TestDisk

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TestDisk
Image:TestDisk-logo.gif
Developed by Christophe Grenier
Latest release 6.9 / February 13, 2008 (2008-02-13); 121 days ago
Platform Multiplatform
Genre Data recovery
License GNU General Public License
Website http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk

TestDisk is a free software data recovery utility licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL). It was primarily designed to help recover lost data storage partitions and/or make non-booting disks bootable again when these symptoms are caused by faulty software, certain types of viruses or human error (such as accidentally erasing a partition table).

Contents

[edit] Summary

TestDisk queries the BIOS or the operating system in order to find the hard disks and their characteristics (LBA size and CHS geometry). TestDisk does a quick check of your disk's structure and compares it with the partition table for entry errors. If the table has entry errors, TestDisk can repair them.

However, it's up to the user to look over the list of possible partitions found by TestDisk and to select the one(s) which were being used just before the drive failed to boot or the partition(s) were lost. In some cases, especially after initiating a detailed search for lost partitions, TestDisk may show partition data which is simply from the remnants of a partition that had been deleted and overwritten long ago.

TestDisk has features for both novices and experts:

  • Recover deleted partition
  • Rebuild partition table
  • Rewrite Master boot record (MBR)
  • File Allocation Table, FAT
    • FAT12 and FAT16
      • Find filesystem parameters to rewrite a valid boot sector
      • Use the two copies of the FAT to rewrite a coherent version
    • FAT32
      • Find filesystem parameters to rewrite a valid boot sector
      • Restore the boot sector using its backup
      • Use the two copies of the FAT to rewrite a coherent version
  • NTFS
    • Find filesystem parameters to rewrite a valid boot sector
    • Restore the boot sector using its backup
    • Restore the Master File Table (MFT) from its backup
  • Extended file systems, ext2 and ext3
    • Find backup superblock location to assist fsck
  • HFS+
    • Restore the boot sector using its backup

For those who know little or nothing about data recovery techniques, TestDisk can be used to collect detailed information about a non-booting drive which can then be sent to a tech for further analysis. Those more familiar with such procedures should find TestDisk a handy tool in performing onsite recovery.

[edit] Supported operating systems

TestDisk supports these operating systems:

[edit] File systems

TestDisk can find lost partitions of these file systems:

[edit] See also

Free software Portal

[edit] External links

Languages