GPT/MBR considerations migrating data from older computers

Ceph92

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 17, 2019
Messages
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I have an old file server that I want to migrate data from. This is literally a 486 on an intel board with windows server 2001. The data is on a single constellation 2tb drive which ran 24x7 for at least 6 years, with very light workload. It hasn't been used regularly in about 4 years.

I wonder if I could get your opinions on how to proceed, with these considerations:

1) signs of data corruption: some large archive files are failing to extract properly
2) (^therefore) plan to image the storage partition to new drive and recover from that
3) new drive is >2tb, therefore needs to be GPT *or* use 16k sectors (not sure what hardware/OS/utiltity is compatible with each)
4) machine only has usb 2.0, which will bottleneck transfers
5) any bootable imaging utilities that suppert both MBR+GPT, or MBR 16k ??
6) I'm considering P2V -> VM for that machine to ease transition
 
If you haven't accessed it in 4 years, then maybe it's not important anymore?

If you can still boot the system, I would just copy the important bits to an external flash drive, and toss the rest. it's a pain to go through the motions of Disk Recovery.
 
If you haven't accessed it in 4 years, then maybe it's not important anymore?

If you can still boot the system, I would just copy the important bits to an external flash drive, and toss the rest. it's a pain to go through the motions of Disk Recovery.
No, I need all 2tb, or i wouldn't be doing this.
 
I'm sorry, but can't help you. It's been decades since I last researched this. You're in for a ton of work and (eventually) money.

The complexity of modern hard drives doing their own onboard error correction means you're unlikely to be able to use the old undelete tricks to recover files. And if your drive spins up/and can access the filesystemn, then swapping motor/controller board is pointless.

Next time you should check the smart reallocate sectors count starts increasing weekly, then swap the drive BEFORE the data is corrupted.

Also, you need a backup drive for anything that important (and if you're accessing it once every 4 years, YOU are not frequently enough to verify those backups); either pay for someone-else's ZFS pool NAS for verified local backups, or go cheaper and depend on Amazon.

https://aws.amazon.com/glacier/pricing/
 
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I'm sorry, but can't help you. It's been decades since I last researched this. You're in for a ton of work and (eventually) money.

The complexity of modern hard drives doing their own onboard error correction means you're unlikely to be able to use the old undelete tricks to recover files. And if your drive spins up/and can access the filesystemn, then swapping motor/controller board is pointless.

Next time you should check the smart reallocate sectors count starts increasing weekly, then swap the drive BEFORE the data is corrupted.

Also, you need a backup drive for anything that important (and if you're accessing it once every 4 years, YOU are not frequently enough to verify those backups); either pay for someone-else's ZFS pool NAS for verified local backups, or go cheaper and depend on Amazon.

https://aws.amazon.com/glacier/pricing/

This is really not helpful for the issue I have or the specific questions I'm asking.
 
This is really not helpful for the issue I have or the specific questions I'm asking.
If you are not here to learn, then what's the point? the best solution for data recovery is to keep multiple backups.

Google is there if you still want to try your luck. Start with software data recovery, and then go to hardware specialist when that inevitably fails

The only cheap/easy option for recovering a modern disk is not having to do it.
 
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Pull the drive out and put it in a machine, with the new drive. Boot gparted and do a block level drive clone. When done the new drive will appear as a 2tb drive but that will give you a drive to work on recovery with out damaging stuff further.
 
I second removing the drive and putting it in a faster machine. You will eliminate the USB bottleneck.
 
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