[SOLVED] Master File Table corrupt, chkdsk fails

[system100m]

3TB Seagate HD, MFT corrupt. Windows can't access the disk, asks to format. Running either chkdsk or bootrec with any of the scan and recovery options - fails. Partition Managers fail to fix anything on the HD. I can only access some of the individual files using EaseUS Recovery, but there are hundred of thousands of them and there's no folder structure. Anything else I can do to try to make the MFT fixed? Maybe a special tool?

 

[TerryLaze]

testdisk is a special and free tool to get your original partition table back, but if easeus failed to do this (if you tried) then chances are that it's just not possible to recover it.

You will have to just recover the files to a different disk and then sort through them.

 

[fzabkar]

Start by assessing the physical state of the drive by examining its SMART report with a tool such as CrystalDiskInfo. Look for reallocated, pending or uncorrectable sectors.

https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskinfo/

The free version of DMDE may be able to work with a partially corrupt $MFT. Can you show us DMDE's Partitions window?

https://dmde.com/

 

[system100m]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/189Bau4IL0VyJyvQmbo6jJ2wkHxEumWc0/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Kx7UenXt_Fe92rerCDQF6LIOfvjList3/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16z07Jb3z6J2TurcV0vi4rINQ8q58_bH9/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OT2XVyYNWjE4sWZSq0ArCOj0xXssW_fk/view?usp=sharing

 

[system100m]

Thanks, posted links to screenshots from both Crystal and DMDE, does it tell something?

I can basically see the files once scanned by EaseUS but if I try to recover them most of them would be corrupt and wouldn't open. Or it would organize all files by tag, so all images, for example, come out as one big list and no names...

Is there a better tool that would maybe fix the MFT, or at least would recover the RAW files and folders so they do open?

 

[fzabkar]

There are no bad sectors in the SMART report.

DMDE's Indicators are EBCxx. Normally they should be EBCF. This means that DMDE has found a problem with the file system metadata.

If you highlight $Volume 01 and select Open Volume, what do you see? Does DMDE launch into a full scan?

If you select Editor -> Volume Cluster -> dec:786432, do you see a sector beginning with "FILE0"? This would be the first sector of the $MFT.

DMDE's full scan should be able to find your files, but they will probably lack their original names and folders.

 

[system100m]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lAl7DdDfQ7NJXx2ZrohiWWzCBgVgUfxb/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PMoaMvJ2ZijMlNLxdT0FhlCrx4nKWQWu/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WNmcg2vTYWntHX9MBKxqiGy-yIzBr3eQ/view?usp=sharing

Thanks a lot. The menu option shows this as disabled...

 

[fzabkar]

Your only option appears to be a full scan.


Edit:

Your $MFT should begin at physical sector 6553634 (= 262178 + 786432 x 8).

Launch DMDE and select your physical disk.​

Close the Partitions window.​

Select Editor -> Goto Offset -> Sector 6553634​

Mode -> Hexadecimal/Text​

This sector will normally begin with a "FILE0" signature.

You can page down through succeeding sectors. Each MFT record will have a size of 1024 bytes (= 2 sectors) and should have the same signature.