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Marvix

Member

Registered: 2013-10-08

Posts: 150

[SOLVED] Can't repair NTFS file system of external hard drive

I can't repair with gnome-disk-utility the NTFS file system of an external hard drive.

I get the bellow error when try to repair the file system with gnome-disk-utility:

sudo ntfsfix /dev/sdb1                                                       
Mounting volume... Failed to read vcn 0x5 from inode 5: Input/output error
Failed to open $Secure: No such file or directory
FAILED
Attempting to correct errors... 
Processing $MFT and $MFTMirr...
Reading $MFT... OK
Reading $MFTMirr... OK
Comparing $MFTMirr to $MFT... OK
Processing of $MFT and $MFTMirr completed successfully.
Setting required flags on partition... OK
Going to empty the journal ($LogFile)... OK
Failed to read vcn 0x5 from inode 5: Input/output error
Failed to open $Secure: No such file or directory
Remount failed: No such file or directory

...and the following error with ntfsfix:

sudo ntfsfix /dev/sdb1                                                       
Mounting volume... Failed to read vcn 0x5 from inode 5: Input/output error
Failed to open $Secure: No such file or directory
FAILED
Attempting to correct errors... 
Processing $MFT and $MFTMirr...
Reading $MFT... OK
Reading $MFTMirr... OK
Comparing $MFTMirr to $MFT... OK
Processing of $MFT and $MFTMirr completed successfully.
Setting required flags on partition... OK
Going to empty the journal ($LogFile)... OK
Failed to read vcn 0x5 from inode 5: Input/output error
Failed to open $Secure: No such file or directory
Remount failed: No such file or directory

Last edited by Marvix (2023-08-23 19:39:57)

seth

Member

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 63,496

Re: [SOLVED] Can't repair NTFS file system of external hard drive

Both outputs are from "sudo ntfsfix /dev/sdb1" and the favored approach is MS chkdsk

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Marvix

Member

Registered: 2013-10-08

Posts: 150

Re: [SOLVED] Can't repair NTFS file system of external hard drive

So, I can't repair it through Linux?

seth

Member

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 63,496

Re: [SOLVED] Can't repair NTFS file system of external hard drive

Unlikely.
NTFS is supported "just enough"; it's not really a primary FS on any POSIX system and you should absolutely not use it unless you require it for data exchange w/ windows (at which point you can easily fix it w/ chkdisk on teh windows system - if it's not too broken)

Are you https://forums.unraid.net/topic/136712- … win-10-vm/ ?
Make sure there're no disk issues, https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/SMART

Edig: check dmesg for more issues related to /dev/sdb1 or the relevant USB

Last edited by seth (2023-08-20 13:39:27)

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Marvix

Member

Registered: 2013-10-08

Posts: 150

Re: [SOLVED] Can't repair NTFS file system of external hard drive

You're right. External hard drive repaired connected to VirtualBox booted with a copy WinPE.

It's very ironic having an emergency multiboot USB for these purposes, and when you need it, you don't have it (I had to format it in order to borrow it).

Thank you for your response.

CDogimont

Member

Registered: 2023-11-07

Posts: 2

Re: [SOLVED] Can't repair NTFS file system of external hard drive

Dear Marvix,
apologies to disturb you.
It looks like that I got the same issue as you (I get the same answer as you when running "ntfsfix /dev/sdb1" while trying to recover the access to my external HD). Another member advised me to check this post as it could be helpful to solve my issue. 
Unfortunately, your explanation on how you have proceeded (HD repaired connected to VirtualBox booted with a copy WinPE) is - sorry to say - a little too short for me.
Would you be so kind to develop the steps that you followed when you have been going through the repair of your HD?
I will truly welcome your explanations.
Kind regards, Charles

teckk

Member

Registered: 2013-02-21

Posts: 528

Re: [SOLVED] Can't repair NTFS file system of external hard drive

If you have an external NTFS volume, and it's broke, find a microsoft windows machine to plug it into. Nothing will fix windows proprietary FS like windows. If you don't have a windows machine, ask a friend if you can plug it in and fix it.

Anything from XP up.

CDogimont

Member

Registered: 2023-11-07

Posts: 2

Re: [SOLVED] Can't repair NTFS file system of external hard drive

Dear Teckk,
thanks for the advice.
The hardest was to find a friend with a Windows machine (Windows 11 as OS) accepting that I would plug my HD on his PC..
Next was easy: as Administrator, open a CMD window, identify your external HD (mine was identified as E:) and enter the command " chkdsk E: /f "
It took a few minutes, but the HD was fully recovered.
Thanks again