Anyway, if there is no partition, there is nothing to be mounted? Confusing a little when it comes to use photorec with no partition found, I'll give it a second try.

here we go

Guess it not quit done yet. Got NTFS module installed but modprobe doesnt agree still. Thanks. I guess there is nothing else I can do for now.

When trying to recover data from a failed drive, always first make an image file of it. Then run the recover utility on the image file. Never try recover data from a failed drive because you never know when it will seize to function.

Try running ddrescue or dd_rescue to make an image file of the drive. Then run PhotoRec to recover the files on the image file. If making the image file fails to work, use the hard drive utility from the manufacture and tell it to repair. Hitachi disk utility is good at this but can only be used with Hitach hard drives. Then re-start imaging the drive and use PhotoRec on the image file.

To make sure the kernel sees a new installed module, run depmod -a.

Not much point installing NTFS support if you can't find a partition.
The error every 64 sectors sounds bad - this is a logical track. Probably means the read is attempted, and gives up - tries next "track". Same result.
If you can't physically read the disk, even the forensic solutions are up against a wall.

If you search around, you'll find plenty of (sometimes whacko) suggestions - even sticking the disk in the freezer overnight. As I have a small pile of dead-ish disks I tried that one once - didn't work for me.

NO!

fedora comes with ntfs-3g ... you mount an ntfs partition like this:

# ntfs-3g /dev/hdd1 /mnt/fubar

yum install ntfs will remove ntfs-3g and leaving you with ro support only.

Dead hard drive Sketch


The cast:

MR. PRALINE
Beaud's results
SHOP OWNER
Beaud

The sketch:

A customer enters a hardware repair shop.

Mr. Praline: 'Ello, I wish to register a complaint.

(The owner does not respond.)

Mr. Praline: 'Ello, Miss?

Owner: What do you mean "miss"?

Mr. Praline: I'm sorry, I have a cold. I wish to make a complaint!

Owner: We're closin' for lunch.

Mr. Praline: Never mind that, my lad. I wish to complain about this hard drive what I purchased not half an hour ago from this very boutique.

Owner: Oh yes, the, uh, the 86GiB IDE...What's,uh...What's wrong with it?

Mr. Praline: I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. it's dead, that's what's wrong with it!

Owner: No, no, it's uh,...it's resting.

Mr. Praline: Look, matey, I know a dead hard drive when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.

Owner: No no it's not dead, it's, it's restin'! Remarkable drive, the 80GiB IDE, idn'it, ay? Beautiful platters!

Mr. Praline: The platters don't enter into it. It's stone dead.

Owner: Nononono, no, no! it's resting!

Mr. Praline: All right then, if it's restin', I'll wake him up! (shouting at the drive enclosure) 'Ello, Mister hard drive! I've got a lovely fresh ntfs driver for you if you show...

(owner hits the drive enclosure)

Owner: There, it moved!

Mr. Praline: No, it didn't, that was you hitting the drive enclosure!

Owner: I never!!

Mr. Praline: Yes, you did!

Owner: I never, never did anything...

Mr. Praline: (yelling and hitting the drive enclosure repeatedly) 'ELLO DRIVE!!!!! Testing! Testing! Testing! Testing! This is your nine o'clock alarm call!

(Takes hard drive out of the drive enclosure and thumps its hard on the counter. Throws it up in the air and watches it plummet to the floor.)

Mr. Praline: Now that's what I call a dead hard drive.

Owner: No, no.....No, it's stunned!

Mr. Praline: STUNNED?!?

Owner: Yeah! You stunned it, just as it was wakin' up! 80GiB IDEs stun easily, major.

Mr. Praline: Um...now look...now look, mate, I've definitely 'ad enough of this. That hard drive is definitely deceased, and when I purchased it not 'alf an hour ago, you assured me that its total lack of operation was due to it bein' tired and shagged out following a prolonged data transfer.

Owner: Well, it's...it's, ah...probably pining for the fjords.

Mr. Praline: PININ' for the FJORDS?!?!?!? What kind of talk is that?, look, why did he fail the first fsck the moment I got 'im home?

Owner: The 80GiB IDE prefers keepin' the fsck to itself! Remarkable drive, id'nit, squire? Lovely platters!

Mr. Praline: Look, I took the liberty of running badblocks: nearly 100% badblocks after 10mins, canceled. I'm currently running gpart and I'm having read errors EIO near sectors(...) every 64 "sectors". As an additionnal information, I tried to mount the hard drive from the FC Rescue Mode. No result. fdisk can't find any valid partition.
(pause)

Owner: Well, o'course it was "can't find any valid partition"! You don't have ntfs support. If it wasn't for those badblocks, that drive would have burst out of it's casing and "VOOM"!

Mr. Praline: "ntfs support"?!? Mate, this drive wouldn't "voom" if you put four million volts through it! it's bleedin' demised!

Owner: No no! it's pining!

Mr. Praline: it's not pinin'! it's passed on! This hard drive is no more! It has ceased to be! it's expired and gone to meet it's maker! it's a stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace! If you hadn't jammed it in it's enclosure it'd be pushing up the daisies! It's data-streaming processes are now 'istory! it's off the twig! it's kicked the bucket, it's shuffled off it's mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-hard drive!!

(pause)

Owner: Well, I'd better replace it, then. (he takes a quick peek behind the counter) Sorry squire, I've had a look 'round the back of the shop, and uh, we're right out of hard drives.

Mr. Praline: I see. I see, I get the picture.

Owner: I got an old Windows box.

(pause)

Mr. Praline: Pray, does it store data?

Owner: Nnnnot really.

Mr. Praline: WELL IT'S HARDLY A BLOODY REPLACEMENT, IS IT?!!???!!?

Owner: N-no, I guess not. (gets ashamed, looks at his feet)

Mr. Praline: Well.

(pause)

Owner: (quietly) D'you.... d'you want to come back to my place?

Mr. Praline: (looks around) Yeah, all right, sure.

Narrator: In A.D. 2008, a hard drive failed.
Captain: What happen ?
Mechanic: Somebody set up us the bomb.
Operator: We get signal.
Captain: What!
Operator: Main screen turn on.
Captain: It's you!!
CATS: How are you gentlemen!!
CATS: All your hard drive are belong to us.
CATS: You data are on the way to destruction.
Captain: What you say!!
CATS: You data has no chance to survive make your time.
CATS: Ha Ha Ha Ha ....
Operator: Captain!! *
Captain: Take off every 'recovery option'!!
Captain: You know what you doing.
Captain: Move 'recovery'.
Captain: For great justice.

Man, you are not dethroning my favorite writer G. B. Shaw yet ... but you are getting close!!!

Americans adore me and will go on adoring me until I say something nice about them.

*Clap* *bow*
Simon, my friend, we are going to make a lot of money with this scenario.

Thanks for you all for replying, I've learned lot of things, I will make good use of what I aquired. I'll take that disk back to its owner and... huh... w/e I'm glad to see an active and dedicated community.

Regards, Beaud