Hello all,

I have been watching the forum for a while, and now I need help with a problem of my own.

A second HD attached to the computer failed. After I restarted the computer, chkdsk started to run immediately. It shows some scary errors (see attachment):



"Fixing critical master file table (MFT) files with MFT mirror.
Deleting corrupt file record segment
Deleting corrupt attribute record
File record segment * is unreadable"

The HD is a 2TB one with important data. If I knew that the HD was so bad I would not allow chkdsk to run.

I let chkdsk run because I do not want to make matters worse by cycling power. Chkdsk showed a very long listing of unreadable file record segments.

The file is not accessible. There are no clicking or grinding sounds.

Unfortunately, my funds are limited (isn't it always).

I have the followig questions for the knowledgeable folks on this forum:

1) What is the requirement for me to start sending PM's? I have a member who is close to me who I have in mind for this job.

2) How do you guys find out whether the problem is due to a logical or a hardware problem without opening up the HD?

3) Should I trust someone who can only do logical recovery, or should I go with a super-expensive solution like the "top" HD recovery firms who open up the drive?

4) Are sectors of this HD physically unreadable, or is chkdsk panicking?

5) What is the best way to clone this HD while trying to read data from the presumably bad sectors without doing more damage to the HD? Or should I let a specialist work on the original HD?

6) What experience do you have when an MFT mirror must be substituted?


I know enough about the subject to be dangerous. My plan is to:

1) If needed, create a clone HD

2) Determine if the HD has physical damage

3) Have a logical-recovery firm do data recovery.


My only problem is that I need a complete data recovery, and not a file signature-based one.

Thank you for your time.

I'll just answer a couple of your questions, and leave a few for other people


I believe you need to have 5 approved postings, although I'm not in charge of the board, so that number could have changed. If you know who you want to contact, you could place a posting in this thread, asking that member to send a PM to you with their contact details - but you're not far away from that number of postings, so you can test my theory soon


Based on those error messages, yes, there are unreadable sectors, when accessed with the Windows driver behaviour (timeout, retry count etc.).

IMHO whether your suggested plan is sensible depends on the value of the data to you, and your attitude to risk, especially if you attempt any parts of that plan yourself. Cloning a drive is not risk-free, and you now know that the drive (or, very unlikely, some other part of your PC) has hardware problems, causing sectors to be unreadable (as I mention above).


It's fine for that to be your target, but whether that is possible after whatever chkdsk has done as well as the problems with the drive, is a completely different question.

Although I know about IT, electronics, and programming, I will not do anything myself because the data is CRITICAL for me. I hope I had never that chkdsk run, because I know from previous experience that it can make things worse.

The forum member who is a few hours away from me said I should just bring in the original HD, without attempting to clone it first, and that I can be present in person to watch the process. Few companies allow this (for those who are reading and who own DR firms themselves).

I will try the expert first. If my data is physically damaged, or he cannot recover it all, then and only then I would risk doing anything myself.

Value = Very High :=)
Risk = Zero :=)
Funds = Low ($500) :=)


Another question then: is there a better program I should trust more than chkdsk and which does not act so carelessly with my data? I mean, as a general replacement for a chkdsk scan.


And another question: What is the difference in methods and software used between a local logical recovery firm and an expensive one like Ontrack and DriveSavers?

OK, so no DIY That wasn't clear to me from your plan - it seemed like you were going to do steps 1 & 2, and only use a DR company for step 3.


No - chkdsk does exactly what it is supposed to do, which is to make filesystem metadata internally consistent. If chkdsk wasn't there, and the filesystem metadata was corrupted (i.e. inconsistent, due to lost writes etc.), you might try to read file X, and get the contents of file Y - you don't want that, do you?!

IMHO your real problem is not with chkdsk - your problem is not having a backup, and then having a disk fail in such a way that caused Windows to believe the filesystem was not clean, so it ran chkdsk (actually autochk, which is the boot time equivalent of chkdsk, when I last looked into this).


I'll leave that question for one of the DR pros, if they choose to answer you. Apart from the obvious differences (i.e. no physical work done by a "logical recovery firm"), you don't specify which "methods and software" are being used by the "local logical recovery firm". Therefore personally I think you are asking a hypothetical question which is impossible to answer accurately, because you're not providing all of the necessary information to make a comparison.

Good luck!

Thank you, I will report back on the process.

Here is the update: I RECOVERED MY DATA!!!

Now I have two rotating backups:-). In the future, one will be stored off-site. Took me a few $ to learn from my mistakes.

The following is an unsolicited referral for others who encounter a similar situation.

My data was recovered by a fellow forum member: harddrivespecialist

He owns a DR recovery firm: Data Recovery New England

The following is my experience with this DR company:

The average DR firm only does business by mail (shipping). Unless a knowledgeable Data Recovery technician first makes an "image" (an exact copy) of your hard drive, sending in your original hard drive is an additional risk. I do not trust shipping services to be easy on your hard drive, even if you pack it well (not everyone does).


Fortunately, Data Recovery New England stands out from the competition. I was allowed to deliver my hard drive in person to one of their locations (911 Smith Street, Providence, RI 02908). I was allowed to consult in-person with a DR specialist. And they performed a diagnostic right there and then. The prognosis was clearly explained to me: how bad the hard drive was, what the chances for recovery were, and what the recovery timeframe and cost was projected to be.


I have not encountered another data recovery company which equals in service.

I do want everyone to know about this company with a fantastic level of service. If you are a resident of the following states: Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, then this hard drive recovery company is within a driveable distance. You can mail in your hard drive from any place of Earth, of course, as long as you package the drive properly and securely.

Give them a call, whereever you are!

===================

Tips on how to securely and safely deliver your hard drive to a data recovery service (such as Data Recovery New England):

1) If the hard drive was placed inside your computer as a "secondary" drive, remove it from the computer if you know how to do so. This tip does not apply to you if you do not know the difference between the primary operating system hard drive and a secondary internal drive.

2) If the hard drive is an external drive, then bring along any connector cables and the power supply.

3) Before coming over, purchase an exact equivalent of your damaged hard drive. This will help the specialist greatly, since any recovered data (by a DR company which actually knows what it is doing) will always be placed to a separate hard drive (and not the original hard drive, which is not "written" to).

4) If it is an internal drive, then discharge the static from your body (by touching the metal computer chasis) before removing the drive. Then, place the drive into an ESD (anti-static) plastic bag (one of those silvery-looking bags that computer parts are shipped in).

5) Place the hard drive in the original packaging box, if you still have it. If not, then use bubble wrap or a similar shock-absorbing material. Do not use "shells", because these shift in the box and expose the internals to shock.

6) Secure your hard drive in a second sturdy carton box.

This applies even if you drive the hard drive over in person, because a car ride is full of harmful vibrations, shocks, and bumps.


===================


It took me 3+1TB of lost data to start to use backups. I could have saved myself a great deal of trouble if I had just invested a couple hundred dollars into a second (backup) hard drive. I urge every reader to implement a backup strategy immediately.

这个问题处理起来应该是比较容易的，呵呵