorec, it sticks at "disk identification, please wait". Same thing on TestDisk, it just doesn't get past attempting initial identification. The thing is that I ran TestDisk yesterday and it was working just fine. So I need help narrowing down whether this is a problem with my failed HDD or a problem with the system I'm using to run the programs. Yes, I installed a new version of TestDisk/Photorec, and also reinstalled an updated Recova before using it.

Yesterday TestDisk displayed the partitions for the bad HDD, so I'm assuming the data is recoverable if I can get a program working. But that's just as hopeful assumption.

Any insight, let me know. Thanks.

 

[fzabkar]

Formatting is data destructive. If you manage to recover your data, it will be despite formatting it, not because you formatted it.

I would begin by determing the physical state of the drive. To this end I would examine the SMART report with a tool such as CrystalDiskInfo.

http://crystalmark.info/software/CrystalDiskInfo/index-e.html

Look for reallocated, pending, or uncorrectable sectors.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey hyukj. You could also try some of the solutions listed in this thread: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1644496/lost-data-recovery.html
And just as @fzabkar said, you shouldn't have formatted before trying to recover the data, even if the partitions appeared as "RAW". You could also try and access the drive with Linux Live USB/CD to see if you have any luck this way. If you have any reason to think that the drive might failing, I'd recommend that the first thing you do, when you access it - is to get any important data you have on it ASAP and then run the tests from the diagnostic tool.

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

 

[hyukj]

Hey hyukj. You could also try some of the solutions listed in this thread: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1644496/lost-data-recovery.html
And just as @fzabkar said, you shouldn't have formatted before trying to recover the data, even if the partitions appeared as "RAW". You could also try and access the drive with Linux Live USB/CD to see if you have any luck this way. If you have any reason to think that the drive might failing, I'd recommend that the first thing you do, when you access it - is to get any important data you have on it ASAP and then run the tests from the diagnostic tool.

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

Hi,

I did the quick format as I was reassured mumultiple times that it doesn't lose data, only reformats into a file system that can be recognized by a program like Recova. Furthermore I have done this with a different failed HDD in the past with absolute success, the issue I'm having now is that Recova does not do anything beyond "calculating the left" aand leaving all scans at 0%. As I can't actually undo the quick format I would like to move past "should have/shouldn't have done"s and into something that can actually help me now.

Anyway. Photorec was eventually able to recognize my HDD, so I ran a scan using that but it kept running into bad sectors. CrystalDisk didn't seem to recognize the HDD so I can't tell how bad it is, and I'm unwilling to run ChkDsk until I either recover data or decide to cut my losses. I'm considering moving this over to the Piriform forums to see if anyone can help me figure out why Recova keeps getting stuck.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

I'm sorry if it sounded like this. My intentions were only to inform you so that you know it from now on and not repeat the same mistake. It's true that when you format a hard drive, basically all the data is still there, but it's just unreadable by the OS, so a good data recovery program should help. It sounds like the drive has started to fail if it hasn't failed already, having in mind you're having such issues with a bunch of data recovery programs and a diagnostic tool. Most likely your best option would be a professional solution such as a data recovery company. Don't hesitate to post the thread wherever you think you might get help. Someone might recommend a solution which might work for you and this is a chance you shouldn't miss, especially if the data is important.

Best of luck with retrieving your data. I hope that everything turns out fine in the end.

 

[fzabkar]

HD Sentinel may be able to retrieve the SMART data.

ISTM that your only DIY opportunity would be to clone your drive, sector by sector, using a tool that understands how to work around bad media (eg ddrescue) and then run data recovery software against the clone.

Ddrescue can perform multipass cloning. It clones the easy sectors on the first pass, and attempts the more difficult ones on subsequent passes. It can also clone your drive in reverse, thereby disabling lookahead caching. It keeps a log, allowing it to resume after an interruption.

http://www.gnu.org/software/ddrescue/ddrescue.html

Ubuntu Rescue Remix:
http://ubuntu-rescue-remix.org/

Install Ubuntu Rescue Remix to a Flash Drive:
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/install-ubuntu-rescue-remix-to-a-flash-drive/

Clone a failing Windows hard disk with ddrescue on Ubuntu Rescue Remix:
http://keystoneisit.blogspot.com/2011/08/clone-failing-windows-hard-disk-with.html

Although this is not usually a problem with Samsung drives, one thing you could try would be to gently clean the HDA contacts with a soft pencil eraser. See the top left corner of the following PCB:

http://ep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-14437584971410/91311198-7.gif