Help with Imaging, constant lock-ups

[ell]

Hi, I'm at a bit of a loss here, I took in a new win 8 laptop from a customer who mistakenly "reset" it and erased his data. My usual routine is to just make an image and use that to extract the files, but unfortunately this time every tool I use locks up about 3/4 of the way through the imaging process (750 gb drive) I disabled UFEI and its in legacy mode. I've tried Easeus rescue disc and now DDrescue, as shown below, it appears to still be running but been going for 19 hrs. Does anybody know how to restart it from the log file? I'm not finding any good info on it. I don't want to run chkdsk for fear it will damage recovery. Ideas?

 

[lcoughey]

It should take between 2 & 3 hours to clone that drive. Here are my thoughts:

1. The drive is failing and requires professional data recovery tools
2. The drive you are cloning to is the problem
3. The system you are using to clone the drive is the problem
4. Chkdsk is a file system repair/damage program. Cloning is done at the sector level, bypassing any file system. So, running chkdsk could only make things worse, but would have 0% affect on the ability to clone the drive.

If the drive has important data on it that needs to be recovered and it is failing, you really don't want to be pushing it too hard. If you confirm that the host system and destination drive are healthy, you really should consider outsourcing to a data recovery professional before you kill the drive.

 

[ell]

It should take between 2 & 3 hours to clone that drive. Here are my thoughts:

1. The drive is failing and requires professional data recovery tools
2. The drive you are cloning to is the problem
3. The system you are using to clone the drive is the problem
4. Chkdsk is a file system repair/damage program. Cloning is done at the sector level, bypassing any file system. So, running chkdsk could only make things worse, but would have 0% affect on the ability to clone the drive.

If the drive has important data on it that needs to be recovered and it is failing, you really don't want to be pushing it too hard. If you confirm that the host system and destination drive are healthy, you really should consider outsourcing to a data recovery professional before you kill the drive.

sorry, I should have mentioned I advised him up front to go to a professional service if this was critical data, the one I'm partnered, with but he didn't want to spend the money, so its on me. I've tried two separate target drives. I'm going to try and restart ddrescue but I have my doubts, you think I may have better luck cloning rather than imaging?

 

[lcoughey]

So, his data isn't worth $300? I thought you were using ddrescue to clone the drive...if not, please explain what you are doing exactly.

Are you using your client's system or your system to clone the drive?
Have you tried a different system?
Are you cloning drive to drive or drive to image file?
Is the destination drive healthy?
Is there enough room on the destination drive for the image file?
Have you tried cloning in reverse?

Perhaps you should consider getting a portable drive duplication device. If you can't clone it with this, you know you need to outsource to a pro.

http://www.startech.com/HDD/Duplicators/HDD-Duplicator-Docking-Station~SATDUP11

 

[ell]

So, his data isn't worth $300? I thought you were using ddrescue to clone the drive...if not, please explain what you are doing exactly.

Are you using your client's system or your system to clone the drive?
Have you tried a different system?
Are you cloning drive to drive or drive to image file?
Is the destination drive healthy?
Is there enough room on the destination drive for the image file?
Have you tried cloning in reverse?

Perhaps you should consider getting a portable drive duplication device. If you can't clone it with this, you know you need to outsource to a pro.

http://www.startech.com/HDD/Duplicators/HDD-Duplicator-Docking-Station~SATDUP11

Most of my residential clients won't spend more than $100, no point pressing the issue, they just don't value their data that much. My business clients are better protected. I'm running DDrescue from my usb boot drive conntected to his laptop and creating a iso image from it on target 1tb drive. I've tried two destination drives, they are healthy.

 

[lcoughey]

Then it is either their system or the hard drive. Not much you can do within a $100 budget. I'd suggest that they take the system back and get a warranty replacement or repair and not bother trying to recover their data.

Another option is for me to remote in and use ddrescue command line to see if I can tweak it to complete the clone.

 

[phaZed]

I would only add to lcougheys remarks and say a few things:

The GUI for ddrescue is less reliable than simply using the CLI.
Verify that your USB thumb drive is not getting full! ddrescue or Linux itself could be writing log files and filling up your drive.
Get yourself a data recovery computer (Glorified Desktop) in which you can hook all drives directly to SATA, even the destination drive.

 

[ell]

Yea I pulled the drive and connected it directly to my bench pc sata connectors and have r-studio imaging it now, I'm hoping that will work at least.

 

[lcoughey]

Do you not use a log file with ddrescue? You should never have to read a sector twice when cloning. Every time you restart the clone, you should only be reading the sectors you haven't already read.

 

[ell]

yes I had created a log, tried to stop and begin again but system froze up.

 

[lcoughey]

So, let me get this clear:

Clone using client system with ddrescue with log file and it locks up
Move drive to bench system, try to continue clone with log file and immediately locks up at the same spot

That definitely tells you that the drive is the problem. Now that we that the drive is the problem and that the client doesn't care if you kill it and you don't mind working for $5/hour, I would have tried to continue the clone with the log file and ddrescue either by jumping ahead or by flipping into reverse from the end of the drive.

I have at least 5 drives waiting for me in the clean room, so I will only make the offer to remotely assist you with the ddrescue clone one more time.

Edit:
Why am I offering to help remotely? You don't even use my services. Your current partner data recovery lab should have been trying to assist you with this.

 

[SAG]

So, let me get this clear...

Edit:
Why am I offering to help remotely? You don't even use my services. Your current partner data recovery lab should have been trying to assist you with this.

Because you're such a nice guy?

 

[lcoughey]

Because you're such a nice guy?

I know...and I get trampled over frequently because of it. Nothing stings more than my spending the time assisting someone on a thread like this, then when they do finally decide to send it to a data recovery lab, they send it to a competitor who charges more than double my rates.

 

[ell]

So, let me get this clear:

Clone using client system with ddrescue with log file and it locks up
Move drive to bench system, try to continue clone with log file and immediately locks up at the same spot

That definitely tells you that the drive is the problem. Now that we that the drive is the problem and that the client doesn't care if you kill it and you don't mind working for $5/hour, I would have tried to continue the clone with the log file and ddrescue either by jumping ahead or by flipping into reverse from the end of the drive.

I have at least 5 drives waiting for me in the clean room, so I will only make the offer to remotely assist you with the ddrescue clone one more time.

Edit:
Why am I offering to help remotely? You don't even use my services. Your current partner data recovery lab should have been trying to assist you with this.

Because you're such a nice guy?

LOL, not hiring someone else, not sending it out, period. Just looking for advice nothing more. R-studio has imaged 50% so far.

 

[DataMedics]

If ddrescue crashed out when imaging it, R-Studio doesn't stand a chance. You really should image in reverse with ddrescue using the same log as Luke is suggesting.

 

[lcoughey]

LOL, not hiring someone else, not sending it out, period. Just looking for advice nothing more. R-studio has imaged 50% so far.

I know I say this to myself every time I offer free advice and support to Ell, this is the last time...for real.

 

[ell]

If ddrescue crashed out when imaging it, R-Studio doesn't stand a chance. You really should image in reverse with ddrescue using the same log as Luke is suggesting.

Well R-Studio got the image made no problem, scanning now. I guess trying to do it via usb ports just doesn't cut it sometimes, I was pretty sure I had a damaged drive, whew.