Hi evrybody,
Hi have here 2 hd of 500GB each, both have problems and will like to recover all data possible. These was both external HD for saving and store files.
The big problem here is that for a big mistake, I was make a backup on one of the 2 HDs and the power of my house went away..... both HDs now have problems, I can't see any data in both.

The first it's Uninitialiazed.
Second, it's in MBR but I can't access or browse files... it ask to format it, and under "Acronis disk director" it makes "an internal error has occured....etc."

Using Acronis Disk Director 11, I see:


I've tryed to access through an Ubuntu Live CD, nothing accessible... if I made it right.

I've then tryed to just check with TestDisk one HD, with a "Quick Search" I can't find anything, but with a "Deeper Search" I've find 2 partitions... but I didn't make any other action worried about making problems, so I QUIT the program, what you suggest me to do next?

Hope those info can help to receive any advise from you.

Hello

First do a clone of your disks to work on it, so you can try and have always the original, in case of something gone bad !

Then Testdisk can help you, ptdd worked for me long time ago
R studio can perhaps recover files in "brut access" (Données Brutes) Sorry i don't know the right word (Raw Data ?)

Good Luck

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Thank you Simon,
I don't have other disks available or space for clone it now.

Can I try firstly to intialize it normally through Acronis Disk director? It's the same thing? or it makes problems?
I've tryed to see with right-mouse-button on it, It asks to choose MBR or GPT, than Basic or Dynamic, but I dindn't go further... I don't understand if it's right, I understand if I do like this it will make a new partition and will not find my old one? but Data will still there?, or maybe he will ask me to format after the new partition....?

The second HD it's in RAW, so I can directly try with R Studio. (from a friend, I can get a version of GetDataBack)

Are you accepting the risks involved with DIY?
If possible always do a sector by sector image of the drive before attempting recovery. That way if it goes wrong you have a go back option.
If when imaging the drive you get strange noises then quit imaging immediately, if there is other issues with the drive you could kill it quicker & any pro recovery will be more expensive.



On disk3 you could run testdisk & check that the boot sectors are ok.

Run testdisk
press enter
Select disk3 & press enter
select advanced & press enter
press enter

do both boot sectors say ok?
if not then select rebuild bs & press enter
select write
quit testdisk
disconnect drive & then reattach

The above test will only take 5 minutes to check & could get your drive working again if its just a corrupt boot sector

Regarding disk 1 don't initialise, format it or anything, image the drive & run R-Studio on the image file as mentioned you might need to do a RAW recovery ie you will not have file names or folder structure.

Remember DIY has risks

Loki

Hi Loki,
I tryed Testdisk.

both Boot sectors are not right (says: can't read backup boot sector - Status: BAD - Sectors are not identical)
so I proceed like you suggest with Rebuil BS, first time he gave me the Write option that I've tryed but with bad response (I don't remember what was, not succesfully good).
Now if I try again all the procedure (even after restart windows), I can't find the Write option at the end, and give's this:


The HD it's connceted directly inside the PC, not external usb.... I've to disconnect it anyway to make the test? (I've just rebbot the entire PC)

From your pic it says /dev/sdc - 500 GB but under where it says Size in sectors it says 1_TB which doesn't match?
Have you changed the geometry using testdisk? just they don't match?

Partition geometry

Cylinders = 60801
Heads = 255
Sectors = 63
Sector Size = 512

You could try looking in testdisk at geometry & setting the above settings?
Then check the boot sectors again after a reboot

or look at Analyse>Quick Search then Enter & Write


Loki

Scrub the disk geometry comment I made.
The partition shown extends larger than the disk size.
Could try R-Studio first to see what you can recover.

Loki

Maybe the reason of 1TB it's about.... I forgot to tell you both HDs was on an external hard drive, name Iomega.
They wasn't in raid, just 1TB clean for writing, the problem it's I don't still have this Iomega case with me.
Could this be a reason? or something going wrong inside the HD?

I try anyway with R-Studio?

You appear to have forgotten an important piece of information!

If this was a pair of 500gb drives being addressed as a single 1tb then the must be "raided" to some degree, hence the difficulty you are having reading them separately.

They could be in raid 0 (striped) or JBOD (spanned)

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Yes that is an important piece of information.

Loki

Ohh noooo!!!!
Without the case, how can I connect them togheter to simulate the same situation? but inside my PC?
My friend (the owner) says they wasn't in Raid, probably in JBOD....?? I will clear this info better next hours.

Using software like r-studio http://www.data-recovery-software.net/D ... load.shtml you can create a virtual raid/volume & then add the drives or images to the virtual raid, then work out the settings & if your lucky recovery files. At least its not a raid5 so should be a bit easier for you. But you will need somewhere to restore the files to & once your done maybe you can then just reformat both of the 500Gb drives & use them as is?

Heres a link about raid on the website http://www.unformat-unerase.com/Mac_Hel ... ations.htm


Loki

That quote worries me as your accepting the risks of DIY with someone else's data


Loki

It's him who has to explain to his friend that his data is lost due to a procedural error or drive(s) dying during the DIY attempt.

All too familiar story with know-it-all "friends" or wise-guy PC techs

We see this at least two or three times a week

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Hi Pcimage,
true, but I'm in a such different situation, because before me other 2 guys and the owner had tryed the recovery (months ago), one was a server technician that I have to think he knows very well his job..... but who knows, maybe new problems came out. Then after different months the HDs was sitting on a shelf, my friend ask me to try something before keeping the crucial decision of formatting to use them again.
Like you see, I'm keeping the maximal precautions, I prefer to follow your instructions.... and will made some sector by sector image to make test like Loki suggest. (forgot, wich free program can you suggest me to make sector by sector images? I've downloaded EasyUS disk copy, but I can't find.......)
I hope we can do it, like a team. Am I right? Thank you guys.

Ok, as long as your friend accepts the risk of DIY and you make him aware of this.

As Loki suggests, make a SECTOR clone of both drives and work from those first (dd_rescue for example is the only suitable freebie I can think of now)

If its JBOD then I suggest UFS explorer, not free but excellent product.

Don't forget to recover any data to ANOTHER device.

Good luck.

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New!! HDD-PCB.COM for all your PCB and donor HDD requirements!

If the drives are physically ok then R-Studios can also create a image of drives.

Loki

DMDE too.

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After talking to my friend and remebering... now comes the complete info about the story of those HD's,
He was try making a backup of his PC into this external 1TB hard drive (2x Seagate 500+500GB).
The biggest error it's that he choose Clone option instead of backup, so like I understand he make an exact copy (sector by sector) and overwrite part of it, that you will confirm me it's impossible to recover, true??
Then somebody after this tryed to make recovery with some programs, and the electricity went off.... (not me, like I was mention at the start of the thread, was an idea for making dialogue more easy, now it's not ) and the HDs went with the trouble already described... uninitialized etc....

I follow anyway your suggestions soon and update the status

Hi there,
After a week out, I'm back asking help on how to make a correct Virtual Raid or volume set? with R-Studio... I've tryed like this, but anyway how I can recognize the correct order of first and the second HDs?
I'm in "Virtual Volume Set", same as Jbod?

Main window:
http://i.imgur.com/476mqfZ.jpg

Those below are the 2 HDs in "View/Edit" (in order like on main window) ...is possible to recognize the first one.
1 - http://i.imgur.com/XcsGMnS.jpg
2 - http://i.imgur.com/YVU6DR6.jpg