Good software for bad sectors?

[mike_noren2002]

I have a 50GB HD which I use for secondary storage, is now about 3
years old, and it seems to have had a major crash. I can't access it
(windows reports "cyclic redundancy check error) & CHKDSK finds tons of
bad sectors then crashes with an "undefined error".
Norton Diskdoctor gets "out of space on drive D:" (in its infinite
wisdom Diskdoctor apparently salvages files to the disk it is reading.
Real good idea there, Symantec).
R-Studio demo finds thousands of bad blocks, but after five hours I had
to abort the analysis - it had then done about 7% of the disk.

I'm pretty sure the HD is hosed, but there's stuff on there I'd like to
be able to salvage, and it seems the HD isn't completely dead;
according to R-Studio it seems about 1/3rd of the files on the HD are
still intact and identifiable.

So the question is this: given a massive HD crash, what is the best
file salvaging software?

Considering how pricy they are, I'd rather not splash out blindly.

 

[mike_noren2002]

Damn, forgot to add system info:
I'm running Windows XP sp2, AMD XP2000+, 512MB RAM, one 120GB IBM
deskstar (NTFS, with the system), 1x 40GB (not 50GB, sorry, my mistake)
IBM deskstar (NTFS, secondary storage).

It's an old & crappy system but it's what I've got.

It's the 40GB drive which've gone bad.

I can not access the drive with any software (I get "CRC error"), but
bizarrely I _can_ run at least one piece of software which is located
on the drive, again suggesting the drive isn't quite dead.

I've now tried a suite of different HD programs: HDDLife, CHKDSK, two
different SMART-reading utilities - and they all crash (yes, they
crash; Windows wants me to send bug report to Microsoft) when they try
to access the HD, so it's apparently died in an interesting way.

Another symptom is that the computer is excruciatingly slow, because
windows keeps retrying to read disk D:, and while it does Windows is
effectively stalled.

 

[Joep]

Another symptom is that the computer is excruciatingly slow, because
windows keeps retrying to read disk D:, and while it does Windows is
effectively stalled.

I'd try to clone the disk first and then use file recovery software on the
clone to see how much files can be salvaged. Google for "bad sector clone"
(drop the quotes) for software that can help.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=nl&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-14,GGLD:nl&q=b
ad+sector+clone&lr=

 

[roman modic]

Hello,

I have a 50GB HD which I use for secondary storage, is now about 3
years old, and it seems to have had a major crash. I can't access it
(windows reports "cyclic redundancy check error) & CHKDSK finds tons of
bad sectors then crashes with an "undefined error".
Norton Diskdoctor gets "out of space on drive D:" (in its infinite
wisdom Diskdoctor apparently salvages files to the disk it is reading.
Real good idea there, Symantec).
R-Studio demo finds thousands of bad blocks, but after five hours I had
to abort the analysis - it had then done about 7% of the disk.

I'm pretty sure the HD is hosed, but there's stuff on there I'd like to
be able to salvage, and it seems the HD isn't completely dead;
according to R-Studio it seems about 1/3rd of the files on the HD are
still intact and identifiable.

So the question is this: given a massive HD crash, what is the best
file salvaging software?

Considering how pricy they are, I'd rather not splash out blindly.

Maybe HDD Regenerator can help, but I doubt it if you have
IBM Deathstar disk:
http://www.dposoft.net/
http://www.pheuron.de/index.htm?deathstar.htm

Roman

 

[chrisv]

(reposted by someone not using Outhouse Express - why does anyone use
that crap?)

I'd try to clone the disk first and then use file recovery software on the
clone to see how much files can be salvaged. Google for "bad sector clone"
(drop the quotes) for software that can help.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=nl&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-14,GGLD:nl&q=bad+sector+clone&lr=

Working links are nice.

 

[Arno Wagner]

Damn, forgot to add system info:
I'm running Windows XP sp2, AMD XP2000+, 512MB RAM, one 120GB IBM
deskstar (NTFS, with the system), 1x 40GB (not 50GB, sorry, my mistake)
IBM deskstar (NTFS, secondary storage).

It's an old & crappy system but it's what I've got.

It's the 40GB drive which've gone bad.

I can not access the drive with any software (I get "CRC error"), but
bizarrely I _can_ run at least one piece of software which is located
on the drive, again suggesting the drive isn't quite dead.

I've now tried a suite of different HD programs: HDDLife, CHKDSK, two
different SMART-reading utilities - and they all crash (yes, they
crash; Windows wants me to send bug report to Microsoft) when they try
to access the HD, so it's apparently died in an interesting way.

Another symptom is that the computer is excruciatingly slow, because
windows keeps retrying to read disk D:, and while it does Windows is
effectively stalled.

<music> "Another one bites the dust..." </music>

Seriously, these disks are known as "Deathstars" for a reason.
Typical failure mode for them is what youa re seeing: Massive
amounts of bad sectors and read errors, very long waits on
reads where the disk tries to read sectors, ...

It will get worse fast and repair is possible but expensive. Most
data recovery outfoits will know the problem. No chance of
doing anythign yourself, except trying to copy important stuff
somewhere else.

Arno

 

[Joep]

(reposted by someone not using Outhouse Express - why does anyone use
that crap?)

bad+sector+clone&lr=

Working links are nice.

It works, but may wrap.

 

[fj]

<music> "Another one bites the dust..." </music>

Seriously, these disks are known as "Deathstars" for a reason.
Typical failure mode for them is what youa re seeing: Massive
amounts of bad sectors and read errors, very long waits on
reads where the disk tries to read sectors, ...

It will get worse fast and repair is possible but expensive. Most
data recovery outfoits will know the problem. No chance of
doing anythign yourself, except trying to copy important stuff
somewhere else.

Deathstars were from the 60GXP and 75GXP family. If the drive isn't from
one of those families, it's not part of the Deathstar phenomon. [From
someone who owned 4 of these beauties]

 

[Mean_Chlorine]

data recovery outfoits will know the problem. No chance of
doing anythign yourself, except trying to copy important stuff
somewhere else.

Yes, I expected as much. What would be good software for doing that,
ie copying the surviving files from the HD?

 

[Mean_Chlorine]

Maybe HDD Regenerator can help, but I doubt it if you have
IBM Deathstar disk:
http://www.dposoft.net/
http://www.pheuron.de/index.htm?deathstar.htm

OK, I'll try that.

 

[Mean_Chlorine]

I'd try to clone the disk first and then use file recovery software on the
clone to see how much files can be salvaged. Google for "bad sector clone"
(drop the quotes) for software that can help.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=nl&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-14,GGLD:nl&q=b
ad+sector+clone&lr=

Thanks.
I tried the first cloning software on the list, HDDWorkbench, but I'm
unsure if it managed to read the disk or not. The disk passes the
'quick' test, but when I do the 'thorough' test the computer grinds to
a halt. I let HDDWorkbench run for 12 hours, and it didn't progress at
all.

If it wasn't for the fact that some files are still OK (Agent, which
I'm writing this on, is located on the failed disk!) I'd toss the
drive and write off the files as a loss, but clearly at least some
files are still there, and it should be possible to somehow copy them
from the HD - but how?

 

[Joep]

Thanks.
I tried the first cloning software on the list, HDDWorkbench, but I'm
unsure if it managed to read the disk or not.

Brilliant. I meant for you to try DiskPatch.

 

[Mean_Chlorine]

Brilliant. I meant for you to try DiskPatch.

OK, I'm on it!

 

[chrisv]

It works, but may wrap.

Your link did not work. Mine did. Plus, look at what you did to the
quoted material?

Why do use that crapware, anyway? There's freeware that is much
better.

 

[Arno Wagner]

Thusly Arno Wagner <[email protected]> Spake Unto All:

Yes, I expected as much. What would be good software for doing that,
ie copying the surviving files from the HD?

Personally I use dd_rescue under Linux, which is tolerant to read errors
and can be used for file, partition and disk copying.

Arno

 

[Mean_Chlorine]

Why do use that crapware, anyway? There's freeware that is much
better.

Such as...?

 

[Joep]

Your link did not work.

Unwrap it and it works. Just tried it.

Mine did.

I do not see a link at all in your message so I can not confirm. Not that I
care. BTW OP did manage to get link going.

Plus, look at what you did to the
quoted material?

I do not care what you think about OE.

Why do use that crapware, anyway?

It's free. Included with Windows.

 

[chrisv]

Such as...?

Free Agent.

 

[Mean_Chlorine]

Free Agent.

Oh, I see. I thought you guys were talking about the disk salvaging
software the link pointed to. Sorry. I use agent myself, highly
recommended.

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

It works, but may wrap.

Nope, v.2800 works fine here.
It doesn't break them but doesn't repair already broken ones either.
Quotefix does that.