Solved Best method/tool for cloning a failing HDD for Data Recovery?

[theTechLord]

Hi theTechLord,

Welcome to this thread.

Can you please elaborate on how to use the Free version of ISOBuster to clone a failing Hard Disk?

Take the case of nkaufman here.. He has a failing System Disk on his laptop.

What should he do with ISObuster to clone this drive to the new drive? Will the free version do it?

A step by step procedure starting from the installation of ISObuster culminating in the successful cloning to a new drive will help the users. And that is our intention of discussing it here.. ( I am not the affected party. )

IsoBuster has many paid features, but the most important feature, making managed Images is completely free.
But i really fell in love with IsoBuster, so i did buy the pro version.

That's why Managed Images are the most complete backup possibility of a drive:

• Every Section is included in the Backup
• You can recover lost/deleted files/directories from the Image
• Will back up every byte and the fragmentation-order, exactly the way it's present on the data storage device itself.
• Will include the optical layer of a disc
• You can pause/abort/resume/complete such an image, whenever you want.
• Every type of data-storage, where the computer has direct access to the file system, is supported by IsoBuster.
• If a section is not readable very good, IsoBuster will not give up that easily. Skipped sections can be completed at any time.
• If the computer can't read a file completely, Windows Explorer does ask you to retry. If you abort, the file will not be backed up at all. IsoBuster's IBQ/IBP-Images back up everything, which is readable.
• Full File Attributes are included into the managed image, including the last access/last-changed/creation-date
• Position/Extents of files/folders on the file system is also included
• It's like a 1:1-Copy of a HDD.
• Partition type(Logical/Primary)/name/file system type/label is also included.
• The developer of IsoBuster is very nice and offers best service.

Just try it once, it is truly worthed it.
I hope, this helped. Good luck

 

[jumanji]

Does not help anybody in anyway..

Give step by step procedure not features.

Take the case nkaufman's case. Exactly what he should do to clone his failing system drive using ISOBuster.? Will the bad sectors be recovered? To start with do you want him to install ISObuster on his failing drive?

Do you want me to spell out the step by step procedure of using ddrescue?

That only will help the user.

Don't chirp. Be practical. I have ISOBuster for ages and the current pro version 3.6 too and licenced.. Nothing new to me.

I haven't seen even a single user who has cloned his failing hard drive using ISObuster, free or paid. (We don't need a 1:1 Copy with the same unreadable sectors.) If you have done it spell the step by step procedure.

If you don't know please ask the developer, Peter whether a failing system drive as in nkaufman's case can be cloned and substituted successfully recovering the data in bad sectors and let us know.

 

[theTechLord]

Does not help anybody in anyway..

Give step by step procedure not features.

Take the case nkaufman's case. Exactly what he should do to clone his failing system drive using ISOBuster.? Will the bad sectors be recovered? To start with do you want him to install ISObuster on his failing drive?

Do you want me to spell out the step by step procedure of using ddrescue?

That only will help the user.

Don't chirp. Be practical. I have ISOBuster for ages and the current pro version 3.6 too and licenced.. Nothing new to me.

I haven't seen even a single user who has cloned his failing hard drive using ISObuster, free or paid. (We don't need a 1:1 Copy with the same unreadable sectors.) If you have done it spell the step by step procedure.

If you don't know please ask the developer, Peter whether a failing system drive as in nkaufman's case can be cloned and substituted successfully recovering the data in bad sectors and let us know.

Well, that's not exactly cloning, what IsoBuster does, but it's the best thing you can do, if your Hard Drive starts to get trouble or dead sections etc.
Those IBQ/iBP-Images will rescue everything, which is still able to be rescued.

 

[nkaufman]

jumanji -

Looking at the examples from - GNU ddrescue Manual

Example 1: Rescue a whole disc with two ext2 partitions in /dev/hda to /dev/hdb.
Note: you do not need to partition /dev/hdb beforehand, but if the partition table on /dev/hda is damaged, you'll need to recreate it somehow on /dev/hdb.
ddrescue -f -n /dev/hda /dev/hdb mapfile
ddrescue -d -f -r3 /dev/hda /dev/hdb mapfile
fdisk /dev/hdb
e2fsck -v -f /dev/hdb1
e2fsck -v -f /dev/hdb2

it seems that we need to specify mapfile or logfile, not recovery.log.

dragonballz4 in the thread you mentioned earlier, indicated that there is a difference between log and logfile and that led me to do some research and I landed on the above website.

Any thoughts?

But this site - Ddrescue - ForensicsWiki has something else
These two examples are taken directly from the ddrescue info pages.
Example 1: Rescue an ext2 partition in /dev/hda2 to /dev/hdb2
Please Note: This will overwrite ALL data on the partition you are copying to. If you do not want to do that, rather create an image of the partition to be rescued.

ddrescue -r3 /dev/hda2 /dev/hdb2 logfile
e2fsck -v -f /dev/hdb2
mount -t ext2 -o ro /dev/hdb2 /mnt

​

Example 2: Rescue a CD-ROM in /dev/cdrom

ddrescue -b 2048 /dev/cdrom cdimage logfile
​

write cdimage to a blank CD-ROM

This example is derived from the ddrescue manual.
Example 3: Rescue an entire hard disk /dev/sda to another disk /dev/sdb
copy the error free areas first
ddrescue -n /dev/sda /dev/sdb rescue.logattempt to recover any bad sectors
ddrescue -r 1 /dev/sda /dev/sdb rescue.log

So my head is hurting now
I need to get some rest.

 

[sdowney717]

There is also a program called 'ddrscuelog' which can be run to view the mapfile ddrescue creates, it will have all sorts of data as to what happened during the rescue.

GNU ddrescue Manual

14 Invoking ddrescuelog

The format for running ddrescuelog is:

ddrescuelog [options] mapfile
Use '-' as mapfile to read the mapfile from standard input or to write the mapfile created by '--create-mapfile' to standard output.

ddrescue is pretty neat program.

An example they give is this
ddrescue -f /dev/hda /dev/hdb mapfile
then
ddrescuelog -d mapfile

1. So do the recovery.
2. Then read the mapfile ddrescue created, which I suppose has the info your thinking of with recovery.log, which I suppose is the 'mapfile' ddrescue creates since that is what you called it when you ran your ddrescue command.

to run ddrescuelog command you have to be at the same command prompt as when you ran the first command at a linux command prompt.

It is also possible ddrescue deleted the mapfile, I saw an option for ddrescue to do that when it finishes.
Otherwise the mapfile should still be there.

 

[jumanji]

A new version 1.2 of ddrescue was released on 14 Sep 2015. It has many changes. The logfile is renamed as mapfile. "NOTE: In versions of ddrescue prior to 1.20 the mapfile was called 'logfile'. The format is the same; only the name has changed."

The latest version of SystemRescueCD 4.6.0 was released on 08 Sep 2015 prior to the release of 1.2 ddrescue. So the old notation logfile holds.

Anshad Edavana used Parted Magic to run ddrescue in it. But Parted Magic became commercial at some point of time. If one is using a old version of Parted Magic which was free prior to that date then he should still use logfile name since it will only have older version of ddrescue.

Linux distros that have ddrescue tool in it may not have the latest version of ddrescue but one can update the ddrescue in it just as we update versions in Windows.ddrescue can also be installed in Linux distros that don't have it by default. But we are not Linux users .

I specifically chose SystemRescueCD as the ddrescue source since it is updated frequently incorporating latest version of the tools. So one can expect that the next version of SystemRescueCD will have ddrescue 1.2 and then the commandline will be something like

ddrescue -f -r3 -v -n /dev/sdd /dev/sdc mapfile

That still does not answer where exactly is the logfile/mapfile and how to read it. That is for the younger more energetic and resourceful nkaufman and sdowney717 to deal with.

 

[nkaufman]

That still does not answer where exactly is the logfile/mapfile and how to read it. That is for the younger more energetic and resourceful nkaufman and sdowney717 to deal with.

To be more specific, all we need is how to get to logfile/mapfile. I think we have a few viewer tools that we can use to view the logs but first need to get our hands on that darn log

Perhaps we wait for someone to clone their failing disk and suggest mapfile this time and see if the log is saved on the flash drive.

If even that does not work then the next step is specifying a folder on flash drive to save the log (as done by Anshad and dragonballz4).

Those are the 2 options that I can think of to come up with the final command to be run in these cases.

 

[lc007]

I stumbled upon this post and registered to ask if anything more can be done for my laptop hard drive.

My 3-year-old Toshiba laptop 640G hard drive crashed a week ago. It still shows up in BIOS with correct name and size but won't boot up to windows or anything else (safe mode, recovery, etc.) Using a Win7 repair disk also leads to an empty screen. I take the disk out, put it in a USB disk enclosure and plug in another computer. It doesn't show up in Windows Explorer or Disk Management. I downloaded "Test Disk" but it doesn't recognize this disk either.

Since the only place I can see it is in the original laptop under BOIS, I put it back in the slot. I tried to boot with BootMed live DVD, then after reading this post, SystemRescueCD flash drive. Both result in "PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable" error even though I changed the boot sequence to put DVD or USB ahead of HD in BIOS.

I already ordered another hard drive and will clean install Win7. Is there anything else I could try to recover files on the old drive?

Thanks for your help.

 

[jumanji]

Welcome to Seven Forums.

When you boot with SystemRescueCD pendrive ( are you using the one time boot menu?) when boot is completed do you get the prompt root @ sysreccd /root%?

If not, I am afraid you are not using the onetime boot menu. ( On most PCs you would hit F12 when it starts booting to get the boot device menu from which you will select USB HDD or Usb device to boot from.)

https://craftedflash.com/info/how-boot-computer-from-usb-flash-drive

Alternatively, How To Change the Boot Order (Boot Sequence) in BIOS

 

[lc007]

Thanks for replying Jumanji. I used F2 to get into BIOS then to Boot. I checked F12 1-2 times and it's the same sequence. For me boot never completed with the bad drive inside. It led to endless "PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable, ...................... press any key to continue".

Just to make sure the pen drive was created ok, I used it on a good computer and was able to get to the prompt root.

 

[Layback Bear]

I found this online. I hope it will help.

New Toshiba Satellite - can't boot from CD or USB [Solved] - Boot - Laptop Tech Support

No, when you set "Boot Speed" to "Fast" the system can boot only from the built-in HDD and only internal LCD and keyboard are supported during the boot process. I came across another BIOS setting that I thought would block booting from a USB or CD, but it didn't change my problem.

When booting I can select F8, and have the option to select an HDD, USB or CD/DVD, and when I select either USB or CD/DVD, it seems to check the media ("Media Check") and then "Fails" each time

 

[jumanji]

...

Just to make sure the pen drive was created ok, I used it on a good computer and was able to get to the prompt root.

OK, what happens when you boot from SystemRescueCD on this good computer with your laptop HDD inside the enclosure plugged into it? Did you try it? Check and tell us.

Also check what Layback Bear suggested. Also if your Toshiba laptop is UEFI you have to set the BIOS to Legacy mode to disable secure boot.

 

[theTechLord]

I stumbled upon this post and registered to ask if anything more can be done for my laptop hard drive.

My 3-year-old Toshiba laptop 640G hard drive crashed a week ago. It still shows up in BIOS with correct name and size but won't boot up to windows or anything else (safe mode, recovery, etc.) Using a Win7 repair disk also leads to an empty screen. I take the disk out, put it in a USB disk enclosure and plug in another computer. It doesn't show up in Windows Explorer or Disk Management. I downloaded "Test Disk" but it doesn't recognize this disk either.

Since the only place I can see it is in the original laptop under BOIS, I put it back in the slot. I tried to boot with BootMed live DVD, then after reading this post, SystemRescueCD flash drive. Both result in "PXE-E61: Media test failure, check cable" error even though I changed the boot sequence to put DVD or USB ahead of HD in BIOS.

I already ordered another hard drive and will clean install Win7. Is there anything else I could try to recover files on the old drive?

Thanks for your help.

You want to recover files?
Are you able to boot from Hiren's Boot CD?

Connect another External Drive to the USB-Port of the Computer. The free space storage should be at least as much as all partitions together on the drive you want to recover are.

1. Run IsoBuster from Hiren's Boot CD. (It's 3.0, the newest version is 3.6. But 3.0 is also able to do that.)
2. Then open your Drive in IsoBuster, with the menu in the upper left corner, which displays the list of drives.
3. Select the option, which allows you to take Managed IBQ/IBP images.
4. Save the Image on your external drive.
5. Let IsoBuster run, until the Image is finished. ﴾IsoBuster 3.6 displays progress more accurate [xx,xx %]. The older versions still use xx%.﴿
6. If there are some errors, IsoBuster will ask you to complete an image. Read more about this here.
7. After you completed an image, there will maybe be some unreadable sections (or dead sections) on the drive, which are unreadable. I'm sorry to say, but they are not recoverable. Try it a few times and hope for good luck. I know, how bad it feels, to lose data.

IsoBuster is the best way, to rescue as much data as possible.
Moving data with Windows Explorer will be faulty. It will move some data, but with dead sections on a drive, Windows Explorer is highly confused. IsoBuster knows, how to treat drives with dead sections. Just try it! It's better than doing nothing. There is nothing that you can do wrong there.

 

[lc007]

Layback Bear: my BIOS is set at Normal boot (instead of Fast) and my setup utility is InsydeH20 Rev 3.7, which doesn't have "disable secure boot" option anywhere. No UEFI or Legacy mode either. I searched Toshiba forums and someone mentioned that

try:
boot your lap with boot cd or live cd... if ram is not corrupted live cd or boot cd should work!!!
(cos live or boot cds uses spaces from ram)
if boot and or live cd is not working result could be RAM or mainboard. (never know what xactly striking off)
if boot cd and or live cd is working but hanging in the middle, result IS RAM (frm my experience)

Now I'm thinking on top of my hard drive, maybe my RAM is also damaged? My new hard drive will be here tomorrow. Time will tell if I can install Win7 from DVD/USB.

Jumanji: so far I tried this disk in USB enclosure on 3 good computers. None of them will recognize it. I can see the light blinking and disk spinning with occasional clicking noise but nothing else happened.

TechLord, I will give Hiren's Boot CD a try later on.

Thank you guys for your kind reply. This is truly a helpful and friendly forum. I will spend all effort to get Win7 up and running on the new hard drive in the next few days following the wonderful step-by-step tutorial on this site. Then I'll come back and continue to try data recovery on the old disk.

Thanks again.

 

[theTechLord]

[Hide]

Layback Bear: my BIOS is set at Normal boot (instead of Fast) and my setup utility is InsydeH20 Rev 3.7, which doesn't have "disable secure boot" option anywhere. No UEFI or Legacy mode either. I searched Toshiba forums and someone mentioned that

try:
boot your lap with boot cd or live cd... if ram is not corrupted live cd or boot cd should work!!!
(cos live or boot cds uses spaces from ram)
if boot and or live cd is not working result could be RAM or mainboard. (never know what xactly striking off)
if boot cd and or live cd is working but hanging in the middle, result IS RAM (frm my experience)

Now I'm thinking on top of my hard drive, maybe my RAM is also damaged? My new hard drive will be here tomorrow. Time will tell if I can install Win7 from DVD/USB.

Jumanji: so far I tried this disk in USB enclosure on 3 good computers. None of them will recognize it. I can see the light blinking and disk spinning with occasional clicking noise but nothing else happened.

TechLord, I will give Hiren's Boot CD a try later on.

Thank you guys for your kind reply. This is truly a helpful and friendly forum. I will spend all effort to get Win7 up and running on the new hard drive in the next few days following the wonderful step-by-step tutorial on this site. Then I'll come back and continue to try data recovery on the old disk.

Thanks again.

[/HIDE]


Hello. Thanks for your Kind Reply, but please use quote/mention, otherways there is a risk, that the person, who you're replying to, does not see your post.
Here's a thread from another famous vBulletin-Based Forum: Please make use of the QUOTE/MENTION-Feature - XDA Forums

I hope, this helped

 

[lc007]

Jumanji, I made progress but I'm afraid it's bad news for my drive.

1. According to some other posts here, I reset my BIOS with F9 then F10. Turn off computer, take out battery, hold power down for 30 sec.

2. I re-burned the key drive with the partition scheme set for "BIOS and UEFI". Last time I used UEFI. Plug in SystemRescueCD pen drive with the bad drive inside and boot (I didn't plug in external hard drive just to see if it could boot).

I don't know which of the above helped but I was able to boot into SystemRescueCD. It got hang up at a couple of places for so long that I thought it failed for sure. But eventually it arrived at root@sysresccd/root%.

Now I plugged in my 1TB external hard drive and did fdisk -l. The list is

disk/dev/loop0: 325 MiB, 340746240 bytes, 665520 sectors................................(is this what's remained of my hard drive?)

dev/sdb1 3.8G (pen drive)

dev/sdc1 128M
dev/sdc2 931.4G (external drive)

Please let me know what more I can do at this point. Thanks!

 

[RolandJS]

"...The point one should note here is that here we are interested in cloning a failing hard drive and not a conventional imaging software for backing up a normally working HDD or cloning to transfer the OS from a platter drive to SSD or another HDD..."

Amongst the top ten, here are four software-based data recovery programs: Steller Phoonix, R-Studio, Restorer Ultimate, MiniTool Power Data Recovery -- I have licenses for and have installed [on 3 computers] the last two mentioned.
If a failing HD spin-time is probably, possibly, potentially, measured in 2-3 hours, if not longer, then the only way I can see to go at this is: ASK lots of questions as to where most of the important data folders and files reside, based on the answers, attempt to rifle in, rather than shotgun around, and hopefully recover whatever can be recovered. If one believes a HD will last at least one full day -- go for a sector by sector clone or imaging, if not - go for an intelligent imaging.
I believe Steller and R-Studio boast about being able to work-around if not through bad sectors/clusters. I can't remember Restorer Uitimate or MiniTool being very effective on fast-failing hard-drives.
If folders and files are super critical, one probably has to ship drive to a bonifide data recovery place that specializes in hardware-level recovery -- make sure one brings thousands of dollars to the table for what may well be "un-recognizable" results.

** I kinda sorta speed-read through this very good topic!! I hope I didn't miss the point **

 

[jumanji]

Hi Ic007,

SystemRescueCD while booting will halt at two places waiting for your input .One is for keyboard selection and the other is I think network enable. If you do not enter any selection it will go by the default selection and continue after 20 seconds. To cut it short when it halts for your input just press enter to continue with the default selection.

Now your internal drive for whatever reason is shown as a loop device. That is a Linux term about which I do not have any idea and I hadn't encountered such a situation. Whatever your internal drive to be cloned is not shown properly.

At this point I would advice you to take out your internal drive ( It is 850GB if I remember correct), put it inside a working enclosure and plug it into your Toshiba laptop alongwith the 1TB external drive on which you want to clone. Now run SystemRescue CD.Give the command fdisk -l. Do your drives show up as sda, sdb and sdc.? Now tell me the capacities of sda, sdb and sdc to identify which is what. Then we will proceed to the next command. It will help if you take a camera shot and post it. Otherwise read the screen carefully and let me know the capacities.

 

[sdowney717]

ddrescue mapfile and logfile location?

In curiosity I asked about said logfile for ddrescue. It is created in the directory from where the program is run.
There are no file names in the logfile, just sector information.
The file will be gone since it is a temporary boot of a linux OS as in you're booting a non persistent liveusb or just a livecd, so if you want it, copy before rebooting.

 

[lc007]

jumanji and sdowney717, I spent the last few days doing clean install of Win7 on my new hard drive. Now it's up and running with all the updates and my programs. I'm reading up on system backup. Once I finish the backup, I'll come back tackling ddrescue. Thanks for the suggestions.