Error: /dev/sda: unrecognised disk label. >>Want to rescue data, but cannot mount it.
 

Hi, how you doing?

Ok, here is the deal:
Got a laptop here from a client, he says hd is kaput!!

I boot with Live Ubuntu CD.
Run the command parted, which gives: Using /dev/sda.
But, when I ask for partitions with command "print", it comes back and says, "Error: /dev/sda: unrecognised disk label"
Trying to "check 1" , i.e. check the first partition takes forever..., but finally comes back with the same error, unrecognised disk label.....

Gparted scans for devices and cannot locate any.

I tried to mount /dev/sda1 on /mnt/windows, nada.
It says: "mount: special device /dev/sda1 does not exist."
If I can only mount it, then I can run dd for a rawimage, and scalpel or foremost the image and recover the files.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to proceed?

Sincerely,

Hector3rd

use parted magic/system rescue cd

testdisk

Ok, I booted with the systemrescue cd, but in the console I keep getting output that the SCSI dev, blablabla, how do I turn OFF this or send it to /dev/zero?????
Every console I go to, it bothers me.

Thanks!!

Hector3rd

Issue the "reset" command in the console, now I am running testdisk anlyse disk, and it says /dev/hda - 121MB, no partitions, and that the partition sector does not have the "ENDMARK 0xAA55"
When I press on proceed, it returns with a "Structure: Ok."
I cannot load the partition from backup, there isn't any.
I don't want to add a partition, because that will erase data I guess.

When I execute "testdisk /list" it gives the same result above, no endmark....

Suggestions??


Thanks.

Hector

First, before you do anything with your HDD, make a backup copy of it. e.g., insert another HDD of greater size and do something like this:
where /dev/sda is your faulty drive, path after of= is the path where you want to place backup. bs=16M makes dd copy data in blocks of 16MiB to increase speed.

Only after having a backup copy you should proceed in trying to rescue data.

You don't have to mount a drive to make a raw image of it.

Once you've created the image as suggested by 183 above, is it mountable with QEMU?

Probably, almost 99.99% solved, unless....
 

Yes, its true, I'm sorry, you DON'T have to mount to do a dd for a rawimage.

I did try to use the "dd" command, but its says no such file or directory. I think the hard disk is gone.

Unless there is something else that I can try....

In any case, thank you so much for your help, corrections, and suggestions.

As always, thanks a bunch!!!


Sincerely,

Hector3rd