GNU ddrescue: 고장 난 드라이브에서 데이터를 복구하는 방법

GNU ddrescue How to Rescue Data From a Failing Drive

A Windows file transfer stops with an I/O error, or Ubuntu can see your hard drive but cannot read certain folders. GNU ddrescue can help preserve the readable sectors before the situation gets worse. However, an inaccessible drive is not necessarily a deleted drive, and a completed disk image is not the same as restored files. This guide shows you how to diagnose the problem, copy data safely, resume an interrupted rescue, and access the resulting files. For broader hardware symptoms, consult Amagicsoft’s 하드 드라이브 복구 가이드.

간단한 답변: GNU ddrescue is a free command-line utility that copies readable blocks from a damaged or unstable storage device into a disk image or another disk. It tracks progress with a mapfile and can retry unreadable areas. It does not repair physical damage, undelete individual files, or guarantee complete recovery.

목차

Before Using GNU ddrescue: Diagnose the Drive

The first decision is whether you have a copying problem, a missing-file problem, or a hardware failure. These require different actions.

관찰되는 현상

가능성이 높은 상황

가장 안전한 첫 번째 조치

Drive opens, and files copy normally

Healthy readable storage

Copy essential files to a healthy destination; no ddrescue needed

File copies freeze or report I/O/CRC errors

Unreadable sectors or unstable connection

Check a known-good cable once; consider imaging if the drive remains stable

Windows reports RAW, but hardware remains stable

파일 시스템 또는 파티션 손상

Preserve the disk state; examine a copy before repair

Only a few files were deleted, and the drive is healthy

Logical deletion

Check Recycle Bin and backups before considering file recovery

Drive clicks, grinds, repeatedly disconnects, or shows the wrong capacity

Possible physical or firmware failure

Stop DIY scans; seek a professional recovery service

For more help identifying detection problems, see how to recover data from an unrecognized hard drive. In particular, a drive that no longer appears reliably in BIOS or Linux is not a good candidate for repeated software retries.

Protect the Original Before Doing Anything Else

  • Stop saving, installing, or downloading files to the affected drive.
  • Do not format, initialize, defragment, or run CHKDSK against a disk showing read errors.
  • Avoid mounting the failing source read-write; ideally, unmount it completely.
  • Prepare a healthy destination with enough space for the entire source capacity, plus a separate location for the mapfile.
  • If the data is irreplaceable and the disk is mechanically unstable, stop rather than running an extended rescue.

Safety rule: Rescue first, inspect the copy second, and repair only after you have verified important files. The official GNU ddrescue manual likewise warns against repairing a file system on a drive with I/O errors.

What GNU ddrescue Actually Recovers

GNU ddrescue operates at the sector level. It tries readable areas first, records troublesome areas, and later revisits them when appropriate. It does not need Windows to recognize an NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT volume to copy its underlying sectors.

Three terms determine the workflow:

  • Source: The damaged drive or partition that ddrescue reads.
  • Destination: A healthy disk image file or physical disk receiving the copy.
  • Mapfile: A small progress record showing rescued, pending, and bad areas. Keep it on reliable storage and reuse it only with the same rescue.

For example, an image may contain most of a damaged 500 GB disk while still missing a few sectors. That can preserve many documents, but an unreadable sector inside a particular document may leave that document corrupted. Furthermore, deleted data already removed by SSD TRIM will not reappear simply because you copied the disk.

GNU ddrescue vs. File Recovery Software

과제

GNU ddrescue

파일 복구 소프트웨어

Copy readable sectors from an error-prone drive

Primary purpose

Not necessarily designed for it

Resume sector copying after interruption

Yes, with a mapfile

다양

Recover individually deleted files

아니요

Often, if data remains recoverable

Interpret damaged file-system metadata

Does not reconstruct files

May locate recoverable files

Repair failing hardware

아니요

아니요

Therefore, do not use a file recovery scan as a substitute for carefully preserving a failing physical drive. Equally, you do not need ddrescue solely because an otherwise healthy disk lost a few files.

How to Install GNU ddrescue on Ubuntu

On Ubuntu, Debian, or Linux Mint, open Terminal and install the gddrescue package:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install gddrescue

Then confirm that the executable is available:

ddrescue --version

Version note: GNU ddrescue 1.30 was released in January 2026. The version offered by your Linux distribution may differ. In particular, -n ~을 의미한다 --no-scrape, while in version 1.30 -N ~을 의미한다 --no-sweep (older documentation used -N differently). Check ddrescue --help before adapting commands from older tutorials.

How to Use GNU ddrescue to Create a Disk Image

The commands below are illustrative. They assume /dev/sdb is the failing drive and /mnt/recovery is a directory on a separate, healthy, mounted destination disk. Never paste device names without checking your computer.

Step 1: Identify Source and Destination

실행:

lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,MODEL,SERIAL,FSTYPE,MOUNTPOINTS

Compare the drive sizes, models, and serial numbers. A reboot or reconnection can change names such as /dev/sdb 그리고 /dev/sdc. Next, unmount the failing drive’s partitions. Make sure the destination has free space at least equal to the source’s logical size and supports large image files.

GNU ddrescue source drive identification using lsblk in Ubuntu Terminal

Step 2: Make an Initial Rescue Image

After confirming the mounted destination directory, run:

sudo ddrescue -n --ask /dev/sdb /mnt/recovery/disk.img /mnt/recovery/disk.map

여기서, -n skips the scraping phase, --ask requests confirmation, disk.img stores the copied sectors, and disk.map preserves progress. This initial run favors quicker data collection over laborious scraping. It may still perform other recovery phases; -n does not mean “copy good sectors only.”

GNU ddrescue recovery progress showing rescued data, read errors, and remaining time

Never save the image or mapfile to the failing source disk. If the destination is another physical disk instead of an image file, the command needs different precautions because that entire output device will be overwritten.

Step 3: Check Progress Before Retrying

동안 GNU ddrescue runs, pay attention to rescued, pct rescued, non-tried, bad-sector, 및 읽기 오류. A high rescued percentage is useful, but it is not a percentage of complete documents. Also, repeated disconnects or worsening mechanical symptoms are reasons to stop, not to increase the retry count.

Step 4: Retry Remaining Difficult Areas Only If Stable

If the device remains consistently detectable, you may try a limited additional pass using the same image and mapfile:

sudo ddrescue -d -r2 --ask /dev/sdb /mnt/recovery/disk.img /mnt/recovery/disk.map

-d requests direct input-disk access where supported, and -r2 allows two retry passes over unreadable areas. Direct access may require adjusted sector settings on some devices. Avoid unlimited retries, especially on a worsening drive.

Step 5: Resume After an Interruption

If the computer shuts down or you pause the operation, reconnect everything, verify device identities again, and rerun the original command with the same output and mapfile:

sudo ddrescue -n --ask /dev/sdb /mnt/recovery/disk.img /mnt/recovery/disk.map

The mapfile tells ddrescue which areas it has already copied. Do not delete it, create a new unrelated mapfile, or accidentally switch the source to a different drive.

Can You Run GNU ddrescue on Windows 11?

For physical disk rescue, a Linux live USB is typically more practical than attempting to access Windows drives through an unfamiliar compatibility layer.

  1. On a healthy computer, prepare a bootable Ubuntu USB.
  2. Boot the affected computer into Ubuntu’s Try Ubuntu live environment.
  3. Connect a separate healthy destination, then install gddrescue 필요한 경우.
  4. Identify the disks with lsblk and follow the imaging steps above.

Cygwin and some graphical frontends offer other routes, but permissions and raw-device access differ. Also, WSL does not automatically expose every physical Windows disk as /dev/sdX. A tool running inside Windows is not necessarily a direct replacement for a Linux rescue environment.

After Imaging: Check Whether Your Files Are Actually Recoverable

This is the step many tutorials omit. GNU ddrescue finishes copying sectors, but you still need to determine whether the original folders and files survived.

Case 1: Files Open Normally on the Copy

Inspect the image or clone 읽기 전용 first. On Linux, an experienced user can attach a raw image as a read-only loop device and inspect its partitions. Do not run repair commands on your only image. If files open correctly, copy the valuable ones to a separate healthy destination and verify their contents, not just their filenames.

Inspecting a GNU ddrescue disk image mounted read-only in Ubuntu file manager

Case 2: A Partition Appears RAW or Cannot Mount

The copied sectors may be readable even when file-system metadata is damaged. Preserve the master image, investigate on a working copy, and do not accept a Windows prompt to format or initialize the rescued disk. Our RAW drive recovery guide explains why formatting before extracting files can reduce recovery options.

Case 3: Some Files Were Deleted Before the Image Was Made

An image records available sectors; it does not reverse deletion. First check Recycle Bin, File History, and existing cloud or offline backups. If there is no usable copy and the deleted data has not been overwritten or removed by TRIM, file recovery software may help analyze a healthy Windows-recognized clone.

Case 4: The Copy Has Unreadable or Corrupted Files

Compare the original file names, sizes, dates, and important contents. One missing sector may affect part of a document or its file-system record. Consequently, “100% rescued” is not a guarantee of logical integrity, and an incomplete rescue cannot reconstruct data that was never read.

When Is File Recovery Software the Right Next Step?

Use this checkpoint before scanning anything:

확인

그렇다면

If no

Are the files visible and opening on the clone?

Copy and verify them

Continue checking

Does Recycle Bin, version history, or a backup contain the missing files?

Restore that copy

Continue checking

Is the original device physically unstable?

직접 수리하려는 시도를 그만두세요

Examine only the healthy clone

Does Windows reliably recognize the cloned disk?

Consider logical file recovery

Do not assume Windows recovery software can scan it

Only when the file itself is missing or inaccessible and built-in recovery cannot help should you consider a dedicated file scanner. This is a different job from disk-sector rescue.

Magic Data Recovery로 삭제된 파일 복구하기

만약 GNU ddrescue produced a healthy physical clone that Windows recognizes, but folders or deleted files remain inaccessible, Magic Data Recovery may help locate recoverable documents, photos, videos, and other files on that clone.

Unlike ddrescue’s mapfile-based copying, it scans supported Windows-accessible storage for lost files. It does not repair physical damage, restore overwritten sectors, or guarantee that a file containing unreadable blocks will open. Support for directly scanning a ddrescue .img image should not be assumed; use this workflow only when the rescued data resides on a recognized disk or partition.

Magic Data Recovery 사용 방법

1단계: Magic Data Recovery 다운로드 및 설치

Install the software on a healthy Windows volume, not on the cloned partition containing lost data. Keep the original failing disk disconnected if possible.

Windows 7/8/10/11 및 Windows Server 지원

Step 2: Select the Healthy Cloned Drive

Launch the software and select the Windows-recognized disk clone or partition, not the physically failing source, then start the scan.

Using Magic Data Recovery to scan the falling drive

Step 3: Scan for Missing Files

Let the scan identify potentially recoverable documents, photos, and other files; results depend on the condition of the copied sectors.

스캔 대기

4단계: 복구 전 파일 미리보기

Where preview is available, open a sample to check that its contents are recognizable; not every damaged file can be previewed.

미리보기 파일

5단계: 다른 드라이브에 파일 복구

Save selected results to a separate healthy disk, not back to the clone, and verify the recovered files in their normal applications.

파일 복구

What If GNU ddrescue or File Recovery Fails?

First, check whether you selected the correct source and whether the missing data was ever present on that device. Next, retain the image and mapfile so you do not lose progress. If the clone is readable but the file system is not, investigate its structure on a duplicate image rather than repeatedly modifying the master.

However, if an SSD has discarded deleted blocks through TRIM, or new data has overwritten them, more software scans cannot recreate the original content. Likewise, if a hard disk clicks, disconnects, or becomes progressively less readable, discontinue retries and ask a qualified lab about professional imaging.

Prevent Another Emergency Rescue

  • Maintain an independent backup with periodic restore checks; synchronization alone may copy accidental deletions.
  • Watch for unusual drive noises, read errors, and changing SMART indicators, but avoid lengthy tests on a clearly failing disk.
  • Label critical drives and keep notes on drive model and serial number to prevent source/destination mistakes.
  • Store rescue images and their matching mapfiles together on healthy storage.
  • Replace unstable drives after extracting and verifying important data; imaging is not hardware repair.

For more context on storage defects, see how to fix bad sectors on a hard drive—but complete data rescue before any repair attempt.

결론

GNU ddrescue is most useful when a readable but failing drive cannot complete ordinary file copies. Diagnose the symptoms first, protect the original disk, produce a sector-level image with a mapfile, and verify real file contents on the copy. If folders open and your files are intact, no additional recovery tool is necessary.

If the healthy clone still contains deleted or logically inaccessible files, Magic Data Recovery offers a separate Windows file-recovery step—not a replacement for careful imaging. For related drive-specific guidance, visit our hard drive recovery hub.

Windows 7/8/10/11 및 Windows Server 지원

자주 묻는 질문

GNU ddrescue는 주로 어떤 용도로 사용되나요?

GNU ddrescue는 오류가 발생한 디스크, 파티션 및 기타 지원되는 매체에서 읽을 수 있는 섹터를 이미지 파일이나 정상적인 저장소로 복사하는 데 사용됩니다. 일반적인 파일 복사와는 달리, 이 도구는 문제가 있는 영역을 추적하여 읽기 오류가 발생하는 부분을 우회하며 작업을 계속할 수 있습니다. 이 도구의 목적은 나중에 검사할 수 있도록 사용 가능한 디스크 데이터를 보존하는 것이지, 개별 삭제된 파일을 복원하거나 고장 난 하드웨어를 수리하는 것이 아닙니다.

GNU ddrescue로 영구적으로 삭제된 파일을 복구할 수 있나요?

직접적으로는 아닙니다. GNU ddrescue는 어떤 파일이 삭제되었는지 판단하지 않고 섹터를 복사합니다. 복사된 이미지에는 SSD TRIM을 통해 덮어쓰기되거나 삭제되지 않았다면, 복구 가능한 삭제된 정보가 여전히 포함되어 있을 수 있습니다. 먼저 백업 파일을 확인해 보십시오. 그렇지 않은 경우, 호환되는 파일 복구 소프트웨어를 사용하여 복구된 저장 장치를 검사할 수 있습니다. 영구 삭제가 반드시 성공을 보장하는 것도, 실패를 보장하는 것도 아닙니다.

ddrescue 맵 파일을 잃어버리면 어떻게 되나요?

원본 맵파일이 없으면 ddrescue는 기록된 섹터별 진행 상황을 바탕으로 작업을 안정적으로 재개할 수 없습니다. 기존 이미지를 검토하는 것은 가능할 수 있지만, 적절한 대체 파일을 생성하려면 전문 지식이 필요하며 추가적인 읽기 작업이 수반될 수 있습니다. 맵파일과 이미지를 정상적인 저장 장치에 함께 보관하고, 복구 설정을 변경하기 전에 맵파일의 별도 사본을 만들어 두십시오.

GNU ddrescue는 Windows 10과 11에서 작동하나요?

GNU ddrescue는 리눅스나 기타 적합한 POSIX 시스템에서 가장 자연스럽게 작동합니다. 윈도우 사용자는 우분투 라이브 USB로 부팅하여, 문제가 있는 디스크에 우분투를 설치하지 않고도 이 리눅스 유틸리티를 실행할 수 있습니다. 호환성 레이어와 그래픽 기반 프론트엔드도 존재하지만, 디스크에 대한 직접 액세스 방식은 환경에 따라 다릅니다. 복사를 시작하기 전에 항상 선택한 환경에서 물리적 장치를 어떻게 식별하는지 확인하십시오.

'100% rescued'라는 메시지가 표시되면 모든 파일이 열릴 수 있다는 뜻인가요?

아닙니다. 구조 작업이 완료되었다는 것은 ddrescue가 선택한 섹터 범위를 성공적으로 읽었다는 것을 의미할 뿐, 모든 파일 시스템 레코드나 문서가 논리적으로 유효하다는 것을 의미하지는 않습니다. 파일은 이미징 전에 삭제되었거나 손상되었을 수도 있고, 이전 작업으로 인해 손상되었을 수도 있습니다. 정상적인 사본에서 대표적인 중요 문서와 미디어 파일을 열어본 다음, 그 내용과 크기를 이용 가능한 백업 자료와 비교해 보십시오.

ddrescue의 -n 옵션과 -N 옵션의 차이점은 무엇인가요?

GNU ddrescue 1.30에서는, -n ~을 의미한다 --no-scrape, 이는 상세한 스크래핑 단계를 생략하는 반면, -N ~을 의미한다 --no-sweep, 이를 통해 스윕 단계를 생략할 수 있습니다. 이전 버전에서는 -N 다르게 작동합니다. 따라서 오래된 튜토리얼에서 명령어를 그대로 복사해 사용하면 ddrescue가 문제가 있는 영역을 처리하는 방식이 달라질 수 있습니다. 이러한 옵션을 사용하기 전에 항상 로컬에 설치된 버전과 도움말 출력 내용을 확인하십시오.

ddrescue는 TRIM이 실행된 후에도 SSD에서 파일을 복구할 수 있나요?

Ddrescue는 SSD가 여전히 읽을 수 있게 유지하는 섹터를 복사할 수는 있지만, TRIM 작업이나 컨트롤러의 내부 정리 과정을 되돌릴 수는 없습니다. 일단 삭제된 블록에 원래 정보가 더 이상 남아 있지 않으면, 디스크 이미지로 이를 복원할 수 없습니다. SSD에 여전히 접근할 수 있다면, 사용 빈도를 줄이고 즉시 백업본을 확보하십시오. 하드웨어 상태가 불안정하거나 대체할 수 없는 파일이 있는 경우에는 전문가의 도움을 받는 것을 고려해 보십시오.

바실리는 이 분야에서 약 10년간 실무 경험을 쌓은 데이터 복구 전문가입니다. 그는 경력 전반에 걸쳐 삭제된 파일, 포맷된 드라이브, 손실된 파티션 및 RAW 파일 시스템과 관련된 수천 건의 복잡한 사례를 성공적으로 해결했습니다. 그의 전문 지식은 헥스 에디터와 같은 전문 도구를 사용한 수동 복구 방법과 복구 소프트웨어를 사용한 고급 자동화 솔루션을 모두 다룹니다. 바실리의 사명은 IT 전문가와 일반 사용자 모두에게 신뢰할 수 있는 데이터 복구 지식을 제공하여 소중한 디지털 자산을 보호할 수 있도록 돕는 것입니다.