TOSHIBA HARD DISK: How can I locate and isolate Bad sectors?

[jaclaz]

What is it what you need?? a one full image? or small pieces of .dd files?

I don't need anything, thanks.

I pointed you to a suggested procedure:

http://reboot.pro/15040/page__st__8

I explained to you the REASONs why such a procedure is suggested (as opposed to "start imaging and let the program try again and again and again and again on bad sectors).

If you had told datarescuedd to copy (just an example with very small numbers) sectors from 0 to 100, you would have as a result a file named image[0-51200].dd

If this file, upon ispection, is actually 51.200 bytes in size, and you had no errors, you would be sure to have imaged correctly a chunk, and know exactly it's size and know exactly it's position.

Then you go fo the next chunk, like 100 to 200 and you get another nice 51200 bytes file named image[51200-102400].dd, and so on.

You chose the "other one", that's allright, I make no claim whatsoever that what was suggested was "right" and that what you did was "wrong", I am simply stating that you did another thing from what was suggested to you.

On reboot.pro we even have an emoticon that in this case represents the poor HD arm/heads banging against an unreadable sector over and over:

This is BAD for the hard disk and data integrity, and LESSENS probabilities of a successful image and of a later recovery.

You just posted data that simply makes NO SENSE, whether these data appear nonsensical because they are plainly wrong or because something (whatever) went wrong during the imaging process (and whether this is connected to having done that in a way that was NOT recommended) is irrelevant, the result is that now you have "something" that you are not actually sure WHAT it is.

To join files you need a file joiner.

A good one (IMHO) is dsfi (part of the dsfok package:

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~nulifetv/freezip/freeware/

2) dsfi

dsfi can overwrite a block of data of any size at any location within a file.

Also:

- restore disk partitions (no resizing)

- restore entire disk (no resizing)

- restore a floppy disk image

- join two files

- fast sector-level transfer

Usage: dsfi destination offset size source

Note: null size is interpreted as max possible input

negative size is calculated on current file size

negative offset is calculated from end of file

use "e" as offset to indicate end of file

Example: dsfi c:\tmp\my.avi -50000 0 test.bin

dsfi \\.\d: 0 512 c:\0\partition-sectors.dat

dsfi \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE0 0 0 \\srv\shr\tmp\first.dsk

dsfi \\.\a: 0 0 "c:\tmp\floppy disk image.img"

To join two files type: dsfi file1 e 0 file2

The offset argument has to be "0" with non-file objects.

jaclaz

[ahmad2080]

I pointed you to a suggested procedure:

http://reboot.pro/15040/page__st__8

I missed that link in your earlier post.....

Back to the track.....

[Tripredacus]

Hopefully when you get this all fixed up, we won't have to go and fix the recovery partition again.

[ahmad2080]

Hopefully when you get this all fixed up, we won't have to go and fix the recovery partition again.

I burned the recovery DVDs before anything to avoid repeating the tragedy of the recovery partition. I recovered my whole system using those DVDs on my new HDD.

Back to the situation, while imaging the HDD in chunks as suggested the computer suddenly hang. I had to force a SHUTDOWN.

Now, The HDD is no longer readable as before. "Disk Managment" reports the primary partition (584GB) as a "RAW" partition and needs to be formatted.

Apparently, its only getting worse. I'm giving up recovering anything from it now.

So I turned to use Victoria and tried to locate the bad sectors. I found a very LOUSY GUI with no idea what to do.

Edited August 4, 2011 by ahmad2080

[jaclaz]

So I turned to use Victoria and tried to locate the bad sectors. I found a very LOUSY GUI with no idea what to do.

The "LOUSY" may be attributed to the otherwise very nice Victoria Author .

The "no idea what to do" cannot.

See if this helps (not latest version, though):

http://docs7.chomikuj.pl/81583362,0,0,Victoria-for-Windows-v4.pdf

The fact that the partition is seen as RAW may mean something or nothing, most probably all the head banging did unfortunately cause the expected worsening of the situation, or maybe the disk only warmed up a tadbit too much and only needs to cool down a bit.

jaclaz

Edited August 4, 2011 by jaclaz

[ahmad2080]

The "LOUSY" may be attributed to the otherwise very nice Victoria Author .

The "no idea what to do" cannot.

Yes, I agree that the author made great job there but talking about the interface .....It's horrible . Besides there are no HELP notes to guide you through the program. Sorry, it's just my

opinion.

See if this helps (not latest version, though):

http://docs7.chomiku...-Windows-v4.pdf

The fact that the partition is seen as RAW may mean something or nothing, most probably all the head banging did unfortunately cause the expected worsening of the situation, or maybe the disk only warmed up a tadbit too much and only needs to cool down a bit.

jaclaz

Thanks for the link. I cooled it down (not in the refrigerator of course ) and it's still RAW.

Currently reading: http://docs7.chomikuj.pl/81583362,0,0,Victoria-for-Windows-v4.pdf

and will post back results.