ThermaltakeDuet replaces partition info with other disk's

How to use TestDisk to recover lost partition
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hwfischer
Posts: 2
Joined: 14 Sep 2012, 01:28

ThermaltakeDuet replaces partition info with other disk's

#1 Post by hwfischer »

I had two 2TB HDDs in a Thermaltake Duet dock (the older one, with the eSata, not the USB3 version, but using USB2 on my Macbook Pro), and suddenly today, it seems at random, one HDDs started identifying itself as having the same name as the other, with the same root directory. This identity conversion was only partial, as the subfolders contained only gibberish. I though it was a disk repair problem, and used the Mac Disk Utility, which claimed to have repaired it but left it in its previous condition, which seems to have confirmed, maybe aggravated, the problem. The HDD was formatted by the Mac OSX in FAT32 to make it compatible with Windows machines (so it may be recoverable by Windows if it isn't via the Mac?). Now, using TestDisk, I've found an even older partition, but it appears that the directory of the other HDD that was in the Duet has replaced all traces of the partition that occupied the whole HDD, and was working perfectly, until earlier today.

I've read a dozen of so google entries by people who've lost partitions one way or another on the Duet device. Speculation seems to be that it's the hardware chip in the device. One of the reports actually specified the directory duplication phenomenon that I've experienced, but without reporting any success in fixing it. Plenty of reports of reports to Thermaltake and replace units, but nothing about actually fixing the disks suffering the identity crisis.

I'm trying the TestDisk extended search, which seems like it will take about 24 hours, but am of course worried that in one instant the Thermaltake (and my subsequent attempts to recover with the Mac's Disk Utility?) may have led to losing 1.6TB of data, most of which I have elsewhere, but it will take me dozens of hours to reduplicate what I can from existing sources. Today's event was at the end of an attempt to get everything from many sources in a single duplicable disk, but unless I can somehow recover the directory which is what I presume the Thermaltake Duet replaced, a lot of work will have been wasted. Of course, I should have kept an exact duplicate of the HDD as I went along, but I didn't.

Does this make any sense, or ring any bells? Any recommendations? Thanks in advance for reading all this.

hwfischer
Posts: 2
Joined: 14 Sep 2012, 01:28

Re: ThermaltakeDuet replaces partition info with other disk'

#2 Post by hwfischer »

I should add that the disk was always used as a data disk. (I'm presuming that makes boot sector problems impossible, but if that's not so, please let me know.)

Also, the deep search seems now like it's going to take almost 3 days (at 16 hours, I'm 25% through). Is there any way to stop the search and resume it without having to just start the search over from the beginning? Or does such a long search mean something else is wrong. I think it would probably be safer to buy a new HDD, make an image, and then proceed on the image. (I didn't realize the deep search would take so long, but it occurs to me that if the HDD has problems, running it so long may do it in. The HDD, which I presume isn't relevant, is a Samsung HD204UI. I'm now searching it in a Thermaltake single dock connected via USB2.) Or perhaps I should try a more FAT specific remedy first? So far, I can't interpret what the deep search has found. It seems almost all Mac HFS: it's always been formatted as FAT32, but it's been the MacBook Pro writing to it. An initial search found two FAT partitions: one had the name of the other drive that was in the Duet, and showed that other drive's folders, and one an old one with an entirely different name, that had almost nothing in it. The screen (so far) is:

Last login: Thu Sep 13 12:29:07 on console
/Users/harryfischer/Downloads/Google\ Chrome\ downloads/testdisk-6.14-WIP.mac_intel/testdisk-6.14-WIP/testdisk ; exit;
hwf-481de5bb045:~ harryfischer$ /Users/harryfischer/Downloads/Google\ Chrome\ downloads/testdisk-6.14-WIP.mac_intel/testdisk-6.14-WIP/testdisk ; exit;
TestDisk 6.14-WIP, Data Recovery Utility, September 2012
Christophe GRENIER <grenier@cgsecurity.org>
http://www.cgsecurity.org
TestDisk exited normally.
sudo may ask your user password, it doesn't ask for the root password.
Usually there is no echo or '*' displayed when you type your password.
Password:
TestDisk 6.14-WIP, Data Recovery Utility, September 2012
Christophe GRENIER <grenier@cgsecurity.org>
http://www.cgsecurity.org

TestDisk 6.14-WIP, Data Recovery Utility, September 2012
Christophe GRENIER <grenier@cgsecurity.org>
http://www.cgsecurity.org

Disk /dev/disk1 - 2000 GB / 1863 GiB - 3907029168 sectors (RO)
Analyse cylinder 995786752/3907029167: 25%

Mac HFS 246354440 246362551 8112
Mac HFS 246346332 246354443 8112
Mac HFS 267627804 268766547 1138744
Mac HFS 266489064 267627807 1138744
Mac HFS 268766544 269905287 1138744
Mac HFS 267627804 268766547 1138744
Unknown 380643992 1109939688 729295697
Unknown 382755711 2068100294 1685344584
check_FAT: Bad jump in FAT partition
Unknown 551088703 45609589666366 45609038577664 [l^D5k~A
Mac HFS 656703701 665648854 8945154
Mac HFS 647758551 656703704 8945154
MS Data 794454623 26340736919608915 26340736125154292
MS Data 907855391 26340737033009683 26340736125154292
Stop

Again, thanks to anyone who read this.

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