Cannot Recover Partitions

How to use TestDisk to recover lost partition
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ironmanisanemic
Posts: 3
Joined: 21 Jul 2015, 02:15

Cannot Recover Partitions

#1 Post by ironmanisanemic »

Hello,

I recently built a new computer for a friend. He had an external hard drive that he wanted to move into his computer. The drive worked before i removed the drive from the enclosure, but after it was inside the computer windows registered it as unallocated space. Windows volume manager asked me if i wanted to enable the drive as a MBR or GPT. I mistakenly selected GPT. Windows still registers the drive as unallocated space. So i tried installing the drive back into the enclosure to get the data off, but now it wont register there either.

When i run TestDisk, right off the bat it doesnt find any partitions, and it defaults to GPT instead of INTEL for the system type. If i do a quick scan or even a deep scan, it finds 2 partitions. 1 NTFS partition, and 1 FAT32. After the scan completes however, i get a message,"The following partitions cannot be recovered" and it lists the 2 partitions it found during the scan.

I really need to recover the data for my friend. He has a lot of music projects saved on it and most are irreplaceable.

I will attach my log file and a screenshot.

Also, im getting a message that reads, "The harddisk (1500gb 1397gib) seems too small! << 4001 gb / 3726 gib) Check the harddisk size: hd jumpers setting, bios detection..." I know the drive size is correct, since its a 1.5tb drive.

Thank you
Attachments
testdisk.zip
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User avatar
Fiona
Posts: 2835
Joined: 18 Feb 2012, 17:19
Location: Ludwigsburg/Stuttgart - Germany

Re: Cannot Recover Partitions

#2 Post by Fiona »

You should convert the disk back to MBR.
Don't create any partition nor format it.
You can run another diagnose using testdisk / Analyse / Quick Search and if nothing would be found, Deeper Search also.
Pleasse run a complete scan.
If partitions would be found, you can select them and press p to have a try to list your files.
Please copy and paste the content of your testdisk.log into your nect post.

Fiona
ironmanisanemic
Posts: 3
Joined: 21 Jul 2015, 02:15

Re: Cannot Recover Partitions

#3 Post by ironmanisanemic »

According to Windows volume manager it is mbr now. After the scans completed, it gave me no option to select partitions, it only allowed me to exit. I will try it again and put up the log file.
ironmanisanemic
Posts: 3
Joined: 21 Jul 2015, 02:15

Re: Cannot Recover Partitions

#4 Post by ironmanisanemic »

here is the log file.

Code: Select all

Tue Jul 21 05:52:16 2015
Command line: TestDisk

TestDisk 7.0, Data Recovery Utility, April 2015
Christophe GRENIER <grenier@cgsecurity.org>
http://www.cgsecurity.org
OS: Windows 7 (7601) SP1
Compiler: GCC 4.8, Cygwin 1007.34
Compilation date: 2015-04-18T13:01:55
ext2fs lib: 1.42.8, ntfs lib: 10:0:0, reiserfs lib: 0.3.1-rc8, ewf lib: 20120504, curses lib: ncurses 5.9
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(/dev/sda)=1000204886016
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(/dev/sdb)=4000787030016
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(/dev/sdc)=1500301910016
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(\\.\PhysicalDrive0)=1000204886016
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(\\.\PhysicalDrive1)=4000787030016
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(\\.\PhysicalDrive2)=1500301910016
disk_get_size_win32 IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO(\\.\C:)=514127298560
filewin32_getfilesize(\\.\D:) GetFileSize err Incorrect function.

filewin32_setfilepointer(\\.\D:) SetFilePointer err Incorrect function.

Warning: can't get size for \\.\D:
filewin32_getfilesize(\\.\E:) GetFileSize err Incorrect function.

filewin32_setfilepointer(\\.\E:) SetFilePointer err Incorrect function.

Warning: can't get size for \\.\E:
Hard disk list
Disk /dev/sda - 1000 GB / 931 GiB - CHS 121601 255 63, sector size=512
Disk /dev/sdb - 4000 GB / 3726 GiB - CHS 486401 255 63, sector size=512
Disk /dev/sdc - 1500 GB / 1397 GiB - CHS 182401 255 63, sector size=512
Drive C: - 514 GB / 478 GiB - CHS 62505 255 63, sector size=512

Partition table type (auto): EFI GPT
Disk /dev/sdc - 1500 GB / 1397 GiB
Partition table type: Intel

Analyse Disk /dev/sdc - 1500 GB / 1397 GiB - CHS 182401 255 63
Current partition structure:
No partition is bootable

search_part()
Disk /dev/sdc - 1500 GB / 1397 GiB - CHS 182401 255 63
BAD_RS LBA=4086807716 10955606
file_pread(6,1,buffer,4086807716(254392/3/48)) lseek err Invalid argument
check_part_i386 failed for partition type 07
     HPFS - NTFS          254392   3 48 486491 129 13 3728678339
This partition ends after the disk limits. (start=4086807716, size=3728678339, end=7815486054, disk end=2930277168)
BAD_RS LBA=3943336428 6437756
file_pread(6,3,buffer,3943336428(245461/86/46)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,1,buffer,3943336428(245461/86/46)) lseek err Invalid argument
check_FAT: can't read FAT boot sector
check_part_i386 failed for partition type 0B
     FAT32                245461  86 46 290621 135 15  725498457
This partition ends after the disk limits. (start=3943336428, size=725498457, end=4668834884, disk end=2930277168)
file_pread(6,2,buffer,2930278400(182401/100/36)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,1,buffer,2930278400(182401/100/36)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,1,buffer,2930278399(182401/100/35)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,14,buffer,2930278401(182401/100/37)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,3,buffer,2930278415(182401/100/51)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,3,buffer,2930278462(182401/101/35)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,8,buffer,2930278478(182401/101/51)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,11,buffer,2930278525(182401/102/35)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,2,buffer,2930280447(182401/133/4)) lseek err Invalid argument
Disk /dev/sdc - 1500 GB / 1397 GiB - CHS 182401 255 63
Check the harddisk size: HD jumpers settings, BIOS detection...
The harddisk (1500 GB / 1397 GiB) seems too small! (< 4001 GB / 3726 GiB)
The following partitions can't be recovered:
     FAT32                245461  86 46 290621 135 15  725498457
     HPFS - NTFS          254392   3 48 486491 129 13 3728678339

Results

interface_write()
 
No partition found or selected for recovery

search_part()
Disk /dev/sdc - 1500 GB / 1397 GiB - CHS 182401 255 63
BAD_RS LBA=4086807716 10955606
file_pread(6,1,buffer,4086807716(254392/3/48)) lseek err Invalid argument
check_part_i386 failed for partition type 07
     HPFS - NTFS          254392   3 48 486491 129 13 3728678339
This partition ends after the disk limits. (start=4086807716, size=3728678339, end=7815486054, disk end=2930277168)
BAD_RS LBA=3943336428 6437756
file_pread(6,3,buffer,3943336428(245461/86/46)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,1,buffer,3943336428(245461/86/46)) lseek err Invalid argument
check_FAT: can't read FAT boot sector
check_part_i386 failed for partition type 0B
     FAT32                245461  86 46 290621 135 15  725498457
This partition ends after the disk limits. (start=3943336428, size=725498457, end=4668834884, disk end=2930277168)
file_pread(6,2,buffer,2930278400(182401/100/36)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,1,buffer,2930278400(182401/100/36)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,1,buffer,2930278399(182401/100/35)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,14,buffer,2930278401(182401/100/37)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,3,buffer,2930278415(182401/100/51)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,3,buffer,2930278462(182401/101/35)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,8,buffer,2930278478(182401/101/51)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,11,buffer,2930278525(182401/102/35)) lseek err Invalid argument
file_pread(6,2,buffer,2930280447(182401/133/4)) lseek err Invalid argument
Disk /dev/sdc - 1500 GB / 1397 GiB - CHS 182401 255 63
Check the harddisk size: HD jumpers settings, BIOS detection...
The harddisk (1500 GB / 1397 GiB) seems too small! (< 4001 GB / 3726 GiB)
The following partitions can't be recovered:
     FAT32                245461  86 46 290621 135 15  725498457
     HPFS - NTFS          254392   3 48 486491 129 13 3728678339

Results

interface_write()
 
No partition found or selected for recovery
simulate write!

write_mbr_i386: starting...
write_all_log_i386: starting...
No extended partition

TestDisk exited normally.
i am still unable to press p to display any files or recover any partitions
User avatar
Fiona
Posts: 2835
Joined: 18 Feb 2012, 17:19
Location: Ludwigsburg/Stuttgart - Germany

Re: Cannot Recover Partitions

#5 Post by Fiona »

Your disk is still GPT.
You've used testdisk partition table type to change it to Intel manually:
Partition table type (auto): EFI GPT
Disk /dev/sdc - 1500 GB / 1397 GiB
Partition table type: Intel
The current found partitions end far beyond the disk limit.
That's why they're not recoverable and probably wrong?
The last thing to do would be scanning your disk using partition table type EFI GPT.
Don't change it to Intel.
The advantage would be, EFI GPT searches for partitions reading each sector.
That's why more partition could be found.
But a scan takes much longer.
Partitions found by GPT look like MS Data.
If it doesn't help, you'll need datarecovery software.
Info will follow.

Fiona
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