Hi everyone,

This is regarding my WD3200 I've been using for a couple years, and is loaded with important files. My computer will recognize the drive (G:smileyhappy: once it is plugged in through USB to mini-USB. It pauses for a long time trying to load the files, but am always promped with the message "you must format your drive to use it." Once I select cancel, I'm prompted with an error message about cyclic redundancy.

I downloaded the WD Lifeguard Diagnostics Tool. Upon loading, it reads the drive and says PASS under SMART Status. I selected to run a Quick SMART Test, and received this error:

"Quick test on drive2 did not complete!
Status code = 07 (failed read test element), Failure Checkpoint = 65
SMART test did not complete on drive 2!"

Then, I used TestDisk to try a recovery. The drive appears in the list. Even though the drive information will not appear in WD Lifeguard Diagnostics, it is listed in TestDisk as FAT32 LBA.

In TestDisk, it says the Boot and Back-up Boot Sectors are OK. Below, it says "First sectors (Boot code and partition information) are not identical."

And reaching to the final point I'm at, I select List files and directories, and a message comes up saying "No file found, filesystem seems damaged."

I'm not sure what to do about this point. Formatting this drive is the not option I'm looking for. I care more about recovering the files than using the drive again. Please help.

Thanks

You may try to recover your files using R-Undelete. You may test it before buying it, because it performs all file recovery tasks, even file preview, in its demo mode. The only demo restriction is that it won't save recovered files.
I recommend you to create an image of your drive and recover files from that image. It may require some disk space to store the image and time to create it, but that will keep the original files safe, if something goes wrong during file recovery.
You may read more about using R-Undelete for file recovery in its online help: http://www.unformat-unerase.com/Undelet ... index.html

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R-Studio Data Recovery Software

This suggests some part(s) of the disk are unreadable.


If you decide to attempt a DIY solution, instead of using a professional, then you accept that due to your human error or just bad luck (e.g. deterioration of the disk during your efforts), that you might make things worse, or even totally unrecoverable. If you accept that, then the basic approach you can take is to "clone" that faulty disk onto another (preferably totally blank) disk with at least the same capacity as that faulty one (some types of compression of the clone are possible, but are limited to certain filesystems & recovery software).

That cloning needs to be done with a program that understands to skip unreadable sectors, at least initially, and get everything which can be read (i.e. get the "low-hanging fruit") first. Then more intensive attempts to read the (currently) unreadable sectors can be done afterwards.

Once you have the best-possible clone of the readable data from your current disk, on another (working) disk - then you can attempt to perform a logical recovery of whatever data can be read from your clone, onto yet another working disk.

Best results for cloning tend to be with the faulty disk attached via SATA (not USB) - the clone (good) target disk can be attached via USB is needed. Personally I use Linux to do the cloning (e.g. using ddrescue), and not Windows - but cloning utilites exist for Windows too (although I wouldn't use them). To get best results from cloning software can require skill in the use of that software. Search the forum for "cloning" to see previous threads on this topic & recommendations for cloning software - some free, some paid.

I would never recommend running TestDisk or any other recovery software, on a faulty disk - clone that disk first.

Ok,

Thanks for all your help, guys. Since I don't know anything about cloning, and 2 people have recommended creating an image file, that's the way I'm going right now. I am downloading BackTrack4, as I've been told this program will help me create an image file. I've never done this, so I don't know what else I'll be able to do with BackTrack.

After a quick search, the "thing" that I've found called BackTrack4 isn't a program - it's a Linux distribution. I don't know if that is the same BackTrack4 as you're being told about - but if someone is advising you to use that, then they should also be able to help you.

I didn't find a list of the packages included on that distro, but you'd need to consider using a program like ddrescue to do the actual cloning (some other people prefer dd_rescue, which is different despite the similar name). This cloning needs to be done correctly, or else you risk overwriting the very data you're trying to save; or you risk not cloning the faulty disk correctly, when a full clone would have been possible with better use of the tool. In short - Linux cloning software is not a "one-click" solution.


I hate to say it, but you sound as if you may be "in over your head" with this, and there is a limit to the amount of remote support that is reasonable & practical.

If you're getting local advice (e.g. the choice of that Linux distro), then you need to also be getting advice from that person, about how to use it. If you're not getting that level of local help, then I suggest either reconsidering whether this is feasible as DIY for you (i.e. should you consider using the services of a pro); or else perhaps reconsider running an easier-to-use Windows-based cloning program.

As I said before, there have been previous threads about cloning software (for both Linux & Windows) on this forum. If you can't find them, then perhaps some kind member here will do the searching for you, and point you in the right direction. I'm just trying to avoid you making an irreversible mistake, but in the end it's your choice what you decide to do.

Vulcan,

You're absolutely right. At this point, I am in over my head. I have no experience with trying to recover hard drives.

Today, the worst happened. I didn't do anything I can recall to cause this, but I plugged the drive in to see if I could create an image file, and I noticed new clicks I hadn't heard before, and a sound like it's trying to rewind every 4-5 seconds. Windows won't recognize the drive anymore :{

Am I toast at this point, or is it still possible to be recovered by a professional?

Unfortunately this type of change in behaviour, is one of the risks of doing DIY that I mentioned i.e. further deterioration of the drive, especially (though not only) after earlier protracted recovery attempts.

I can't be sure what sound you mean by a "rewind" sound, but the clicking and Windows no longer recognising the drive, suggests that the drive might no longer be able to read its system area (SA) from the media. IMHO it certainly makes sense to stop any further attempts yourself, in case things deteriorate still further.


Impossible to say remotely - it depends on what the fault actually is. If this is a head or preamp issue, then a pro may be able to recover the data by replacing the HSA (head stack assembly). If the problem is significant media damage, then the prognosis is typically less good.

Given the current state of the drive, I would suggest using the services of one of the US-based pros from here - some offer a free diagnosis service. Good luck!