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Using DiskPatch to recover data from USB devices.
Most current PCs allow access to USB disks (and sticks or keys) when running
DOS, so DiskPatch should be able to access these disks. In many cases you need
to enable a BIOS setting that enables access to USB disks from DOS; this setting
will be named 'USB legacy support' or something similar. Consult your BIOS
manual for more information on this.
On older PCs DiskPatch will usually not be able to identify USB connected disks,
but there are ways to get DiskPatch to work with these disks:
- The most obvious and safe way to deal
with this would be to connect the disk using a conventional internal interface. The disk would have to be removed from its external casing
and directly connected to a PC. This is the preferred way to deal with USB
disks when performing repairs using DiskPatch.
- An alternative is to install DOS USB
drivers to access the disk. Adding these drivers to the DiskPatch boot
diskette may enable DiskPatch to work with the disk.
This method is NOT preferred. Repairing a disk that is accessed through
these drivers may not lead to the desired results, and may even complicate
things further.
If you still wish to try this, it can be done as follows:
- download the drivers here
[*]. Extract the archive to the DiskPatch boot diskette, place the contents of the zip file in the root-directory of the floppy. When asked to overwrite files, select
'yes' (if at any time you need the original
boot diskette again, simply recreate it using the DiskPatch bootdisk
builder).
- start the PC using the modified DiskPatch
boot diskette. USB support will be loaded automatically. Loading the drivers may take some time so be patient when starting from the diskette. Also, make sure all USB devices are connected before starting from the diskette.
Things to keep in mind:
- Accessing USB connected devices from DOS is slow.
- If the problem disk is the USB
connected device, do NOT use the drivers to clone the USB disk. Instead,
remove the disk from its USB casing and connect it directly to a PC's disk
controller. This way you will have a much better chance of reading as many
sectors as possible.
- If the disk that is selected has no MBR, DiskPatch may ask questions about the disk's geometry (how many heads and sectors/track): some
BIOS versions assign geometry based on what is in the MBR, so if no MBR is found strange geometry values are assigned.
Contact DIY DataRecovery Support when this happens.
- If USB support from DOS (using drivers or any other means) works, disks are not the only devices that can be accessed from DOS: anything that presents itself as a disk can be accessed. Think USB sticks, USB connected digital cameras etc. If these devices have partitions that have data on it, you can access
(and perform recovery on) them using the described methods.
Using a USB key/stick or disk to
save DiskPatch's files:
If you have no place to put the
DiskPatch log files because you started DiskPatch from a CD or DVD, you can use
a USB key or stick to save the files. This has the added advantage
that all other files (such as undo files) are also saved to the USB
device, making the recovery operation that much safer. Read more on how
to do this here.
If you would like to create a bootable USB key (to use instead of the
diskette or CD/DVD), open the "Create a bootable USB key for
DiskPatch" document from the DiskPatch Start menu and follow the
directions. |
[*]
These drivers are not supported or created by DIY DataRecovery. Use them at your own risk.
Original links and copyrights:
USBASPI.SYS : http://panasonic.co.jp/pcc/products/drive/cdrrw/kxlrw40an/download.html
DI1000DD.SYS : http://www.driver.novac.co.jp/driver/hd352u/hd352u_drv.html
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