How to Rebuild Partition Table?

[lcoughey]

Thanks to this thread I have learnt a fair bit. 1. Use ddrescue for imaging bad drives. 2. Buy R-Studio, learn how to use it and use it to recover data after creating an image.
Am I missing anything else?

I had someone recently suggest that I need to teach technicians on how to safely triage a hard drive. Basically, how to safely and quickly determine if it is too much for you to handle. Is this worth my time creating?

 

[lcoughey]

Actually chdsk, not fdisk, android auto correct... should have been apparent with the/f switch.

Never run chkdsk on a failing drive...or any other program that is going to try and alter the sectors.

limited equipment I have? Really? How do you know what I have? I don't ever post everything I've done, this is only one other route I've taken on this project, so try not to assume such things.

Easy. If you had anything better than ddrescue, you would be using it.

As ddrescue doesn't display time left, I can only use a formula for figuring it out manually. This is common knowledge with ddrescue.

I'm not going to answer to the other points you made as they are accusatory and I have no desire to go any further down that route, and frankly I'm getting annoyed. . .

So thanks to everyone else for the info on the encryption as that was the main issue, for which I was unaware. WD ext drives are on my list of do not buy recommendations.

It seems to me that you were trying to do the right things. Unfortunately, you didn't take the time to understand what you were working with, causing you a longer path to recover the data. Depending on the condition of the original drive, the extra wear and tear of multiple clones could have been the path to a fatal head crash.

I, initially, had issues with WD external drives because of their encryption. But, now that I'm super familiar with them, I don't see them any different than any other hard drive to recover. If anyone is selling a storage product based on the ease of recovery rather than focusing on a solid backup for the client, you are in the wrong business....though I do appreciate you concern for making my job easier.

 

[lcoughey]

Seagates are worse. I recommend WD portable drives that are not encrypted, i.e., the Elements model. If you restore your ddrescue image to a new drive of the same model and capacity, I think it will yield your unencrypted data. Haven't tried it myself, but I think it should work, so long as the two drives use the same encryption chip and have identical capacities. Someone is sure to correct me if I'm wrong.

As the chip that handles the encryption is on the USB bridge, there is no worries having to have a compatible drive. You should be able to clone to pretty much any drive, set the HPA on the clone to the same size as the source and then connect it via the original client USB bridge.

 

[layoric]

Thanks to the folks with good solid replies. Some people who replied have been rather condescending, however... Those who have, jump to any conclusions you want - I'm not going to take the time to continue replying. I would hope that in the future people could just have civil conversations. Such experiences gives me pause in continuing on any of these forums at all.

 

[altrenda]

Hey, its the internet.
Ask your questions, pay attention to the answers that make sense and ignore the rest.

Although, even though some people's presentations may not be the best, there may be some valuable information there.

 

[phaZed]

I would hope that in the future people could just have civil conversations.

I fail to see any responding posters that did not adhere to that criteria. Please, keep in mind that civil conversations are a two-way street.

layoric, you have had, arguably, one of the most knowledgeable hard drive recovery technicians on these forums try and provide you free advice (here on the forums, and in real life/remote at no charge) pertaining directly to the issue in which it would seem you have chosen not to follow, and that's fine. You have also decided on a course of action that common, general data recovery knowledge explicitly frowns upon, which is fine as well. You are certainly welcome to proceed as you see fit.

You have some solid feedback here from the others that would, if possible, be your best and only bet with the limited equipment you have.

In which you respond:

limited equipment I have? Really? How do you know what I have? I don't ever post everything I've done, this is only one other route I've taken on this project, so try not to assume such things.

There is no reason to be up in arms about "having limited equipment" - I have but a desktop and ddrescue on Kali Linux (R-Studio on another box), which is also limited equipment when speaking of data recovery. It's not a "slam" against you.

Seeing as you have "advanced" data recovery tools available to you and state that you have already tried those and this is "but an other method" would it not be prudent to disclose that so as to help you diagnose your problem? Would that not be considered a requirement for having a civil conversation and not lead everyone on?

Those who have, jump to any conclusions you want - I'm not going to take the time to continue replying.

Forum Sticky: How to ask Good Questions For Faster Tech Help

 

[Larry Sabo]

As the chip that handles the encryption is on the USB bridge, there is no worries having to have a compatible drive. You should be able to clone to pretty much any drive, set the HPA on the clone to the same size as the source and then connect it via the original client USB bridge.

Thanks, Luke! I thought I had read that the target drive had to be the same model as the patient and the same size (or have HPA set to make it effectively the same). Still learning this stuff.

 

[Markverhyden]

I never got so far as trying to repair one of those WD's for data recovery. If $50 worth of effort did not get things they were not going to spend anymore. But I do remember reading that people were able to procure the bridge board and if it was the same one as the defective one they were able to access the data. At any rate this is an example of why I recommend just using a generic enclosure and whatever size drive they need for long term use.

 

[layoric]

Phazed/lcoughey might want to check out the rules section of the site. Also, lcoughey has out of the blue, contacted me privately before and questioned my claims to offering data recovery. Something I just remembered and gives me pause with this conversation, come to think of it. I seriously fail to see the continuance of this conversation at this point. I've just turned off notifications for this thread. If I could lock this thread I would. I've held me tongue with the condescending comments - please act like adults and just stop.

 

[Mainstay]

I had someone recently suggest that I need to teach technicians on how to safely triage a hard drive. Basically, how to safely and quickly determine if it is too much for you to handle. Is this worth my time creating?

YES!

I would be very interested to learn what you think is important.

 

[phaZed]

From R-Tools R-Studio Website:

Clone Disks Before File Recovery
Data Recovery After Partition Manager Crash
Data Recovery from an External Disk with a Damaged File System

 

[kwest]

I agree with you layoric. No need to be harsh. Seems like there have been several data recovery threads and they all end up with a couple people getting nasty. I understand they feel like they know better. Fact is I can recover 90% of the drives that have come into my store. And the 10% I can't are sent to 300ddr. The feedback I have heard from those have been positive. The customer knows when the process is started that recovery is not 100%. They should have been using backup. I explain my success rate and they agree with it because I charge 125 and if I can't then they send it to 300ddr.

 

[lcoughey]

Phazed/lcoughey might want to check out the rules section of the site. Also, lcoughey has out of the blue, contacted me privately before and questioned my claims to offering data recovery. Something I just remembered and gives me pause with this conversation, come to think of it. I seriously fail to see the continuance of this conversation at this point. I've just turned off notifications for this thread. If I could lock this thread I would. I've held me tongue with the condescending comments - please act like adults and just stop.

I'm sorry my advice in this thread has offended you. I won't offend you with any more free remote support or advice.

I thought I was being polite by asking privately, but you seem to prefer it public. If memory serves me correctly, my PM was because I was confused about your abilities. Your website states, "The Only REAL Data Recovery Business in Central NY." Yet, you stated that you were a Drive Savers reseller. I offered the suggestion that you reword the statement to be more accurate, "We are the only computer shop in Central NY to offer a full menu of data recovery services." At that point, I wasn't questioning your claims to offering data recovery, just thinking that the wording of your claims could be better, to which you declined. If asking these questions privately it out of order, I'm sorry.

Your website name suggests you are a professional data recovery lab with content that says, "Sophisticated data recovery methods require the latest and best in test and diagnostic equipment, and we've made a significant investment in that area." Are you really being honest? If so, why was this thread even started?

The readers of this comment can re-read through this thread to see if any of my comments are offensive or helpful.

 

[DataMedics]

Don't take it personal Luke. A lot of people on here like to ask for free advice (which they seldom follow anyway) and then get mad at you when you tell them that they made the situation worse by not listening.

A little knowledge of data recovery is a very dangerous thing, it gives guys confidence they shouldn't have and they screw things up (sometimes irreparably). I see it all the time here.

 

[pcpete]

I agree with you layoric. No need to be harsh. Seems like there have been several data recovery threads and they all end up with a couple people getting nasty

I agree. People who run their business need to weigh the pros and cons to doing the jobs themselves; all jobs carry risk, not only data recovery work. I only hear the negativity in data recovery work threads, not in other computer service threads which carries similar risk. Whenever a tech asks a question about server repair, the goto answer is not call someone who knows what they are doing(even if they have no business doing it); two separate standards.

 

[phaZed]

I agree. People who run their business need to weigh the pros and cons to doing the jobs themselves; all jobs carry risk, not only data recovery work. I only hear the negativity in data recovery work threads, not in other computer service threads which carries similar risk. Whenever a tech asks a question about server repair, the goto answer is not call someone who knows what they are doing(even if they have no business doing it); two separate standards.

I disagree. There is not the same risk. A failing hard drive needs to be imaged first and foremost. Period. There is no other operation that is more important than grabbing 1's and 0's off the drive, that's it. The longer you take, the more irreparable harm you are likely causing and then there IS NO RECOVERY - no matter if you send it to an expert. This type of scenario does not occur with a Server, especially if you are worth your weight as a tech by performing backups before changes (In most cases, AD and technical issues aside).

I did a search here on TN for "Data Recovery" and went all the way back to 2013 and didn't see any threads that were harsh or out of line. Perhaps these were deleted? Did I miss something? I really believe people think they're being mistreated, but they are really not. There are very easy, cut and clear rules when performing data recoveries. There is no magic bullet or shortcut. You can get better and better tools, but the steps are the same! We're talking about a failing physical device. This is no longer in the realm of software - the longer the drive is ON, the worse it gets. Period. People running Spinrite or HDD regen on failing drives are doing it wrong. People that run chkdsk /f or /r on a failing drive are doing it wrong. People that have have purchased a $995 annual license to R-Studio that have not read the manual, are doing it wrong. That's it.

A server is flexible. There may be multiple ways to tackle a problem. Servers can be reverted to prior settings... This is not so for Data Recovery.

You can either follow the general procedures for data recovery and maximize your recovery percentages or you can deviate from the path and lower your chances. The choice is up to you but do not expect people who know what they are doing to agree with you, the data recovery professionals and literature do not.

Technibble helps people be less ignorant by teaching them what they don't know, by people who do. However, there is nothing the boards can help you with if you refuse the help given. Many here on the boards can be incorrect, but it takes a true technician to admit he/she was wrong and learn from his/her mistakes. It makes you a better technician and when applied in life, a better person. There is nothing wrong with learning from your mistakes. We all make mistakes.

 

[pcpete]

I just think helping techs understand best practices of data recovery is important. Often the only answer I hear, "if you care about your clients, send it out".

 

[lcoughey]

I just think helping techs understand best practices of data recovery is important. Often the only answer I hear, "if you care about your clients, send it out".

Out of my more than 1000 posts, how many say that? I will recommend sending out if the problem description requires facilities that the poster doesn't seem to have.

 

[layoric]

I'm sorry my advice in this thread has offended you. I won't offend you with any more free remote support or advice.

I thought I was being polite by asking privately, but you seem to prefer it public. If memory serves me correctly, my PM was because I was confused about your abilities. Your website states, "The Only REAL Data Recovery Business in Central NY." Yet, you stated that you were a Drive Savers reseller. I offered the suggestion that you reword the statement to be more accurate, "We are the only computer shop in Central NY to offer a full menu of data recovery services." At that point, I wasn't questioning your claims to offering data recovery, just thinking that the wording of your claims could be better, to which you declined. If asking these questions privately it out of order, I'm sorry.

Your website name suggests you are a professional data recovery lab with content that says, "Sophisticated data recovery methods require the latest and best in test and diagnostic equipment, and we've made a significant investment in that area." Are you really being honest? If so, why was this thread even started?

The readers of this comment can re-read through this thread to see if any of my comments are offensive or helpful.

OMG ----

I don't feel the need to defend myself and divulge what I have and how I do everything. Continue to slam now, have fun with it, your dig in the end says it all --- grow up.

 

[Kitten Kong]

I'm going to lock this thread. Save anyone losing face.