Trying to save a 2.5 GB file from a bad hard drive...

[nod2006]

Hi guys!

I have a hard drive that doesn't want to load. There are some pics here: http://www.megafileupload.com/en/file/598613/HDD-photos-rar.html

I thought that testdisk software would do the job but still waiting for 6 hours already and still tries to loads (see the photo)
Just wanted to save a 2.5 GB file from it and I'm out of ideas.
I'm using the bad hard disk as a slave with another hard drive connected just to be able to save everything on it if I get it right. Hopefully...
I followed the instructions here: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/263779-32-change-file-type-ntfs but I'm stacked to the first step.
Am I doing something wrong?
Now my machine is running Windows 7 Ultimate. Should I try with a Linux distro? Really, I don't know what to try much further that this.
Used even Easeus software before and I waited like a day and half, in the end telling me that is not readable...
Any ideas guys, please?
Thanks a lot...

Regards,

David

 

[nod2006]

am I aloud to provide here my email address?... can't you send it to me through cloud or maybe a link?

 

[okcnaline]

No need for your email address. I uploaded it and here's the link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8iPbgqKkz4nT1NBUmdBbVY5SE0/view?usp=sharing

 

[nod2006]

No need for your email address. I uploaded it and here's the link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8iPbgqKkz4nT1NBUmdBbVY5SE0/view?usp=sharing

Ok, thank you. I've already downloaded it. Just wait till I burn it onto a CD, please. Is this .iso x86? You want me to use it on my Dell laptop? I have to warn you that if I connect that bad slave drive to Dell it will be very slow (maybe because I have only 2.0 USB ports). Now, what I have to do next after I insert your XP CD?

 

[okcnaline]

1) Yes, it's x86.
2) Dell OS discs are KNOWN for only able to install on Dell computers, so I thought maybe it won't work. Since I gave you a generic one, it'll be fine.
3) After you insert the disk, press whatever key that allows you to go into boot device menu. Then let it sit until it is loaded, and then go to "Go">Programs>A43 File Manager. From there you should be able to access the drive, then do your copy and paste procedure.

 

[nod2006]

1) Yes, it's x86.
2) Dell OS discs are KNOWN for only able to install on Dell computers, so I thought maybe it won't work. Since I gave you a generic one, it'll be fine.
3) After you insert the disk, press whatever key that allows you to go into boot device menu. Then let it sit until it is loaded, and then go to "Go">Programs>A43 File Manager. From there you should be able to access the drive, then do your copy and paste procedure.

Here is the outcome: http://www.megafileupload.com/en/file/599151/New-WinRAR-archive--3--rar.html
I don't think that we manage to recover that file... Damn!
There is any other way to do it or do I have to accept the idea that the disk is buggered and throw it into the bin?
Should I try DDrescue as fzabkar told me?

 

[nod2006]

Your drive is seriously ill. The raw values are in hexadecimal. I have converted them to decimal for you.

Reallocated Sectors Count = 0xE49 = 3657
Reported Uncorrectable Errors = 0x87 or 0xFFFF ??? = 135 or 65535
Command Timeouts = 0x8406 ??? = 33798
Reallocation Event Count = 0xE49 = 3657
Current Pending Sector Count = 0x64B = 1611

As you can see, there are several thousand bad sectors (reallocated and pending). I expect that many of these are associated with critical file system components, hence the "raw" file system. That is, the file system is damaged to the extent that Windows cannot mount it.

Ideally you would clone the drive, sector by sector, and then work on the clone, but the drive may seriously deteriorate during this process. Ddrescue would be the best tool for this purpose, as it understands how to work with bad sectors. However, if you could determine the physical location of your file and clone only those sectors, then that would be a better approach, IMHO.

If DMDE can show you a recovery tree (Open Volume), then perhaps you could select your desired file and recover it. Drive -> Device I/O Parameters gives you some options for error handling. For example, you might like to select a fill pattern such as DEADBEEF for any bad sectors.

Can you take me step by step here, please? I'll try also DDrescue...
which one do I have to try first? DDrescue or DDME? Thanks
Must be a bloody way to sort this out...

 

[nod2006]

Your drive is seriously ill. The raw values are in hexadecimal. I have converted them to decimal for you.

Reallocated Sectors Count = 0xE49 = 3657
Reported Uncorrectable Errors = 0x87 or 0xFFFF ??? = 135 or 65535
Command Timeouts = 0x8406 ??? = 33798
Reallocation Event Count = 0xE49 = 3657
Current Pending Sector Count = 0x64B = 1611

As you can see, there are several thousand bad sectors (reallocated and pending). I expect that many of these are associated with critical file system components, hence the "raw" file system. That is, the file system is damaged to the extent that Windows cannot mount it.

Ideally you would clone the drive, sector by sector, and then work on the clone, but the drive may seriously deteriorate during this process. Ddrescue would be the best tool for this purpose, as it understands how to work with bad sectors. However, if you could determine the physical location of your file and clone only those sectors, then that would be a better approach, IMHO.

If DMDE can show you a recovery tree (Open Volume), then perhaps you could select your desired file and recover it. Drive -> Device I/O Parameters gives you some options for error handling. For example, you might like to select a fill pattern such as DEADBEEF for any bad sectors.

I hope you don't mind getting back you. By the looks of it you are very active on different forums and I just want to follow your instructions to sort it out. What's your opinion, should I carry on with DDrescue or should I try DMDE again? Please, just want to try every each piece of software to get it done (if possible)...
Thanks!

 

[fzabkar]

The problem with this drive is twofold. Firstly, the drive has numerous bad sectors and will probably deteriorate quickly as you continue to access it. Secondly, these bad sectors are most likely responsible for the file system corruption, so you will need to scan the drive to locate your desired file. If you can find this file without too much scanning, then that may be the best approach. Otherwise you would use ddrescue to clone the entire partition and then run data recovery software against the clone.

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

If you choose not to clone your drive, then you would search your damaged partition for NTFS components (MFT, INDX fragments) and then reconstruct as much of the file system as possible. You could do this in stages to limit the amount of scanning.

I don't have a damaged file system to test, but I have used the following procedure to locate data on a drive that has been formatted.

Select Drives -> Partitions

R-click the target partition and select NTFS Search with the Partition

Highlight the target NTFS volume and select Open Volume.

If you see a file/folder tree, then navigate through the $Root folder until you see your desired file. After double-clicking the file list, you should see the individual files in another pane. R-click the desired file and select Recover the Object.

If you don't see a folder tree, then select Tools -> Reconstruct File System. Select Parameters and ensure that the "Use NTFS Search Results" box is checked. Repeat the procedure in the previous paragraph to locate your file.

If you still don't see your file, then select Tools -> NTFS Search. Answer Yes to close the opened volume. You will now see your NTFS Search window. Click Start/Stop to continue the search for more fragments. Stop the search after 1%, 2%, 3%, etc and then select Open Volume. Repeat the previous reconstruction procedure to locate your desired file. As before, if you don't see your file, then continue the NTFS search.

You can log the search results to a file by clicking Save.

You can continue a previous search by selecting Load.

 

[nod2006]

The problem with this drive is twofold. Firstly, the drive has numerous bad sectors and will probably deteriorate quickly as you continue to access it. Secondly, these bad sectors are most likely responsible for the file system corruption, so you will need to scan the drive to locate your desired file. If you can find this file without too much scanning, then that may be the best approach. Otherwise you would use ddrescue to clone the entire partition and then run data recovery software against the clone.

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

If you choose not to clone your drive, then you would search your damaged partition for NTFS components (MFT, INDX fragments) and then reconstruct as much of the file system as possible. You could do this in stages to limit the amount of scanning.

I don't have a damaged file system to test, but I have used the following procedure to locate data on a drive that has been formatted.

Select Drives -> Partitions

R-click the target partition and select NTFS Search with the Partition

Highlight the target NTFS volume and select Open Volume.

If you see a file/folder tree, then navigate through the $Root folder until you see your desired file. After double-clicking the file list, you should see the individual files in another pane. R-click the desired file and select Recover the Object.

If you don't see a folder tree, then select Tools -> Reconstruct File System. Select Parameters and ensure that the "Use NTFS Search Results" box is checked. Repeat the procedure in the previous paragraph to locate your file.

If you still don't see your file, then select Tools -> NTFS Search. Answer Yes to close the opened volume. You will now see your NTFS Search window. Click Start/Stop to continue the search for more fragments. Stop the search after 1%, 2%, 3%, etc and then select Open Volume. Repeat the previous reconstruction procedure to locate your desired file. As before, if you don't see your file, then continue the NTFS search.

You can log the search results to a file by clicking Save.

You can continue a previous search by selecting Load.

Am I here on the right track??? http://www.megafileupload.com/en/file/600530/IMG-2911-JPG.html
Thanks mate, I was away that's why I couldn't answer...
I decided to use DDRescue and clone the whole disk. By the looks of it, will take a long time...
I don't understand one thing. When DDrescue is done, What's the next step? What do I have to do to see if the .mov file is on the other hard drive? Now I'm connected to a 500 GB empty HDD (the target drive) through USB 3.0 and the bad slave one (the source drive) also through an USB port. Do I have to disconnect both, restart Windows again and check if the file is on the target one? Or do I have to continue with UbuntuRescueRemix? Step 7 and step 8 from here: http://keystoneisit.blogspot.ro/2011/08/clone-failing-windows-hard-disk-with.html
is what I don't understand:

7. When ddrescue is done, swap out the target disk for the source disk in the PC, and fire it up. It should boot and work as well as the source disk, but without the looming prospect of imminent disk failure.
8. If you have used a larger target disk to clone the source, you may want to expand the partition to use the whole, larger disk. GParted will do the trick. Unfortuantely, this tool is not on the Ubuntu Rescue Remix CD. Parted is, but it will not resize NTFS partitions. You can find GParted on the Ubuntu live CD. You can download it here: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/download. Instructions for using GParted to resize a disk are here: http://gparted.sourceforge.net/larry/resize/resizing.htm.

Regards