TestDisk Step by Step

10/31/2014
TestDisk Step By Step - CGSecurity
TestDisk Step By Step

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This recovery example guides you through TestDisk step by step to recover a missing partition and repair a
corrupted one. After reading this tutorial, you should be ready to recover your own data. Translations of this
TestDisk manual to other languages are welcome.
Contents
1 Example problem
2 Symptoms
3 Running TestDisk executable
4 Log creation
5 Disk selection
6 Partition table type selection
7 Current partition table status
8 Quick Search for partitions
9 Save the partition table or search for more partitions?
10 A partition is still missing: Deeper Search
11 Partition table recovery
12 NTFS Boot sector recovery
13 Recover deleted files
Example problem
We have a 36GB hard disk containing 3 partitions. Unfortunately;
the boot sector of the primary NTFS partition has been damaged, and
a logical NTFS partition has been accidentally deleted.
This recovery example guides you through TestDisk, step by step, to recover these 'lost' partitions by:
rewriting the corrupted NTFS boot sector, and
Please support the project
recovering the accidentally deleted logical NTFS partition.
with your donations.
http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Step_By_Step
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Recovery of a FAT32 partition (instead of an NTFS partition) can be accomplished by following exactly the same
steps. Other recovery examples are also available. For Information about FAT12, FAT16, ext2/ext3, HFS+,
ReiserFS and other partition types, read Running the TestDisk Program.
One condition:
TestDisk must be executed with Administrator privileges.
Important points for using TestDisk:
To navigate in TestDisk, use the Arrowand PageUp/PageDownkeys.
To proceed, confirm your choice(s) with the Enterkey.
To return to a previous display or quit TestDisk, use the q (Quit) key.
To save modifications under TestDisk, you must confirm them with the y(Yes) and/or
Enterkeys, and
To actually write partition data to the MBR, you must choose the "Write" selection and
press the Enterkey.
Symptoms
If this hard disk's primary partition contained an operating system, it would most likely no longer boot up - due to
its corrupted boot sector. If the hard disk was a secondary (data) drive or you can connect the drive to another
computer in its secondary channel (usually where a CD/DVD drive is connected), the following symptoms would
be observed:
1. Windows Explorer or Disk Manager displays the first primary partition as raw (unformatted) and Windows
prompts: The drive is not formatted, do you want to format it now?
[You should never do so without knowing why!]
2. A logical partition is missing. In Windows Explorer, that logical drive is no longer available. The Windows
Disk Management Console now displays only "unallocated space" where this logical partition had been
located.
Running TestDisk executable

If TestDisk is not yet installed, it can be downloaded from TestDisk Download. Extract the files from the archive
including the sub-directories.
To recover a lost partition or repair the filesystem from a hard disk, USB key, Smart Card, etc., you need enough
rights to access a physical device.
Under DOS, run TestDisk.exe
Under Windows, start TestDisk (ie testdisk-6.13/testdisk_win.exe) from an account in the
Administrator group. Under Vista, right-click testdisk_win.exe and then "Run as administrator" to launch
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TestDisk.
Under Unix/Linux/BSD, you need to be root to run TestDisk (ie. sudo testdisk6.13/testdisk_static)
Under MacOSX, if you are not root, TestDisk (ie testdisk-6.13/testdisk) will restart itself using
sudo after confirmation on your part.
Under OS/2, TestDisk doesn't handle a physical device, only a disk image. Sorry.
To recover partition from a media image or repair a filesystem image, run
testdisk image.ddto
work from a raw disk image

testdisk image.E01to recover files from an Encase EWF image
testdisk 'image.???'if the Encase image is split into several files.
To repair a filesystem not listed by TestDisk, run testdisk device, i.e.
testdisk /dev/mapper/truecrypt0or testdisk /dev/loop0to
repair the NTFS or FAT32 boot

sector files from a TrueCrypt partition. The same method works with filesystem encrypted with
cryptsetup/dm-crypt/LUKS.
testdisk /dev/md0to repair a filesystem on top of a Linux RAID device.
Log creation
Choose Create to instruct Testdisk to create a log file containing technical information and messages, unless
you have a reason to append data to the log or you execute TestDisk from read only media and must create
the log elsewhere.
Choose None if you do not want messages and details of the process to be written into a log file (useful if for
example Testdisk was started from a read-only location).
Press Enter to proceed.
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Disk selection
All hard drives should be detected and listed with the correct size by TestDisk:
Use up/down arrow keys to select your hard drive with the lost partition/s.
Press Enter to Proceed.
If available, use raw device /dev/rdisk*instead of /dev/disk*for faster data transfer.
Partition table type selection

TestDisk displays the partition table types.
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Select the partition table type - usually the default value is the correct one as TestDisk auto-detects the
partition table type.
Press Enter to Proceed.
Current partition table status

TestDisk displays the menus (also see TestDisk Menu Items).
Use the default menu "Analyse" to check your current partition structure and search for lost partitions.
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Confirm at Analyse with Enter to proceed.

Now, your current partition structure is listed. Examine your current partition structure for missing partitions and
errors.
The first partition is listed twice which points to a corrupted partition or an invalid partition table entry.
Invalid NTFS boot points to a faulty NTFS boot sector, so it's a corrupted filesystem.
Only one logical partition (label Partition 2) is available in the extended partition. One logical partition is missing.
Confirm at Quick Search to proceed.
Quick Search for partitions

TestDisk displays the first results in real time.
(click on thumb to display the image).
During the Quick Search, TestDisk has found two partitions including the missing logical partition labeled
Partition 3.
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Highlight this partition and press p to list your files (to go back to the previous display, press q to Quit, Files
listed in red are deleted entries).
All directories and data are correctly listed.
Save the partition table or search for more partitions?
When all partitions are available and data correctly listed, you should go to the menu Write to save the
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partition structure. The menu Extd Partgives you the opportunity to decide if the extended partition will
use all available disk space or only the required (minimal) space.
Since a partition, the first one, is still missing, highlight the menu Deeper Search (if not done
automatically already) and press Enter to proceed.
A partition is still missing: Deeper Search

Deeper Search will also search for FAT32 backup boot sector, NTFS backup boot superblock, ext2/ext3
backup superblock to detect more partitions,
it will scan each cylinder
(click on thumb).
After the Deeper Search, the results are displayed as follows:

The first partition "Partition 1" was found by using backup boot sector. In the last line of your display, you can
read the message "NTFS found using backup sector!" and the size of your partition. The "partition 2" is
displayed twice with different size.
Partitions listed as D(eleted) will not be recovered if you let them listed as deleted. Both partitions are listed
with status D for deleted, because they overlap each other. You need to identify which partition to recover.
Highlight the first partition Partition 2and press p to list its data.
The file system of the upper logical partition (label Partition 2) is damaged
(click on thumb).
Press q for Quit to go back to the previous display.

Let this partition Partition 2with a damaged file system marked as D(deleted).
Highlight the second partition Partition 2below
Press p to list its files.
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It works, your files are listed, you have found the correct partition!
Use the left/right arrow to navigate into your folders and watch your files for more verification
Note: FAT directory listing is limited to 10 clusters - some files may not appear but it doesn't affect recovery.
Press q for Quit to go back to the previous display.
The available status are Primary, * bootable, Logical and Deleted.
Using the left/right arrow keys, change the status of the selected partition from D(eleted)to L(ogical). This
way you will be able to recover this partition.
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Hint: read How to recognize primary and logical partitions?

Note: If a partition is listed *(bootable) but if you don't boot from this partition, you can change it to Primary
partition.
Partition table recovery

It's now possible to write the new partition structure.
Note: The extended partition is automatically set. TestDisk recognizes this using the different partition structure.
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If all partitions are listed and only in this case, confirm at Write with Enter, y and OK.
Now, the partitions are registered in the partition table.
NTFS Boot sector recovery

The boot sector of the first partition named Partition 1is still damaged. It's time to fix it. The status of the
NTFS boot sector is bad and the backup boot sector is valid. Boot sectors are not identical.
To copy the backup of the boot sector over the boot sector, select Backup BS, validate with Enter, use y
to confirm and next OK.
More information about repairing your boot sector under TestDisk Menu Items. The following message is
displayed:
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The boot sector and its backup are now both OK and identical: the NTFS boot sector has been successfully
recovered.
Press Enter to quit.
TestDisk displays You have to restart your Computer to access your data so press Entera last time
and reboot your computer.
Recover deleted files

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TestDisk can undelete

files and directory from FAT12, FAT16 and FAT32 filesystem,
files from ext2 filesystem,
files from NTFS partition since version 6.11.
If it doesn't work or for other filesystem, try PhotoRec, a signature based file recovery utility.
Return to TestDisk main page
Retrieved from "http://www.cgsecurity.org/mw/index.php?title=TestDisk_Step_By_Step&oldid=7657"
Category: Data Recovery
This page was last modified on 6 April 2014, at 17:46.
Content is available under GNU Free Documentation License 1.2 unless otherwise noted.
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10/31/2014

TestDisk Step By Step - CGSecurity

TestDisk Step By Step - CGSecurity

Running TestDisk executable

TestDisk Step By Step - CGSecurity

work from a raw disk image

repair the NTFS or FAT32 boot

TestDisk Step By Step - CGSecurity

Partition table type selection

TestDisk Step By Step - CGSecurity

Current partition table status

TestDisk Step By Step - CGSecurity

Confirm at Analyse with Enter to proceed.

Quick Search for partitions

(click on thumb to display the image).

TestDisk Step By Step - CGSecurity

Save the partition table or search for more partitions?

TestDisk Step By Step - CGSecurity

A partition is still missing: Deeper Search

After the Deeper Search, the results are displayed as follows:

Press q for Quit to go back to the previous display.

TestDisk Step By Step - CGSecurity

TestDisk Step By Step - CGSecurity

Hint: read How to recognize primary and logical partitions?

Partition table recovery

TestDisk Step By Step - CGSecurity

NTFS Boot sector recovery

TestDisk Step By Step - CGSecurity

Recover deleted files

TestDisk Step By Step - CGSecurity

TestDisk can undelete

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