WD Elements broken filesystem + bad sectors - data recovery

[flukas]

Hello,
after reading the documentation and some threads here on the forum, I have some uncear spots.

Current status

• 4GB WD Elements not recognised by windows
• 1 partition recognised by TestDisk (windows says RAW), there was one NTFS partition only, so this seems right
• there are 4 bad sectors according to SMART
• boot sector recovery does not seem to have changed anything ("Can't open filesystem. Filesystem seems damaged.")
• DiskDrill can see photos without original filenames/folders

Questions:

• deeper scan takes quite long and claims to search for particles - is there any benefit running it if all expected particles were found?
• It is recommended to use DDRescue to clone the disc and then recover from that. For this I'd need two empty discs (one temporary for cloning, one as recovered data target) - right?
• Is there any chance to recover also the file/folder structure (even with other sw/commercial services)?
• I assume PhotoRec recovery would resume in the same result as DiskDrill - correct?
• What is the benefit of running ddrescue prior to PhotoRec? - Is reading by photorec likely to (capable of) cause more additional damage compared to disc cloning by ddrescue?

[recuperation]

Hello,
after reading the documentation and some threads here on the forum, I have some uncear spots.

Current status

[*] 4GB WD Elements not recognised by windows
[*] 1 partition recognised by TestDisk (windows says RAW), there was one NTFS partition only, so this seems right

If your disk cannot be recognised by Windows, how can your Windows suddenly recognize a partition?

[*] there are 4 bad sectors according to SMART

"bad sector" is not a SMART term. If you are referring to "reallocated sectors" there may be "10000 pending ones." That's another reason why I ask people to post their smartmontools report here.

[*] boot sector recovery does not seem to have changed anything ("Can't open filesystem. Filesystem seems damaged.")

You should have taken the standard procedure as outlined in
https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Step_By_Step

[*] DiskDrill can see photos without original filenames/folders


Questions:

• deeper scan takes quite long

When I once drove the Nürburgring race track, it took me quite long, too.

and claims to search for particles

Particle search? That sounds like danger in my ears.

- is there any benefit running it if all expected particles were found?

Sorry, I don't understand.

[*] It is recommended to use DDRescue to clone the disc and then recover from that. For this I'd need two empty discs (one temporary for cloning, one as recovered data target) - right?

Yes, correct.

[*] Is there any chance to recover also the file/folder structure (even with other sw/commercial services)?

There is nearly always a chance. The more products you try out the better provided that you don't operate them on a defective disk.

[*] I assume PhotoRec recovery would resume in the same result as DiskDrill - correct?

Ask here:
66 Canal Center Pl, Ste 505, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA
Call us at +1-470-2402508
help@cleverfiles.com

[*] What is the benefit of running ddrescue prior to PhotoRec? - Is reading by photorec likely to (capable of) cause more additional damage compared to disc cloning by ddrescue?

Any access to a defective disk is prone to create more dammage. Having an image on a healthy disk or a duplicate healthy disk eliminates all problems with unreadable sectors. Obviously unreadable sectors cannot be copied. But the remains of the file image or duplicate is not subject to degradation as the broken disk source may be.

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