Can't boot but can access data

How to use TestDisk to recover lost partition
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justnod
Posts: 3
Joined: 14 Nov 2012, 15:18

Can't boot but can access data

#1 Post by justnod »

Hi - I've been wrestling with this problem for a week in the hope that I can avoid a full reinstall. My main Windows 7 disk will no longer boot. The blue screen (which I failed to notice for ages because it clears so quickly) suggests a disk problem. However, if I boot from another disk I can access the "faulty" disk and, apparently all of its folders and content. ChkDsk suggests it is clear of problems as does Seagate tools (this is a 500Mb Seagate Barracuda) with 3 partitions: one system Reserved and 2 other Windows partitions. I have also run AVG anti-virus and it revealed no problems.

When I run TestDisk on the main bootable Windows 7 partition, it claims the "number of heads per cylinder is 224 but the correct value may be 255".

Is there any hope that I can revive this disk for live use without reformatting and reinstalling Windows etc? Perhaps by using the geometry menu?

Thanks in advance.

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

Re: Can't boot but can access data

#2 Post by Fiona »

The value 224 looks wrong.
That's why it could be possible that your partitions are not available.
Correcting your disk geometry could solve that problem.
Would it be possible to upload a screen from TestDisk Analyse?
Also you can copy and paste the content of the testdisk.log.

Fiona

justnod
Posts: 3
Joined: 14 Nov 2012, 15:18

Re: Can't boot but can access data

#3 Post by justnod »

Thank you for your prompt reply Fiona. Please note that I can access the partition but I can't boot from it.

Sceen dump is attached with log whose content is duplicated below:

Wed Nov 14 14:50:10 2012
Command line: TestDisk

TestDisk 6.14-WIP, Data Recovery Utility, September 2012
Christophe GRENIER <grenier@cgsecurity.org>
http://www.cgsecurity.org
OS: Windows 7 (7600)
Compiler: GCC 4.6, Cygwin 1007.9
Compilation date: 2012-11-10T21:44:00
ext2fs lib: 1.42.2, ntfs lib: 10:0:0, reiserfs lib: 0.3.1-rc8, ewf lib: 20120504

disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(/dev/sda)=500107862016
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(/dev/sdb)=500107862016
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(/dev/sdc)=4007657472
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(\\.\PhysicalDrive0)=500107862016
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(\\.\PhysicalDrive1)=500107862016
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(\\.\PhysicalDrive2)=4007657472
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(\\.\C:)=164456562688
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(\\.\D:)=335544320000
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(\\.\E:)=2501894144
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(\\.\F:)=104857600
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(\\.\G:)=325058560000
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(\\.\H:)=174942322688
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(\\.\I:)=4007641088
Hard disk list
Disk /dev/sda - 500 GB / 465 GiB - CHS 60801 255 63, sector size=512 - ST500DM0
02-1BD142, S/N:2Z8AJZ2Y, FW:KC43
Disk /dev/sdb - 500 GB / 465 GiB - CHS 229504 224 19, sector size=512 - ST350041
3AS, S/N:2Z8AQWSH, FW:JC4B
Disk /dev/sdc - 4007 MB / 3822 MiB - CHS 487 255 63, sector size=512 - HP v100w,
FW:PMAP
Drive E: - 2501 MB / 2385 MiB - CHS 596 64 32, sector size=2048 - TSSTcorp CDDVD
W SH-S223C, S/N:4R31G6ZB597220, FW:SB04

Partition table type (auto): Intel
Disk /dev/sdb - 500 GB / 465 GiB - ST350041 3AS
Partition table type: Intel

Analyse Disk /dev/sdb - 500 GB / 465 GiB - CHS 229504 224 19
Geometry from i386 MBR: head=240 sector=63
BAD_RS LBA=2048 640
NTFS at 0/107/16
heads/cylinder 255 (NTFS) != 224 (HD)
sect/track 63 (NTFS) != 19 (HD)
BAD_RS LBA=206848 58444
NTFS at 48/134/15
heads/cylinder 240 (NTFS) != 224 (HD)
sect/track 63 (NTFS) != 19 (HD)
NTFS at 149221/119/12
heads/cylinder 240 (NTFS) != 224 (HD)
sect/track 63 (NTFS) != 19 (HD)
Current partition structure:
Warning: number of heads/cylinder mismatches 255 (NTFS) != 224 (HD)
Warning: number of sectors per track mismatches 63 (NTFS) != 19 (HD)
1 * HPFS - NTFS 0 107 16 48 134 14 204800 [System Reserved]


Warning: Bad starting sector (CHS and LBA don't match)
Warning: number of heads/cylinder mismatches 240 (NTFS) != 224 (HD)
Warning: number of sectors per track mismatches 63 (NTFS) != 19 (HD)
2 P HPFS - NTFS 48 134 15 149221 119 11 634880000

Warning: Bad starting sector (CHS and LBA don't match)
Warning: number of heads/cylinder mismatches 240 (NTFS) != 224 (HD)
Warning: number of sectors per track mismatches 63 (NTFS) != 19 (HD)
3 P HPFS - NTFS 149221 119 12 229504 107 15 341684224

Warning: Bad starting sector (CHS and LBA don't match)

justnod
Posts: 3
Joined: 14 Nov 2012, 15:18

Re: Can't boot but can access data

#4 Post by justnod »

Any further thoughts on this Fiona (or anyone else) now that you have the detail? The help is greatly appreciated.

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