Guidance on ddrescue please

BCAdmin1 Comment on Guidance on ddrescue please

Seeking Guidance on Data Recovery with ddrescue

Hello everyone,

I recently encountered a critical issue with my 8TB external hard drive, which began experiencing multiple crashes. In a bid to recover my valuable data, I decided to invest in a 12TB drive to facilitate the backup process. Unfortunately, my initial attempts were unsuccessful.

While exploring recovery options, I discovered ddrescue, a powerful data recovery tool. I booted into Ubuntu and successfully executed the command to create an .img file along with a .log file. However, I am now facing a challenge with the failing drive.

As the drive continues to crash, I noticed that the utility is displaying ‘n/a’ for the “time since last successful read.” This raises my concern about whether the drive might have become disconnected during the process. My primary goal is to avoid causing any further damage to the failing drive while attempting recovery.

I would greatly appreciate any advice or insights from those experienced with ddrescue. Does my current situation indicate that the tool is functioning correctly, or should I adjust my approach?

Thank you for your support as I navigate this recovery process!

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2 questions: 1. How to test a Backup Windows System Image, to ensure it’ll actually recover your backed up data? 2. If your backup skips some files because they are deemed “corrupt”, what are your options? Thanks! 😊

Navigating Windows Backup: Testing Your System Image and Handling Corrupt...
BCAdmin1 Comment on 2 questions: 1. How to test a Backup Windows System Image, to ensure it’ll actually recover your backed up data? 2. If your backup skips some files because they are deemed “corrupt”, what are your options? Thanks! 😊

One Comment

  1. Hi,

    It sounds like you’re making good progress with ddrescue, especially since you’ve successfully created the image and log files. The “n/a” for the “time since last successful read” typically indicates that ddrescue hasn’t been able to perform successful reads from the failing drive yet, which is common in cases of severe hardware failure. This does not necessarily mean your drive has disconnected; it may simply be that data isn’t recoverable from certain sectors.

    To minimize further stress on the failing drive, consider the following tips:

    • Ensure you’re running ddrescue in a manner that prioritizes safety, such as using the --no-scrape option initially to avoid unnecessary read attempts on dying sectors.
    • Use the --retry-passes=3 (or more) option to give ddrescue additional chances to recover readable data from problematic areas.
    • Adjust the --max-retries parameter if needed to limit the amount of retries on bad sectors, which can prevent unnecessary stress.
    • Monitor the process closely, and consider stopping and resuming later to avoid overloading the drive.
    • Always work on a cloned image rather than the failing drive itself to prevent further damage.

    Keep in mind that severe hardware issues might require more specialized data recovery services

    Reply

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