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Question

Require help with The file or directory is corrupted error

Mar 29, 2015 2:09AM PDT

We have a Hitachi XL 1000 HDD which is giving the "The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable" error.

CHKDSK /F & /R show no errors and both give the correct volume name as HITACHI, whereas Windows Explorer shows it as E: Local Disk. A simple DIR in DOS produces the error again!

The standard disk-check utility closes without error, whether I check the tick-boxes for Automatically fix errors or not!

There are too many important files to write the disk off and we are desperate to get them back. We appreciate we will have to buy a new disk to transfer the data too upon retrieval.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
DO NOT REPAIR.
Mar 29, 2015 2:12AM PDT
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Clarification required
Apr 3, 2015 12:28AM PDT

Sorry, I don't understand. What do you mean by "clone", please? I can't read the drive.

Also - Do not repair?

Concerned...

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A clone of the drive can skip past that error.
Apr 3, 2015 3:53AM PDT

But sometimes you find folk unwilling to do what it takes to safeguard their files. I think Drivesavers.com is best.
Bob

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I didn't write enough.
Apr 3, 2015 3:58AM PDT

By skip past, it duplicates the drive complete with that error. Now that we have a clone of the drive we can try all those recovery apps to see if the issue or files can be resolved.

Only those very new to data recovery work on the original and last copy.
Bob

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Cloning?
Apr 5, 2015 8:29PM PDT

Hi, can somebody please explain what "clone" means and how I can do it?

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Re: clone
Apr 5, 2015 8:36PM PDT
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DiXML
Apr 7, 2015 7:00AM PDT

Hi - I downloaded that but, as the LifeHacker page says, it isn't user-friendly!

Could you please tell me what options to pick? Also, I have bought a new disk but do I have to do anything to it first (e.g. partition)?

Cheers.

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DiXML assistance
Apr 12, 2015 5:37AM PDT

Hi, I'm sorry but I need help running DIXML as I am a novice when it comes to this level of disk work!

As you can see:

http://i.imgur.com/hLk8yq6.jpg

I am able to connect my two disks: E is the new one; F the old. E is a WD disk and you can see the correct

label, Elements, is showing. F, the Hitachi, has not mounted correctly and the label name, HITACHI, is not

displayed (it IS displayed when I do a CHKDSK.

When I run DiXML, I select Drive to Drive. All 3 of my drives show in the list:

http://i.imgur.com/3P2ZjUY.jpg

but, clearly, it cannot see the NTFS disk structure.

I click Next.

http://i.imgur.com/haF8IAq.jpg

It recognises that I want to copy from drive F but I do not know what options to select: "Volume Locking first"

versus "Volume Shadow Services first" and also do I select "Raw mode"?

Finally, when I get the options correct, I don't want to overwrite the diskware on the new drive, do I have to

make a partition on it? If so, how do I do that?

http://i.imgur.com/4OOhpha.jpg

Thanks for everything so far but I'm at a standstill at the moment...

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This tells me the F: drive has some errors.
Apr 12, 2015 5:55AM PDT

I would move on with Clonezilla or other drive clone software to see if we can clone the drive.

If this is not possible, time for drivesavers.com
Bob

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Thanks
Apr 13, 2015 5:58AM PDT

Hi, thanks for your reply but I can't understand the blurb on the Clonezilla page about what to do.

Is it not possible to tell me how to run DiXML, please? I just need to know whether I need to add a partition (and how, if that is the case) and what options to select in DiXML.

Cheers.

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When the tools are too hard to use.
Apr 13, 2015 6:07AM PDT

You have to start looking at other tools or more web research. If all fails then you are calling up recovery houses like drivesavers.

Some have melted down or flamed in the forums that no one knows how to do data recovery. THIS IS TRUE because there is no consistent damage. One machine/drive may differ from the next but there are things we know in the procedure.

1. Clone the drive.
2. Only operate on the clone because we don't want to further corrupt the original.

In fact the original show never be used again except for making another copy.

Some can't accept these precepts and eventually explode as their last good copy is gone forever. Don't worry about this as everyone here knows what stress this can put folk under.

There are some dozen ways to clone drives. Some folk never master the software methods and have to use a hardware drive cloner. Example follows:
http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SATA-Hard-Drive-Duplicator/dp/B003WV5DLA

Bob

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Re: image
Apr 13, 2015 6:34AM PDT

You have to be sure you use the right source and the right destination, that's clear.
Then, since it isn't a hot backup (from a running system) the 2 options aren't applicable. And raw means sector by sector, which is what you want.

Anyway, since the source won't be changed, you can redo it in another way if happen to choose the wrong one.

Kees

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Partitioning
Apr 19, 2015 4:47AM PDT

Thanks for that last response.

As you can see from here:

http://i.imgur.com/4OOhpha.jpg

I cannot see the full new drive (which is over 2Tb big), the 4th in the list, so, when I try the copy, I get this:

http://imgur.com/jozOwbf

I am concerned that the whole of the new disk is not being seen as available by DiXML...

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ReL: partioning
Apr 19, 2015 4:59AM PDT

So there is 932 GB NTFS-partition on the 2 TB drive. And DiXML finds that not large enough to copy an image of whatever you want to copy to it.

That's strange, since I assume you only want to copy the 74.5 GB c:\partiton to try some DIY recovery software on it. Or is that disk #0 so corrupted that even the size is shown wrong? Or is there really 900 GB unallocated space on disk 0?

Anyway, why not make a 2 TB partition on that 2 TB hard disk? GPARTED is free and can do it (if it really is a 2 TB disk, of course).

Kees

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Clarification
Apr 25, 2015 12:28AM PDT

Hi, the problem I am now experiencing is that the brand new 2.72Tb-free-space disk is only showing as 349Gb free when I try the copy! Before I do that, it shows correctly as 2.7Tb of free space.

Is it that DiXML can't handle my new disk?

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Answer
Re: desperate
Apr 12, 2015 6:08AM PDT

Just a note: people who do a regiular backup of their important files (to an external disk, a USB-stick, Dropbox or Onedrive, to name a few options) or even their whole disk (an 'image' backup) don't become desperate when their hard disk fails. They just install a new one and restore all their data (or their whole system) from their backup.

Something to consider for the future?

Kees

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Future ref
Apr 13, 2015 5:57AM PDT

Thanks - I will take more care in the future but, right no, I need to get this disk back if at all possible.

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(NT) If DIY recovery fails, it's off to Drivesavers.
Apr 13, 2015 5:58AM PDT
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Answer
Success!
May 5, 2015 6:07PM PDT

OK, the problem is that Windows XP does not properly recognise 3Tb disk drives! Whoulda thunk!

Anyway - I purchased GetDataBack for 79 Euros: not only did it do the trick perfectly, it was also user-friendly, something the software suggested here was not.

So, you might like to update yuor records regarding 3Tb drives.

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Re: success
May 5, 2015 7:45PM PDT

Just noting that nowhere in all your posts you mentioned that you were using Windows XP.

Nobody could guess you were trying use such an old and unsupported OS that last was sold on 2008 PC's with the latest hardware.

Kees