Need to know how to recover data from a damaged mac

[br1ang456]

I was reading previous posts about how to recover data from a macintosh.

I am on a budget here. Most software stated in previous posts are almost $200.

I am using a PC and my client is using a Mac.

What other methods are there in retrieving this data?

I was thinking ftp? Is it possible to FTP into Mac using a PC and retrieve the files through that?

I would assume so, since networking is universal, between Mac's and PC's.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Brian

 

[ObviousTroll]

Ummmm...

you have to provide a *lot* more information.

1) What OS is the Mac running?
2) What sort of damage has it suffered?
3) Is there another Mac available?

The FTP server is not normally enabled on Macs.

 

[br1ang456]

Sorry for being too general.

1. The OS is MacOSX (unknown version number)
2. The damage is unreadable/unwriteable sectors in the hard drive
3. There should be! LOL, but what i've heard from the client, there isn't.

I spoke to her and she told me this damaged drive is a slave drive. It contains picture, movies, and documents. No OS files.

A typical PC guy that I am, I attempted to connect it to my PC as a slave. My BIOS read it, but it does not appear in my windows. Apple vs. PC again. So, I'm stuck now with my FTP idea out the window.

Any ideas?

 

[jimoblak]

What is the exact error when running Disk Utility or an app like DiskWarrior?

If you do not have DiskWarrior or a similar utility, $80 is an excellent investment and is much better than trying to fix on your Windows machine.

http://www.alsoft.com

If you are going to connect the drive to your Windows machine, you need your Windows machine to be set up to read Mac HFS volumes. Even if you are able to mount the drive on Windows through a utility like this, you will not be able to run any Windows-specific disk utilities - - you will only be able to copy the readable data (and you will strip out useful resource fork info in the process). See if MacOpener or MacDisk offer time limited trials to copy data:

http://www.dataviz.com/products/macopener/

http://www.macdisk.com/mden.php3

RE: FTP...

FTP, and ideally... Windows filesharing, is found in the OSX system preferences under 'sharing'. Assuming that the disk error is preventing files from being read on the host system, there is no way that the host system could share those files on a network. Supposing that you can access these files from through the network, they will lose their resource forks when transferred to a non-HFS volume.

 

[ObviousTroll]

Also,

Since this is a slave drive, you could simply have the client plug the drive in and run the built-in disk utility, it has a repair function.

 

[drlex]

I'll second the vote for DiskWarrior; when my HDD picked up a couple of bad sectors in a power-out, I was able to recover some of the files damaged as a result. Being in the UK, a download from Alsoft was ideal for a quick fix turnaround.

It's simple to install and run through a straight-forward graphical user interface, so your client should be able to manage it herself, especially given that it's a slave drive that's gone south.

soi la, soi carré

 

[br1ang456]

Disk Controller

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 19:42:38 America/Los_Angeles
Passed


Model: Maxtor CALYPSO
Mount Point: /dev/disk0
Capacity: 0.00 KB
Writable: Yes
Ejectable: No
Removable: No
Bus: ATA
Bus Location: Internal
Revision: YAR42KJZ
Socket Type: Internal
Serial Number:
Connection: Slave
ATA Version: ATA-4

This test checks some of the hardware aspects of the drive itself, including the controller I/O, memory, and head-positioning mechanism. These universal tests are applicable to almost any drive type. Some of the tests can even be performed on CD-ROM drives. These tests include:

• Diagnostic Check
• Format Check
• Rezero Unit
• Spare Sector
• Supply Voltage
• Unit Ready

Unit Ready Check
This test determines whether the target drive is able and ready to receive commands.

Unit Ready Check <Unsupported. (9)>

Supply Voltage Check
This test checks that the voltage to the drive is within acceptable limits.

Supply Voltage Check <Passed>

Diagnostic Check
This test initiates a self-diagnostic on the target drive. These routines are designed by the drive manufacturer and provide excellent insight into the operational condition of the drive electronics and mechanism.

Diagnostic Check <Passed>

Rezero Unit
This test is used to determine the target drive's ability to position the actuator at cylinder zero.

Rezero Unit <Unsupported. (9)>

Format Check
This test establishes whether the drive was properly formatted during initial setup.

Format Check <Passed>

Spare Sector Check
This test checks the service tracks to determine whether there are enough spare blocks left for bad block repairs.

Spare Sector Check <Passed>

Tests Completed
Passed

Read Write

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 19:42:38 America/Los_Angeles
Seek Test <Failed! (-4)>


Model: Maxtor CALYPSO
Mount Point: /dev/disk0
Capacity: 0.00 KB
Writable: Yes
Ejectable: No
Removable: No
Bus: ATA
Bus Location: Internal
Revision: YAR42KJZ
Socket Type: Internal
Serial Number:
Connection: Slave
ATA Version: ATA-4

Confirms that data can be reliably written to and read from various locations on the hard drive. These tests include:

• Read Buffer
• Write Buffer
• Linear Read
• Linear Write
• Random Read
• Random Write
• Seek

Read Buffer Test
The Read Buffer test is used in conjunction with the Write Buffer test as a diagnostic function for testing target memory and bus integrity.

Read Buffer Test <Failed! (-4)>

Write Buffer Test
The Write Buffer test is used in conjunction with the Read Buffer test as a diagnostic function for testing target memory and bus integrity.

Write Buffer Test <Failed! (-4)>

Random Read Test
This test reads data from a random memory location, verifying the ability of the device to retrieve data.

Random Read Test <Failed! (-4)>

Random Write Test
This test writes data to a random memory location, verifying the ability of the device to store data.

Random Write Test <Failed! (-4)>

Linear Read Test
The Linear Read test checks the ability of the drive to read data from a linear data segment.

Linear Read Test <Failed! (-4)>

Linear Write Test
The Linear Write test checks the ability of the drive to write data to a linear data segment.

Linear Write Test <Failed! (-4)>

Seek Test
The Seek test provides a test of the initiator to position the device in preparation for access to a particular logical block.

Seek Test <Failed! (-4)>

Tests Completed

Media defects can cause the Read/Write tests to fail. Run the Surface Scan test to check for this.

With SCSI drives, sometimes one faulty drive can cause another drive to fail. Termination problems can also cause the test to fail. Disconnect all drives except for the one in question and run the tests again. If the failure continues, the device may need to be replaced. If not, this would be indicative of an external element causing the drive in question to fail. Try rearranging the connection order of the devices.

Finally, if all else fails, try backing up the data on the drive and reformatting it. Then rerun the tests.

Seek Test <Failed! (-4)>

SMART

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 19:42:38 America/Los_Angeles
Unsupported


Model: Maxtor CALYPSO
Mount Point: /dev/disk0
Capacity: 0.00 KB
Writable: Yes
Ejectable: No
Removable: No
Bus: ATA
Bus Location: Internal
Revision: YAR42KJZ
Socket Type: Internal
Serial Number:
Connection: Slave
ATA Version: ATA-4

S.M.A.R.T. stands for Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology. This test checks and reports on the status of the S.M.A.R.T. routines built into your drive. These routines monitor important drive parameters as your drive is operating. An examination and analysis of these parameters can aid in the prediction of drive failure. This will allow you to back up your data before your drive fails and the data becomes inaccessible.

S.M.A.R.T. Self-Checks


S.M.A.R.T. Self-Checks <Unsupported. (9)>

Tests Completed
Unsupported

Surface Scan

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 19:42:38 America/Los_Angeles
Stopped


Model: Maxtor CALYPSO
Mount Point: /dev/disk0
Capacity: 0.00 KB
Writable: Yes
Ejectable: No
Removable: No
Bus: ATA
Bus Location: Internal
Revision: YAR42KJZ
Socket Type: Internal
Serial Number:
Connection: Slave
ATA Version: ATA-4

Bad blocks are areas of media that cannot store data reliably. All hard disks have a few bad blocks when they are created, but these are "mapped-out" by the manufacturer when the drive is formatted. Mapping out bad blocks prevents data from being written to these defective areas of the media. Occasionally a good block will go bad. If this occurs and a file resides on that block, the file may be damaged. TechTool Pro will scan your drives for bad blocks and report if any are found.

Surface Scan
The Surface Scan test reads data from every block on the drive to check the integrity of the drive surface.

This test checks your hard drive for bad blocks. Blocks are sections of your drive which hold data. It is not unusual for a drive block to eventually fail. All drives employ a mapping scheme which allows bad blocks to be "mapped out" so that they are no longer recognized by the file system. ATA drives should do this automatically unless their bad block table is full or the bad block is in a critical area of the drive.

If bad blocks are reported the only cure is to reinitialize the drive with the option to zero all data. First back up any data since this will erase the drive. Use Apple's Disk Utility or another disk formatter with all checking and mapping options enabled.

Stopped
MANY BAD BLOCKS

 

[br1ang456]

Attached is the TechTools Report that the client submitted to me.

You can see that the tests failed in reading and writing to the disk.

I asked her to attempt to create an E-Drive, but she told me that it failed on her.

If Disk Warrior is the final solution, Should she connect this slave drive once again to her Mac, install DiskWarrior, and DiskWarrior will be able to read and retrieve her data?

 

[drlex]

I don't have any experience of TechTools, but the fact that it reported a failure of reading and writing (but strangely not for the spare sector check) doesn't sound promising for data recovery.

As you say, if DiskWarrior is installed on her Mac, it should be able to mount the slave drive and retrieve the data, depending on the exact problem. You might want to warn her that recovery could fail.

If she can't access any files on the drive, make sure that she has enough space on either her boot disk or another slave drive for the recovered files to be written to.

A friend recommended DriveGenius as another option:

http://www.prosofteng.com/products/drive_genius_info.php

soi la, soi carré