Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2018 13:54:12 +0100 From: Dave B <g8kbvdave@googlemail.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Recover directory tree with files from win10 HD Message-ID: <2e3003c1-047e-7609-162b-f65a50c7a124@googlemail.com> In-Reply-To: <mailman.91.1523448001.63702.freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> References: <mailman.91.1523448001.63702.freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
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On 11/04/18 13:00, freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org wrote: > Keep in mind: It will take time. There is no "one size fits > all" GUI solution where you just click and icon and then have > all your files (and the directory structure) back. IN worst > case, what you're searching for has already been overwritten > by "Windows" attempting to "repair" it. > > Your alternative: Take $500-3000 and ship the disk to a > recovery business. If a "whole digital life" is worth that > much money, you can give them a change. Note that there is > absolutely no guarantee that they will succeed. > > Good luck! What happened to the drive to cause it to fail? Power spike, got dropped while running, or "user finger trouble" from within the OS? Assuming it's "just" a corrupted media issue, often called "bit rot", causing read errors so the OS gives up... I've also had times where trying to make a bit for bit backup copy of a suspect drive fails due to read errors. In such cases... https://grc.com/spinrite Is likely to be able to help. So long as the PC BIOS (or whatever low level software that runs before Win10) can "See the drive" and identify it correctly, it is likely to be able to do the job. It runs from a bootable CD or USB drive, so no pre-existing OS is needed. If you have to resort to paid for tools, at $89 it is MUCH less than the above figures... Plus, you get to keep it for future needs. (They will do money back too on a case by case basis, if it can't do the job where the drive is not physically damaged so it can't be seen by the software...) It's often the first tool the pro's use anyway, before needing to get the big guns, tool-kits and specialist HD Foo knowledge, clean rooms and so on... It is OS agnostic, just working on individual sectors, having no knowledge of any file-system format, so works on just about any spinning magnetic media. In extreme cases, it will recover what it can, often enough when a sector is not full, but damaged in the "empty" area. If however, the drive itself has mechanical or electrical problems, failed spindle motor driver, bearings, or head positioner servo, or read/write electronic problems, then all bets are off. No affiliation, other than as a happy owner/user for some years myself, so can vouch for it's abilities on Windows drives, Linux & FreeBSD systems, and the drive from my Humax PVR! (It can also refresh/recover floppy disks.) If it can be recovered, it will be, but it can take some time (I forget the record, but with a UPS powered system, Months have been mentioned in the past before it completed, successfully...) Laptops and some external cased drives often need extra cooling while it's running, due to the workload imposed on the drive. Regards to All. Dave B. PS: I actually test new drives with spinrite. When (not if!) Faults are found, just mentioning spinrite results in instant money back, or a free replacement, no other questions asked. I was one time asked to send a screen photo showing what it found. Got a free replacement and carriage costs refunded too! -- Created on and sent from a Unix like PC running and using free and open source software. :
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