Partition damage following power loss

How to use TestDisk to recover lost partition
Forum rules
When asking for technical support:
- Search for posts on the same topic before posting a new question.
- Give clear, specific information in the title of your post.
- Include as many details as you can, MOST POSTS WILL GET ONLY ONE OR TWO ANSWERS.
- Post a follow up with a "Thank you" or "This worked!"
- When you learn something, use that knowledge to HELP ANOTHER USER LATER.
Before posting, please read https://www.cgsecurity.org/testdisk.pdf
Message
Author
JoshEDC
Posts: 6
Joined: 29 Feb 2012, 22:03

Partition damage following power loss

#1 Post by JoshEDC »

I have a Dell server with a RAID5 hardware array. Following a power outage, the system is not bootable and I need to recover SQL backups. GetDataBack is able to find the backups, but they are all corrupt. I started testdisk and two partitions are found, the OS and Data partitions, but I'm pretty sure there should be a 3rd Dell partition, which is not listed. I am running a quick search now and so far, the OS partition is listed twice. The sectors look screwed up. The first partition starts with sector 10 and ends at sector 10453 and the next partition starts at 10455. I can't access the log file at the moment, but i can provide a photo of the quick scan in progress.
Attachments
file.jpeg
file.jpeg (30.37 KiB) Viewed 6795 times
Last edited by JoshEDC on 03 Mar 2012, 23:35, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Fiona
Posts: 2835
Joined: 18 Feb 2012, 17:19
Location: Ludwigsburg/Stuttgart - Germany

Re: Partition damage following power loss

#2 Post by Fiona »

I'm pretty sure there should be a 3rd Dell partition, which is not listed.
Do you mean Dell Utility?
Just wait until TestDisk finished your scan.
You will get the results.

JoshEDC
Posts: 6
Joined: 29 Feb 2012, 22:03

Re: Partition damage following power loss

#3 Post by JoshEDC »

Yes, the dell utility. I have completed the scan and attached the log.

User avatar
Fiona
Posts: 2835
Joined: 18 Feb 2012, 17:19
Location: Ludwigsburg/Stuttgart - Germany

Re: Partition damage following power loss

#4 Post by Fiona »

I didn't find your log?
Please upload it.
If TestDisk didn't find it, it might be worth to add that partition manually and have a try to rebuild the boot sector.

JoshEDC
Posts: 6
Joined: 29 Feb 2012, 22:03

Re: Partition damage following power loss

#5 Post by JoshEDC »

D'oh!!! I didn't realize I needed to zip it. Thank you for your time.
Attachments
testdisk.zip
(6.16 KiB) Downloaded 569 times

User avatar
Fiona
Posts: 2835
Joined: 18 Feb 2012, 17:19
Location: Ludwigsburg/Stuttgart - Germany

Re: Partition damage following power loss

#6 Post by Fiona »

Looks like that your partition structur is a kind of messed up?
Obviously your Dell Utility is not available anymore and your second, partition the structur doesn't look to be as valid either.

If your second partition mismatches, you will not find a path to your data.

I assume that your second partition has been in sequential order and followed directly after the first one.
Now there is free space approximately 8 MB to your second partition.
The only thing, what I can offer might be to add your partition as standard and have another diagnose.
Your current second partition will be replaced from the added one.
But in this case, TestDisk offers you an opportunity to backup your current partition structur after Analyse and Backup.

Do you want to do this diagnose?

JoshEDC
Posts: 6
Joined: 29 Feb 2012, 22:03

Re: Partition damage following power loss

#7 Post by JoshEDC »

Absolutely. Just tell me what I need to do.

User avatar
Fiona
Posts: 2835
Joined: 18 Feb 2012, 17:19
Location: Ludwigsburg/Stuttgart - Germany

Re: Partition damage following power loss

#8 Post by Fiona »

Start Testdisk.
Confirm through testdisk until you see Analyse.
Your affected disk must be selected.
Confirm at Analyse and highlight Backup.
Press Enter.
If there appears a message like "do you want to search for partitions created under vista, conform with n (NO).
If Quick Search is starting any search, let finish it.
Afterwards your screen should look like this;

Disk /dev/sda - 478 GB / 445 GiB - CHS 58156 255 63

Results
* HPFS - NTFS 10 0 1 10453 254 63 167782860 [OS]
P HPFS - NTFS 10455 0 1 58155 254 63 766316565

Highlight your second partition and use your right or left arrow on your keyboard to set it to D for deleted.
It looks like;
D HPFS - NTFS 10455 0 1 58155 254 63 766316565
You see at the left.

Press a to add another partition
The menu should look like this;

[ Cylinders ] [ Heads ] [ Sectors ] [ Cylinders ] [ Heads ] [ Sectors ] [ Type ] [ Done ]
.....10454....... 0..........1...........58155.......254........63..........07....[Enter]
the Type 07 is for NTFS
Please enter exactly these values!

After confirm at [Done], you will get back to the previous screen.

In case, check your added partition, it must be primary (P).
You can check it at the left side.
If not, use your arrow keys.
Should be;
P HPFS - NTFS 10454 0 1 58155 254 63 766316565
Press enter to proceed.

Write your partition table at Write.

Now you have an empty unformatted partition.
Don't format it, you would override your underlying file system.

Confirm in TestDisk through until you see the menu Analyse.
Don't confirm at Analyse but Advanced.
Highlight your affected partition and confirm at Boot.
Highlight Rebuild BS and hit Enter.
Rebuild BS will be in progress.
Normally, it takes some minutes.
If it's finished, please post the infos or upload a screen.
If you see a menu List, please highlight it and press enter.
Please let me know, do you see your data or an error message.
To get back to the previous screen, easily press q for Quit.

JoshEDC
Posts: 6
Joined: 29 Feb 2012, 22:03

Re: Partition damage following power loss

#9 Post by JoshEDC »

I followed your instructions and have taken a screenshot. My files are still not listed. :(
Attachments
Screenshot.png
Screenshot.png (26.86 KiB) Viewed 6833 times

User avatar
Fiona
Posts: 2835
Joined: 18 Feb 2012, 17:19
Location: Ludwigsburg/Stuttgart - Germany

Re: Partition damage following power loss

#10 Post by Fiona »

There is also a valid backup from your previous bootsector.
Did you check your files at list from your backup of your bootsector or Rebuild BS?
Or both?

Locked