I've moved all files except one from the original ext4 drive (A) to a newly formatted NTFS drive at destination (B), and then I've formatted the drive A by going to the Disk Management on Windows, deleting the volume and the make a new simple volume with a quick format.

After restarting I found out that the destination drive was corrupted.

On Windows I got

Location is not available

G:\ is not accessible.
The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable.

On Windows on drive B I used chkdsk g: /f /r /x from an admin cmd but it says:

Corrupt master file table. Windows will attempt to recover master file table from disk.
Windows cannot recover master file table. CHKDSK aborted.

On drive A I've used sudo fsck.ext4 -vy /dev/xxx to recover the ext4 file system. I got a single file back which was the only one I didn't move.

How should I attempt to recover the files in the drive?

The first software I tried on drive B was Recuva. I got a Warning saying

Failed to scan the following drives:
A:: Invalid data run detected

Resources

  • The_Lemmington_Post@discuss.onlineM
    ·
    6 months ago

    The error message "The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable" indicates that there is a problem with the file system or the disk itself, which is preventing Windows from accessing the drive. The Master File Table (MFT) is a critical component of the NTFS file system, and if it's corrupt, the system cannot access files on the drive. You've already attempted to use the chkdsk utility, which is the right first step, but it has failed to repair the MFT.

    To recover the files from the drive, you can try the following methods:

    Use Data Recovery Software

    Since chkdsk was unable to fix the MFT, you can use data recovery software to try and recover your files. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is recommended by one of the sources and is known for its ability to recover data from corrupted drives[2]. Follow these steps:

    1. Download and install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.
    2. Launch the software and select the drive with the corrupted MFT.
    3. Click "Scan" to start the scanning process.
    4. Once the scan is complete, preview the recoverable files.
    5. Select the files you want to recover and save them to a different drive.

    Use the FixMbr Command

    Another approach is to use the bootrec.exe command with the /FixMbr parameter to repair the Master Boot Record, which might indirectly help with MFT issues[2]. To do this:

    1. Boot from a Windows installation media.
    2. Choose "Repair your computer" and then "Command Prompt".
    3. Type bootrec.exe /FixMbr and press Enter.

    Format the Drive

    If the above methods do not work and you cannot recover your files, the last resort is to format the drive, which will erase all data. Before doing this, ensure that you have recovered as much data as possible using data recovery software. To format the drive:

    1. Open Disk Management by pressing Windows + X and selecting it from the list.
    2. Right-click on the drive and select "Format".
    3. Choose NTFS as the file system and complete the format process[4].

    Additional Tips

    • Before attempting recovery, it's crucial to stop using the drive to avoid overwriting any recoverable data.
    • If the drive is an external one, try unplugging and replugging it into a different port or computer to rule out connection issues[1].
    • Running hardware and device troubleshooter might help if the issue is related to drivers or hardware[1].
    • If you are not comfortable with these steps or if they do not work, consider contacting a professional data recovery service[1].

    Remember, these methods are not guaranteed to recover all your data, and there is a risk of data loss. If the data is extremely important, it's often best to consult with a professional data recovery service before proceeding with any recovery attempts.

    Citations: [1] https://www.salvagedata.com/fix-disk-structure-is-corrupted-and-unreadable/ [2] https://www.easeus.com/data-recovery/fix-corrupt-master-file-table-error-without-losing-data.html [3] https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/master-file-table-corrupt-chkdsk-fails.3712756/ [4] https://www.stellarinfo.com/blog/disk-structure-is-corrupted-and-unreadable/ [5] https://www.partitionwizard.com/disk-recovery/corrupt-master-file-table.html [6] https://www.anyrecover.com/hard-drive-recovery-data/fix-corrupt-master-file-table-error/ [7] https://www.reddit.com/r/datarecovery/comments/fo9o5f/the_disk_structure_is_corrupted_and_unreadable/?rdt=48629 [8] https://recoverit.wondershare.com/file-recovery/fix-corrupt-master-file-table-error.html [9] https://superuser.com/questions/688367/external-hard-disk-is-not-accessible-the-disk-structure-is-corrupted-and-unrea [10] https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-cannot-recover-master-file-table-chkdsk/ecb68215-7329-4006-9f70-2d51f610a27f [11] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKQ5EejHarU [12] https://www.techrepublic.com/forums/discussions/master-file-table-recovery/ [13] https://7datarecovery.com/blog/disk-structure-corrupted-and-unreadable/ [14] https://www.diskpart.com/articles/windows-cannot-recover-master-file-table-0310.html [15] https://www.partitionwizard.com/partitionmagic/disk-structure-corrupt-unreadable.html [16] https://www.stellarinfo.com/blog/fix-corrupt-master-file-table-error/ [17] https://4ddig.tenorshare.com/hard-drive/fix-the-disk-structure-is-corrupted-and-unreadable.html [18] https://7datarecovery.com/blog/corrupt-master-file-table/