| DiskPatch
version 3 |
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DiskPatch is a professional DOS based data recovery utility that
recovers data by repairing corrupt disk structures, like the
partition tables, 'in-place'.
DiskPatch is designed to tackle the most common issues that prevent you
from accessing your data: a corrupt MBR (Master Boot Record), corrupt partition tables,
accidentally deleted partitions, corrupt boot sectors, and 'bad'
sectors.
Corruption of the MBR, partition tables and boot sectors account for
the majority of the problems that lead to 'mass data loss';
situations where an entire drive or partition can't be accessed.
You can fix these problems yourself by running DiskPatch!
DiskPatch automatically repairs damaged, corrupt or missing
partition tables and boot sectors. Fast. Simple. Safe.
To make recovery from future disasters even easier, DiskPatch allows
you to back up important disk structures like the MBR, partition
tables and boot sectors. |
| Everything
you need to get started |
DiskPatch is MS-DOS compatible and runs from a self-starting
floppy disk or CD/DVD.
The advantages are obvious: you can
boot your PC and use DiskPatch even when Windows fails to start.
Also, since Windows isn't running when you use DiskPatch, Windows
can't interfere with the repair (Windows isn't 'in the way').
DiskPatch comes complete with a pre-configured DOS bootable
diskette.
You do not need to understand DOS to create and configure a
DiskPatch Start Disk, simply download and install DiskPatch and let the Boot
Disk Builder do the rest.
If you don't have a floppy drive the Boot Disk Builder can create a
bootable CD/DVD for you that includes DiskPatch.
Start the problem PC using the diskette or CD/DVD and DiskPatch
will start automatically.
The DiskPatch manual contains a quick-start and tutorials to
get you started as quickly as possible. |
| DiskPatch is for PC professionals and home users
alike |
DiskPatch is designed to be as easy to use as
possible for people that have never used low level disk
utilities before, and at the same time accommodate the needs of professional users. So, if you are wondering if you
will be able to use DiskPatch to repair your disk, the answer is
'yes, you will!'.
Most common issues causing a disk or drive to become
inaccessible can be fixed automatically; all you have to
do is let DiskPatch scan your disk. Once DiskPatch has
finished scanning, you identify and select the
partitions (damaged and intact) you want to be able to access
after the repair, and let DiskPatch work out the
rest. That's it.
DiskPatch also includes several other powerful features
such as a disk editor, a non destructive read/write disk
surface scan, disk to disk cloning, and disk wiping (or
low-level formatting).
If you have any trouble using DiskPatch or if there are
certain things you do not understand while using DiskPatch, you'll
be glad to know that DiskPatch is backed by top quality
personal support. |
| Will DiskPatch do the
trick? |
We can only answer this question in general
terms:
If you lost access to an entire
disk or drive while the physical disk is still detected in the
BIOS, you will often be able to regain access to your data by
making in-place repairs using DiskPatch. Since it's
introduction, thousands of people have used DiskPatch to
successfully recover countless gigabytes of data.
Before starting a repair it's very important that you try the
DiskPatch demo first. By using the DiskPatch demo version you can determine if
DiskPatch runs on your system, if it detects your physical
hard disks and if it detects volumes that you may have lost access to.
The demo also allows you to run a surface scan to help you
determine the disk's physical condition.
Using the demo, you can create a support log file. Submit
this log file to our
professional support staff, include a short problem description, and you will receive an honest
and detailed answer to the question whether DiskPatch will be able to help you or not. |
| Failing Disks? Clone them
while you still can! |
DiskPatch offers a powerful disk clone feature
that allows you to clone disks even when 'conventional' disk
cloning software fails due to disk read errors or logical
errors.
The disk cloning feature is designed with troubled disks in
mind; it will not give up because time-outs occur or because
sectors are 'bad'.
If a sector can not be read, intelligent algorithms will
determine if it is useful to re-read the sector or if it is
better to just move on and save time; with some types of
errors it's almost certain that the data in the sector that can
not be read is lost. Unlike other data recovery cloning
software, DiskPatch will not waste time on those sectors. |
| Hard disk maintenance and
bad sector repair |
With
DiskPatch you can scan the entire
disk
or a selected partition's surface for read errors. Scanning
the surface of a modern hard disk triggers the disk's internal
error management to re-map bad sectors when they are
encountered; hard
disks are equipped with a pool of so called 'spares' that can
replace a bad sector.
The non-destructive read/write test can replace data
destructive zero-filling or low level formatting that hard
disk vendor specific diagnostic tools offer, to detect and
'fix' surface defects. |
| Disk editing or patching |
Disk editing (or 'patching') is the process of
directly altering the disk's contents. With the built-in disk
editor, power users and professionals can view and edit every
sector on a hard disk in HEX or ASCII mode, save/restore one
or more sectors to/from a binary file, and more.
Partition tables and FAT, FAT32 and NTFS boot sectors can be viewed, interpreted and edited
through easy to use templates.
Significant sectors found during the disk scan can be located, selected, viewed and edited
using the disk editor. |
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DiskPatch
links:
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| Upgrade |
| Download |
| User
Guide (on-line) |
| User
Guide (download) |
| FAQ |
| Get
Help |
| Tutorials |
| Competitive
Comparison |
screenshots
|
In-place repairs |
Most data recovery tools offered on
the internet copy data to another drive.
DiskPatch uses a different approach and tries to correct corrupt
structures on the disk itself, allowing you to access your data
again.
To make the in-place repair process as safe as possible, repairs
can be undone if the results of the repair are unexpected or
undesired. |
|
Safety first! |
During the automatic repair DiskPatch
keeps a record of all changes that are made to the disk. This way
you can revert the changes if the repair was unsuccessful, and try
again.
If you want to avoid any risk of making matters worse, you can even
clone the problem disk first, just like a pro data recovery engineer would.
You can clone a disk even when the file system is damaged or when
sectors can not be read. |
| Non destructive |
During a read/write
surface scan DiskPatch reads and writes each
sector while preserving the data.
Note: When a sector's contents can not be read at all the
sector's data should be considered lost. |
| Significant sectors |
Significant sectors are sectors
like partition tables and boot sectors that DiskPatch detects
during a disk scan.
It's typically these kind of sectors that can help understand
and reconstruct the hard disk layout. |
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Non-Windows users: |
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Download a diskette image here.
Use your favorite image tool (DD, Rawrite etc.) to create the
DiskPatch boot diskette.
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