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My Ubuntu HDD failed today(hardware). I can't mount it, but there are some files which I need to recover before I get manufacturer replacement. Is there any software which will let me scan device itself without mounting it in attempt to find files and restore on external storage?

I tend to thing that most of the ext4 partition may be readable and only those sectors carrying data for mounting failed. I have NTFS partitions on that HDD and able to successfully read them.

Michael
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2 Answers2

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Depending on how badly corrupted the filesystem, you may be able to retrieve some files using debugfs. Try opening the partition with 'debugfs /dev/sdXn'. If that fails use the '-c' flag. Then you can use 'ls' and 'cd' to see what is still available. 'write' can be used to recover individual files; 'rdump' can be used to dump directory trees.

Good luck :)

Steve Smith
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If your hard drive has failed you're pretty much beyond what you can do with software. Your best bet would be a data recovery company.

If you can still access the drive (it spins up and some areas are readable) you can try some at-home data recovery software (search the tag here or Google for an enormous list of options, both free and commercial).
Imaging the whole drive with ddrescue might also be a good option - particularly if the drive is just beginning to fail. Getting an image of it now, before the problems get any worse, will maximize your chances of recovering data.

voretaq7
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  • I'd definitely try the ddrescue method to image it, if testdisk can't get to the partition to recover files. Testdisk, then ddrescue, then swearing and throwing it around like a very angry primate. That won't help any more but it makes me feel better. – Bart Silverstrim Feb 09 '12 at 02:47
  • I've never actually used testdisk, but my usual step after ddrescue is "viking funeral" – voretaq7 Feb 09 '12 at 21:04
  • I used testdisk against a disk image; it did work against a raw image. Testdisk is actually really useful for partition and file rescues. – Bart Silverstrim Feb 09 '12 at 21:21