On Wed, 7 Aug 2013 17:04:06 -0400, Carl Pultz <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>There doesn't appear to be a Windows version, but what they are trying to
>say is that the disc image that ddrescue creates can be accessed in Windows.

Yes, that's right. The resulting images should work under Windows in most disc-burning
programs that can work from image files (that is, most of them).

>You are right about linux devotees. It's their language and you (we) have to
>figure it out. I'll try to do that and let you know how it goes. (I edited
>two additions of Linux+ training lab manuals and got them to work but, like
>a science elective, forgot a lot of it as soon as it was done.)

Sorry, I should have specified that the original program was for Linux, but since the request was
from a Mac user, I didn't want to go too far off into the weeds with an explanation of why there
wasn't a Windows .exe available. We're talking about the difference between a full-size pickup
truck (or maybe an armored vehicle) and the family sedan. Different tools for different purposes.

>I'll try the
>UBCD boot-CD environment, which would work with any PC without
>modifications. If. It's not the same program Aaron used.
>
>www.myfixlog.com/fix.php?fid=21%7C
>
>Got a workflow we can understand, Aaron? :-)

Yeah, basically that's what I'd do. The nice thing about these Linux tools is that they run easily
from a live CD or USB drive. In this case you'd need to do a live USB, since your CD/DVD drive will
obviously be occupied (unless you have two).

For making the live USB I would suggest Universal Boot Installer, which is a Windows program:
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/install-and-boot-ultimate-boot-cd-ubcd-from-a-usb-device/

Note that your computer must have USB booting enabled. Instructions for that are at the bottom
of this page:
http://www.hiren.info/pages/bootcd-on-usb-disk

Then follow the instructions for Steps 2-5 on the link Carl gave, only you want to identify your
CD/DVD drive and not your hard disk, and run ddrescue on that.

STANDARD WARNING: The programs included in something like UBCD are powerful, potentially
dangerous tools. They won't do anything you don't tell them to, but if you muck around in the
wrong places you can lose a finger, or an eye, or the contents of your hard drive. If you follow the
directions and double-check your work before hitting enter, though, you will be fine.

And yeah, it's a little geeky -- this is data forensics we're talking about, after all -- but it's
certainly possible. It's not something you want to do every day, and it may not be something you
want to do at all, but I provide this information mostly so that folks know there is an option out
there to at least try to recover your data, short of sending it out to specialists (who use some of
these same tools). It's up to you whether the data in question is worth the extra time and effort.

>Wonder if dbpoweramp works the same way, Tom? There theoretically is an
>advantage to trying multiple error-fix tools.

It sounds to me like that's pretty much what it's doing. If so, it was really smart of someone to
build that in.

- Aaron