How to repair a damaged partition on a data drive?

If the drive is GPT, how come it has Protective MBR (Sector 0)?
Sorry for the question jumanji, I'm trying to learn something new.

Megahertz said:

If the drive is GPT, how come it has Protective MBR (Sector 0)?

Code:

What is a Protective MBR
The Protective MBR, beginning in sector 0, precedes the GUID Partition Table partition table on the disk. 
The MBR contains one type 0xEE partition that spans the entire length of the disk. 
This is the same regardless of the number of partitions that are defined in the GUID Partition Table disk entry array.

Why does the GUID Partition Table have a Protective MBR
The Protective MBR protects GUID Partition Table disks from previously-released MBR disk tools such as 
Microsoft MS-DOS FDISK or Microsoft Windows NT Disk Administrator. 

These tools are not aware of GUID Partition Table and do not know how to properly access a GUID Partition Table disk. 
Legacy software that does not know about GUID Partition Table interprets only the Protected MBR when it accesses a
GUID Partition Table disk. 

These tools will view a GUID Partition Table disk as having a single encompassing (possibly unrecognized) 
partition by interpreting the Protected MBR, rather than mistaking the disk for one that is unpartitioned.

Why would a GUID Partition Table-partitioned disk appear to have an MBR on it
If this occurred, you must have used an MBR-only-aware disk tool to access the GUID Partition Table disk.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/tro...20Table%20disk.

zbook said:

Code:

What is a Protective MBR
The Protective MBR, beginning in sector 0, precedes the GUID Partition Table partition table on the disk. 
The MBR contains one type 0xEE partition that spans the entire length of the disk. 
This is the same regardless of the number of partitions that are defined in the GUID Partition Table disk entry array.

Why does the GUID Partition Table have a Protective MBR
The Protective MBR protects GUID Partition Table disks from previously-released MBR disk tools such as 
Microsoft MS-DOS FDISK or Microsoft Windows NT Disk Administrator. 

These tools are not aware of GUID Partition Table and do not know how to properly access a GUID Partition Table disk. 
Legacy software that does not know about GUID Partition Table interprets only the Protected MBR when it accesses a
GUID Partition Table disk. 

These tools will view a GUID Partition Table disk as having a single encompassing (possibly unrecognized) 
partition by interpreting the Protected MBR, rather than mistaking the disk for one that is unpartitioned.

Why would a GUID Partition Table-partitioned disk appear to have an MBR on it
If this occurred, you must have used an MBR-only-aware disk tool to access the GUID Partition Table disk.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/tro...20Table%20disk.

Thanks for the explanation

EdTittel said:

MTPW Data Recovery makes no changes to the source drive, @jumanji. I just used it successfully to recover what I wanted from an 8 TB drive which, along with an 0.5TB scratch drive that I had no reason to recover, shared a Wavlink dual drive dock that somehow went south on me recently. Read about it in my blog post at MTPW Data Recovery Works Eventually - Ed Tittel. It actually does the job pretty well, but takes an incredibly long time to do its thing, as I explain in that story. By design though, MTPW Data Recovery insists on writing anything it recovers to a different drive, and doesn't change anything on the source drive.
BTW, thanks for your many informative and helpful posts here at TF: you've taught me a lot, and pointed me to many useful tools.
Best wishes,
--Ed--

Thank you @EdTittel for sharing your experience. I just started searching for MTPW Data Recovery software. Only when I read your blog I came to know it is MiniTool Partition Wizard Data Recovery

zbook said:

Code:

What is a Protective MBR
The Protective MBR, beginning in sector 0, precedes the GUID Partition Table partition table on the disk. 
The MBR contains one type 0xEE partition that spans the entire length of the disk. 
This is the same regardless of the number of partitions that are defined in the GUID Partition Table disk entry array.

Why does the GUID Partition Table have a Protective MBR
The Protective MBR protects GUID Partition Table disks from previously-released MBR disk tools such as 
Microsoft MS-DOS FDISK or Microsoft Windows NT Disk Administrator. 

These tools are not aware of GUID Partition Table and do not know how to properly access a GUID Partition Table disk. 
Legacy software that does not know about GUID Partition Table interprets only the Protected MBR when it accesses a
GUID Partition Table disk. 

These tools will view a GUID Partition Table disk as having a single encompassing (possibly unrecognized) 
partition by interpreting the Protected MBR, rather than mistaking the disk for one that is unpartitioned.

Why would a GUID Partition Table-partitioned disk appear to have an MBR on it
If this occurred, you must have used an MBR-only-aware disk tool to access the GUID Partition Table disk.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/tro...20Table%20disk.

Thank you @zbook for answering Megahertz's query.

The surface test is still running but you were concerned about the first block and it appears fine:

@NormAtHome

Continuing ......

The current status of my 5TB Trial drive:

Disk Management: Volume has drive letter I: Shows as RAW



Partition Wizard: Partition has Drive letter I: File System shows as (Other). ( a clear indication that the Filesystem is corrupt.)
Note: MSR partition will always show as (Other). So nothing wrong about it.



TestDisk: Where does it lead to?



In the normal course, I would have expected a [Boot] screen to check the status of the Volume Boot Records. In your case it was different and the one which I hadn't encountered before. Now I have encountered the same screen. As in your case only [Type] [Image Creation] and [Quit] commands are available. We shall now proceed further.

to be continued......

jumanji said:

OK, you can now stop the scan and quit PW.

Now download and install the trial version of GetDataBack. Scan the faulty drive, click on each partition shown therein and check whether you can see all your data. Data Recovery Software Products - Runtime Software Products

My Trial drive right now is in the same condition as yours, and I can see all the data.


If you can see all data, keep this as the last option.( To copy the files you need to buy a license - USD80)

We shall proceed with TestDisk from where we left.

I installed GetDataBack and looked at the disk, it showed me 5 partitions and as I clicked on each one I only saw two directories out of what should be 40-50 directories; I also looked in "Lost & Found" and mostly saw files related to the two directories but in one of the other partitions I did see a few files related to other directories that are missing. I'm beginning to think that this disk is a gonner and I'm not going to be able to recover anything from it: