Bad structure what to do?

How to use TestDisk to recover lost partition
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hddesperado
Posts: 7
Joined: 05 Mar 2019, 16:09

Bad structure what to do?

#1 Post by hddesperado »

Hello everyone!
I'm new to this forum and I need some help.
My laptop didn't start anymore (it didn't find the operating system), so I took out the HD and put it on a usb adpter.
Using another pc, I searched for the problem, but this HD is working in a odd way.

The hard drive has 3 partitions:
1) recovery (hidden) - it seems fine, I've already done the image backup (who know, maybe it coulb be helpful in future).
2) operatin system (C:) - it doesn't work at all, windows file manager says that it's not formatted.
3) Data (my storage) (D:) - it works perfect, I've already done the backup with windows file manager. I've done windows scandisk with sector check and it's 100% ok.

So I used testdisk, I followed step by step guide (really well done). www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Step_By_Step
Testdisk see all hd partitions and it works fine until deepscan.
At the end of deep scan, there is a red alert:
"Structure: bad"
And it's not possible to write the new partition structure.
testedisk1.JPG
testedisk1.JPG (113.64 KiB) Viewed 4455 times

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cgrenier
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Joined: 18 Feb 2012, 15:08
Location: Le Perreux Sur Marne, France
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Re: Bad structure what to do?

#2 Post by cgrenier »

Run TestDisk, Advanced, select the OS partition, Boot, RebuildBS, List. If you can see your files, choose Write, confirm, Quit and restart your computer.
Run "cmd" (right click Run as Administrator) and "chkdsk /f d:" (replace d: by the correct drive letter).

hddesperado
Posts: 7
Joined: 05 Mar 2019, 16:09

Re: Bad structure what to do?

#3 Post by hddesperado »

Many thanks for your help cgrenier!
I'm following your tips.
This is "boot" step:
testedisk2__.jpg
testedisk2__.jpg (120.24 KiB) Viewed 4439 times
is it ok?
Last edited by hddesperado on 06 Mar 2019, 17:54, edited 1 time in total.

hddesperado
Posts: 7
Joined: 05 Mar 2019, 16:09

Re: Bad structure what to do?

#4 Post by hddesperado »

this is "rebuild bs" step
testedisk3__.jpg
testedisk3__.jpg (105.49 KiB) Viewed 4438 times

hddesperado
Posts: 7
Joined: 05 Mar 2019, 16:09

Re: Bad structure what to do?

#5 Post by hddesperado »

File list seems fine....
testedisk4.JPG
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hddesperado
Posts: 7
Joined: 05 Mar 2019, 16:09

Re: Bad structure what to do?

#6 Post by hddesperado »

Unfortunately, in the end testdisk failed to write...
testedisk6.JPG
testedisk6.JPG (35.5 KiB) Viewed 4430 times
testedisk7.JPG
testedisk7.JPG (36 KiB) Viewed 4430 times
what's wrong?

recuperation
Posts: 2735
Joined: 04 Jan 2019, 09:48
Location: Hannover, Deutschland (Germany, Allemagne)

Re: Bad structure what to do?

#7 Post by recuperation »

Sounds like testdisk does not have the administrative right to write on this disk (on sector level - below file system level).
Otherwise it could indicate a lack of available spare sectors to replace the unreadable physical sector that contains the boot sector information by a working one.
The spare sector issue is handled by the harddisk firmware.
If this is not a rights issue cloning might be necessary.

hddesperado
Posts: 7
Joined: 05 Mar 2019, 16:09

Re: Bad structure what to do?

#8 Post by hddesperado »

recuperation wrote: 06 Mar 2019, 22:21 Sounds like testdisk does not have the administrative right to write on this disk (on sector level - below file system level).
Otherwise it could indicate a lack of available spare sectors to replace the unreadable physical sector that contains the boot sector information by a working one.
The spare sector issue is handled by the harddisk firmware.
If this is not a rights issue cloning might be necessary.
Many thanks for help. I was thinking too to a rights problem. I'm working on another pc (my account is admin of this pc) with my old hard drive on USB.

How I can have the rights to write on sector level?

recuperation
Posts: 2735
Joined: 04 Jan 2019, 09:48
Location: Hannover, Deutschland (Germany, Allemagne)

Re: Bad structure what to do?

#9 Post by recuperation »

As an admin you should already have the rights.
Try to run testdisk from a bootable CD/DVD like Knoppix.
Check disk health.

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cgrenier
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Re: Bad structure what to do?

#10 Post by cgrenier »

On Windows an antivirus may also prevent TestDisk from rewriting the boot sector.

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