3 TB Hard-Drive: Filesystem Unknown (RAW) after bad disconnection

Angar · 28 Sep 2015

jumanji said:

Put your 3TB Data drive in the dock and view it in Partition Wizard. Right click on the data partition in it, explore and confirm that it shows all your rar files. Just to make sure that the data is all there.

It still is, no problem there. :)

Then put your 4TB destination drive in the dock and start Partition Copy. As to where it should copy show it the 3725.9GB volume with the drive letter.
Note: Make sure that you copy from the 3TB data drive to the 4TB destination drive.

Let us see how it goes. ( Should it fail our next stop will be TestDisk)

Upon selecting the destination partition, PWiz told me the destination device must be an unallocated space. So I chose "Delete partition", which turned it into unallocated. I could then select it as destination.

Unfortunately, to no avail, as the result is still the same as before: the process copies all the data, then goes back to 0% and remains there (step 1 of 2) forever...

Guess we're gonna have to move on to TestDisk after all.

(May I ask you why it was your second choice only after PWizard? Is it only because manipulation errors are easily done and more dangerous with TestDisk, or is there also a question of efficiency/reliability?)

(PS. a new capture showing _current_ of both drives under PW: 4TB 2nd partition now unallocated following my deleting it to make it selectable as destination)

jumanji · 28 Sep 2015

We always prefer to use PW first since it is much easier. ( That is the one line explanation :))

Before we move on to TestDisk please do the following:

On your 3TB data drive:

Start > All Programs > Accessories > rightclick on Command Prompt > Run as Administrator

against the Command prompt type fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo O:
Note: If your 3TB data drive is not O: them replace O: with the correct drive letter.

Post the screenshot. It should look like the below screen run on my external drive L: ( By this we are going to determine the Physical Sector size of your 3TB data drive.)

3 TB Hard-Drive: Filesystem Unknown (RAW) after bad disconnection-28-09-2015-18-29-14.jpg

On your 4TB Destination drive:

Format it and keep it ready. (You may also run the same command on your 4TB Destination drive after formatting.Put the correct drive letter. Post it for the record.)

Angar · 28 Sep 2015

jumanji said:

Before we move on to TestDisk please do the following:

On your 3TB data drive:
[...]
against the Command prompt type fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo O:

Unfortunately not possible -- that would be too easy, right?!

You may have forgotten that the disc's filesystem is currently unrecognized (RAW)
Upon validating the above command line for volume O: (cf. screenshot), here's the translation of the reply:
"Error: The file or folder is corrupted and unreadable.

FSUTIL command needs an NTFS local volume."

As for volume Z: (ie. the 4TB destination drive), I formatted it and ran same FSUTIL command line for it (same screenshot -- you should hopefully be able to get it all despite the annoying all-french display).

Next step is I suppose to find a workaround to determine the physical sector size of the damaged drive...
I sure hope you've got more ideas on the way to do so, cause I'd be helpless about it myself!

:)

jumanji · 28 Sep 2015

Oops....... my bad. I forgot that your Data Drive is RAW

.

Never mind. We shall go through the TestDisk process nevertheless. And you have made my job easy already.

Go back to your first post where you have put out the TestDisk Screenshots.

The first,second, third, fourth and fifth Screenshots are OK. So Repeat the same.

When you come to the fifth Screen where it says " Structure OK, Blah, blah ....." if you read it carefully - or even casually - you will find "P: list files" and that is what you will do instead of hitting on enter to continue.

So you will press Shift+P that is capital P to list the files.

If the files are listed thank heavens and copy those to your destination drive.

But even before doing all that read this on how to copy the files listed by TestDisk to get an idea.
My external hard drive suddenly became unllocated:

I am now taking a deep breath and going to sleep after my "before Bed" moka pot coffee and see you/your post after another 12 hours.

( Don't worry if the files are not listed.Just quit TestDisk. Tomorrow we may still dig out with TestDisk's File System Utilities to see what is wrong with the file system and repair it with TestDisk if possible. I may have to dig out my own posts here from this ocean where we had done it - for I remember nothing after three days )

Angar · 29 Sep 2015

Still a bit more complications than expected I'm afraid, I give you the details:

First, given I now use a supporting enclosure, some of the TestDisk steps I did in my 1st post have changed a bit (I include the screens below).

Quick Search (Analyse Cylinder)

Contrary to before (with my old incompatible enclosure), choosing Quick Search doesn't immediately display the next step.
Instead, I have this above intermediary screen, with the "Analyse Cylinder x/364800: 73%" line (it does start at 73% directly). With x incrementing by 1 every 3 or 4 seconds, having quickly calculated that I would need to wait for at least 81 hours for it to reach 100%, I have no choice but to choose "Stop", which then displays the next expected screen as before (the one you mentioned, with "Structure: Ok, etc."). When I then choose to list the files with shift+P, I receive the following error screen:

File System damaged

...And that's where I'm at now. You told me not to worry in case I couldn't list the files, so I try not to!

Just hope that the filesys issue isn't anything too serious...

Finally, I have also 2 quick questions at this point (merely out of curiosity, mind you):
- How come Partition Wizard is able to list all the files while TestDisk isn't? (I imagine it isn't the same process involved, ie. the listing files process that PW displays doesn't allow it to then recover them while TestDisk's process does, or sth along these lines)
- Didn't notice it before, but the Partition Structure step (see screen below -- which is identical with the new enclosure to what was displayed with the old one in my first post) shows that there are in fact not just one but 2 reserved partitions at the beginning of the disc (or are they one and the same?), and I was wondering why -- and then why PW only displays one and not he two...

jumanji · 29 Sep 2015

OK, it now appears that the MFT in your 3TB data drive is corrupted. Usually TestDisk does not repair a corrupted MFT.

In any case we shall go ahead with TestDisk and see what it tells or does..

Go back to your first post TestDisk screenshots, First screen - OK Second screen -OK When you come to third Screen, instead of [Analyse] select [Advanced] File system Utils and press enter. The next screen should show you the partition. Select it - if it is not already selected. Your screen will appear something like in this post. External hard drive visible in Partition Magic but not explorer With the right/Left arrow key move to the [Boot] tab and press enter. The next screen should show the status of Boot Sector and backup boot sector.

Post the screenshot.

If it shows any one of the boot sectors is not OK ,then halt here and wait for my instructions after posting the screenshot.

Only if it shows both the bootsector and backup boot sector status -OK , then move to [Repair MFT] tab at the bottom and press Enter.

Post the next screen.

At anytime you can quit TestDisk by clicking on the X on the top bar.

(For your reference and info only I am giving the following links. These two threads will give you a lot of info but do not follow what was done there. That is only for your info and understanding the process involved.

External hard drive visible in Partition Magic but not explorer

External HDD - K:/ is not accessible

Putting those here also will make it easy for me to dig out in future.)

jumanji · 29 Sep 2015

I hasten to add that even if TestDisk fails to repair the Master File Table, you can recover the .rar files and many other formats using PhotoRec in TestDisk.

If for any reason, PhotoRec also fails to recover the data then you may have to buy the commercial Getdataback Simple to recover the data.

But we shall go step by step.

Angar · 29 Sep 2015

Ok, here are all the steps in screenshots.
The final one states the mirror was fixed (although I don't quite get how, and what for, since both were stated as identical anyway in the previous screen...), but I somehow doubt this is the end of it and everything is back to ok for my drive yet, is it?

Standing by for the next steps... :)

jumanji · 29 Sep 2015

That is a little bit confusing. Let us see what is in store now.

Now repeat the same steps until you come to the first screen in your last post#38. Instead of [Boot], select
[List] and press enter. What happens? Post the screenshot.

Angar · 29 Sep 2015

Here you are...
It lists the proper and complete content of the root of that partition, just like explore under PW.

(On a side note though, I opened PWizard again just on a whim, and I'm getting real worried now as something's changed!!
Where before was stated "603 GB" of unused space on the data partition -- check here from one of my previous posts --, it now states there is "659 GB" of unused space, which means the data partition has been touched! Is it due to the fixing attempt of the MFT? And is it a normal effect?

As you understand, seeing that the unused space increased, even only a bit, doesn't reassure me. I can only hope it is an expected side-effect of previous manipulations and no actual data was removed in any way...)