Backup externals · lab notes · ADR-2025-3485
It Powers Up, and Windows Offers to Format It.
This particular drive had completed one job per year: a copy of the laptop, then back into storage. He had connected the drive, as normal, but Windows could not access it: D:/ is not accessible, the parameter is incorrect
, followed by the option that always comes with that message, telling him the device needs formatting
. He had not done this
. He said the drive powered up perfectly and sounded perfectly fine. However, none of the files appeared. Refusing that option is the best decision anyone makes in a situation like this, and he had already declined it prior to contacting us.
Same story on yours? Tell us what it does — the look is free.
0203 0868633
What failed, and why.
Windows indicates that it is unable to understand the structure that defines the volume. This is not a comment regarding the files. The suggestion to format is not a recommendation: it is Windows' default response when it is unable to read any structure defining a volume. Accepting the suggestion to format places an empty structure upon the items necessary for a recovery process. There are two common ways that this occurs. An incomplete write during one of the annual backups can leave the structure inconsistent until something attempts to read it again. Weak areas can also develop on a disk due to lack of power for an extended period of time. In some cases these weak areas occur precisely at the location where the structure resides. Both of these fit a typical use profile for a drive that is only accessed annually. Therefore, before beginning any file operations on the drive, its health was confirmed. Corruption can accompany a growing hardware failure. A lone drive like this one carries the published price of £300 + VAT, and the diagnosis ahead of it is not charged for.
What the bench did with it.
The order of the job →| Equipment used | Its work on this job | The reason for it |
|---|---|---|
| ACE Lab PC-3000 Express | SMART history, reallocation counts and both defect lists read before any file analysis was performed. | This allows access to the manufacturer's service area (where normal ATA commands cannot go) |
| R-Studio Technician | Damaged structures identified on image and re-assembled from surviving data. | Constructs an array from the images, and reads nearly every file system |
| UFS Explorer Professional Recovery | Signature carving where re-built structure was unable to identify anything. | When other applications will not open it, this application will open APFS, ReFS, XFS, ZFS and Btrfs. |
What the bench did with it.
Rule out the hardware before touching the file system
A drive used periodically over a number of years can silently fail, so its own self-diagnostic reports were read prior to running any file analysis tools: SMART history, the reallocated sectors count and the primary and grown defect lists. These self-reporting values were reported as normal. This was important to the method as much as to the cost implications for this project, because an intact mechanical assembly allows for faster data transfer rates versus the slower data transfer rates required for attempting to recover a failing mechanism.
Image it, then argue with the file system
All activity after the copy was done on the copy. A repair tool applied to a damaged volume writes to that volume. Once written to, it's not possible to go back, so the original drive was imaged once behind a write blocker, then set aside forever. When examined from the image, the damage sat within the structures themselves and not near the files they referenced.
Names first, then the files nothing named
Most of the tree returned with its own information (names and dates) when the remaining records were rebuilt. Information lost from the damaged area was obtained through a different method: files identified by their own signatures, then grouped by type, and finally organised in date order based upon dates entered within each file. Sorting that smaller amount of files is much easier than sorting a list that provides no information whatsoever.
What went home.
The yearly backups were restored in full and reviewed prior to being released. Something worth noting again is what he did before ringing us: he read the offer to format and declined it. Even though a hard drive may report itself unreadable, it still contains all of the information contained within it until something writes over it. The price quote was provided in writing, at the published price of £300 + VAT, prior to starting any of the work.
Begin here if yours is doing the same thing.
Other desktop disks on the log.
Yours doing something similar? Power it down first.
Published prices are fixed. Memory cards and USB sticks are £250 + VAT. Any stand-alone drive is £300 + VAT. Drive configurations containing multiple disks (RAID, NAS or server) start at £500 + VAT. First assessments are always complimentary. Thereafter, data recovery charges are also fixed in advance and in writing, so you'll always know how much you owe before paying any money. Shut it down, get a quote first (by phone or with the form), then send it in or drop it off at our Guildford intake laboratory, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm (no appointment needed). On most jobs you only pay if we recover your data.