@BryanX9X,
You've received lots of good advice so far, even though you don't seem to appreciate it.
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
BryanX9X wrote:
Of course the data is important. why would i be trying all of this if it was not important?
Be careful with that attitude.
![Mad :-x](./images/smilies/icon_mad.gif)
You are new here and you haven't seen the folks who come here begging for help as if the data is vital for them; they get many hours of assistance from members on the basis that this is really worth the effort; and then they say the data wasn't important in the first place! So now I've explained why the question from
pcimage is normal and relevant, and your sarcasm isn't appreciated, OK?
Now that we see you've decided to accept the risks of DIY recovery (which can make any future professional recovery more expensive or even, in the worst case, impossible) ...
BryanX9X wrote:
I have tried to clone using Acronis, CloneZilla & Ghost, all with no success.
That result is completely expected, unfortunately.
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
Notice how
pcimage didn't mention any of
those utilities. That's because those aren't designed for cloning disks with read errors. If you search the forum for threads discussing cloning, you'll find many previous discussions about cloning utilities, some different ones recommended by various members, and some of the reasons why you might choose one over another.
BryanX9X wrote:
I'll give those other two a try & see what happens.
Note that MTP is commercial software, and dd_rescue requires some Linux skills. Personally I use GNU ddrescue (unrelated to dd_rescue) again under Linux/Unix. However, as I have explained in the previous threads, these utilities often get better results when used by someone with experience in using them - there are many different options in these programs, and you need to know when to use each one. As a minimum I'll just say that if your chosen cloning utility has a log file option, then enable that feature. And if your chosen cloning utility doesn't have a log file option, then personally I wouldn't use that utility in the first place.
BryanX9X wrote:
I'm thinking that it might just be a problem with the MBR, that maybe some sectors have gone bad corrupting it & that a rebuild of the MBR might set things straight.
No. Yours is not (only?) an MBR problem.
[Edit: @pcimage - I see my post overlapped with yours, with many of the same points. Thanks for reminding about the unrealistic (guess?) prices being mentioned by the OP - I'd forgotten to mention that point.]