Software to copy an entire disk to another ?

[Louis]

Hello !

An hard disk partition table is corrupted and one of its partitions is
no longer accessible/visible.

Before using a partition recovery tool, I'd like to make a copy of this
entire disk - including the areas which are now in "twilight zone".

Most, if not all, disk imaging/cloning softwares I know will
image/clone existing partitions - which would obviously exclude the
unaccessible partition of the corrupted disk.

Can you recommend a software to make an exact bit-per-bit copy of the
entire disk ?

Thanks

PS: while on the subject, any experience/opinion on partition recovery
softwares such as Acronis Disk Director or Active@ Partition Recovery ?

 

[Arno Wagner]

Hello !

An hard disk partition table is corrupted and one of its partitions is
no longer accessible/visible.

Before using a partition recovery tool, I'd like to make a copy of this
entire disk - including the areas which are now in "twilight zone".

Most, if not all, disk imaging/cloning softwares I know will
image/clone existing partitions - which would obviously exclude the
unaccessible partition of the corrupted disk.

Can you recommend a software to make an exact bit-per-bit copy of the
entire disk ?

PS: while on the subject, any experience/opinion on partition recovery
softwares such as Acronis Disk Director or Active@ Partition Recovery ?

dd_rescue under Linux, e.g. from a Knoppix Linux CD. Similar
functionality to dd, but you get a progress indicator.
Comparison for same contents can be done with the standard
utility "cmp" under Linux, just use the disk device
special files as input, e.g. "cmp /dev/sda /dev/sdb".

Arno

 

[Man-wai Chang ToDie]

Before using a partition recovery tool, I'd like to make a copy of this

entire disk - including the areas which are now in "twilight zone".

Under Linux, you could use dd.

--
@~@ Might, Courage, Vision, SINCERITY.
/ v \ Simplicity is Beauty! May the Force and Farce be with you!
/( _ )\ (Xubuntu 7.04) Linux 2.6.23.13
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[Man-wai Chang ToDie]

Under Linux, you could use dd.

And you should copy/dd the entire disk to another disk A, and then
attempt recovery on disk A rather than original. DO NOT touch/write
anything to the original (watch out for those automatic stuff).

--
@~@ Might, Courage, Vision, SINCERITY.
/ v \ Simplicity is Beauty! May the Force and Farce be with you!
/( _ )\ (Xubuntu 7.04) Linux 2.6.23.13
^ ^ 20:52:01 up 4:05 0 users load average: 0.00 0.00 0.00
? ? (CSSA):
http://www.swd.gov.hk/tc/index/site_pubsvc/page_socsecu/sub_addressesa/

 

[mscotgrove]

Hello !

An hard disk partition table is corrupted and one of its partitions is
no longer accessible/visible.

Before using a partition recovery tool, I'd like to make a copy of this
entire disk - including the areas which are now in "twilight zone".

Most, if not all, disk imaging/cloning softwares I know will
image/clone existing partitions - which would obviously exclude the
unaccessible partition of the corrupted disk.

Can you recommend a software to make an exact bit-per-bit copy of the
entire disk ?

Thanks

PS: while on the subject, any experience/opinion on partition recovery
softwares such as Acronis Disk Director or Active@ Partition Recovery ?

I've found Partition Table Doctor works

Michael

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

Man-wai Chang ToDie wrote in news:[email protected]

And you should copy/dd the entire disk to another disk A, and then
attempt recovery on disk A rather than original. DO NOT touch/write
anything to the original (watch out for those automatic stuff).

Moron.

 

[chrisv]

Can you recommend a software to make an exact bit-per-bit copy of the
entire disk ?

I know that WD has software on their Web site for this, if the drives
are WD. Other manufacturers may provide this utility as well.

 

[Rod Speed]

An hard disk partition table is corrupted and one of its partitions is no longer accessible/visible.

Before using a partition recovery tool, I'd like to make a copy of this entire disk - including the areas which are
now in "twilight zone".

Most, if not all, disk imaging/cloning softwares I know will
image/clone existing partitions - which would obviously exclude the unaccessible partition of the corrupted disk.

Can you recommend a software to make an exact bit-per-bit copy of the entire disk ?

The most important consideration is whether the drive is dying and thats whats produced
the problem or whether its purely a software problem thats made that partition invisible.
The best way to see if the drive is fine is with the Everest SMART report.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181

If the drive is fine, you can use any of the major imagers like True Image
or Ghost and image the entire physical drive at the sector level.

You can also use forensic cloners like CloneDisk
http://invircible.com/resq.php

PS: while on the subject, any experience/opinion on partition recovery
softwares such as Acronis Disk Director or Active@ Partition Recovery ?

I prefer Easy Recovery Pro myself, but it isnt cheap if you have pay for it.

 

[amj rescue repair co 01]

The most important consideration is whether the drive is dying and thats whats produced
the problem or whether its purely a software problem thats made that partition invisible.
The best way to see if the drive is fine is with the Everest SMART report.http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181

If the drive is fine, you can use any of the major imagers like True Image
or Ghost and image the entire physical drive at the sector level.

You can also use forensic cloners like CloneDiskhttp://invircible.com/resq..php


I prefer Easy Recovery Pro myself, but it isnt cheap if you have pay for it.

The other thing to watch out for, is bad sectors....I have used ghost
and other proggies and have had some issue with that in the past. I do
not know if the other version works better or not......

 

[Louis]

Thanks for your reply,

If the drive is fine, you can use any of the major imagers like True Image
or Ghost and image the entire physical drive at the sector level.

The drive is fine.

Are you referring to a specific version of Acronis ? I looked at True
Image Workstation version 8 and True Image Home version 10 and I can't
find any indication that imaging an entire disk would include the non
partitionned disk areas.

 

[Rod Speed]

Thanks for your reply,

The drive is fine.

How did you decide that ? You cant just go on the OKs in the Everest SMART report.

Are you referring to a specific version of Acronis ?

Yeah, sorry, that showed up with 11 from memory.

I looked at True Image Workstation version 8 and True Image Home version 10 and I can't find any indication that
imaging an entire disk would include the non partitionned disk areas.

Its a tick box with disk and partition backups with 11.

 

[Louis]

Thanks to all who replied..

I'm currently cloning the disk (with "dd" - quite long !), and as soon
as I'll get a working image, I'll feel safer to experiment other
proposed solutions to clone the disk and repair the partition table.

Louis

 

[Arno Wagner]

And you should copy/dd the entire disk to another disk A, and then
attempt recovery on disk A rather than original. DO NOT touch/write
anything to the original (watch out for those automatic stuff).

Exactly. If you are very careful, you make a second copy as well, that
you do not touch.

Arno

 

[Arno Wagner]

The other thing to watch out for, is bad sectors....I have used ghost
and other proggies and have had some issue with that in the past. I do
not know if the other version works better or not......

That is one of the reasons why I recommend dd_rescue indstead of
dd. dd_rescue can deal with defect sectors, as this was its design
motivation.

Arno

 

[Man-wai Chang ToDie]

Moron.

??? Wanna OT?

--
@~@ Might, Courage, Vision, SINCERITY.
/ v \ Simplicity is Beauty! May the Force and Farce be with you!
/( _ )\ (Xubuntu 7.04) Linux 2.6.23.13
^ ^ 15:06:01 up 22:19 0 users load average: 0.00 0.06 0.03
? ? (CSSA):
http://www.swd.gov.hk/tc/index/site_pubsvc/page_socsecu/sub_addressesa/

 

[Man-wai Chang ToDie]

I'm currently cloning the disk (with "dd" - quite long !), and as soon

as I'll get a working image, I'll feel safer to experiment other
proposed solutions to clone the disk and repair the partition table.

Just don't touch the original disk at this point of time. Use the clones
to attempt recovery. Hard disks are cheap these days.

--
@~@ Might, Courage, Vision, SINCERITY.
/ v \ Simplicity is Beauty! May the Force and Farce be with you!
/( _ )\ (Xubuntu 7.04) Linux 2.6.23.13
^ ^ 15:06:01 up 22:19 0 users load average: 0.00 0.06 0.03
? ? (CSSA):
http://www.swd.gov.hk/tc/index/site_pubsvc/page_socsecu/sub_addressesa/

 

[Louis]

Rod Speed a utilisé son clavier pour écrire :

Yeah, sorry, that showed up with 11 from memory.


Its a tick box with disk and partition backups with 11.

My understanding is that it will image the unused parts of an existing
partition, not the unpartitioned parts of a disk..

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/faq/sector-by-sector-backup/

Is this the same with Ghost ?

 

[Rod Speed]

Rod Speed wrote

My understanding is that it will image the unused parts of an existing partition, not the unpartitioned parts of a
disk..

Not when you are imaging an entire physical drive, as I originally said.

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/faq/sector-by-sector-backup/

Is this the same with Ghost ?

Yes, if you do a sector by sector op, the 'free' sectors are copied with both.