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DDRESCUE

Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: March 2016
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NAME

ddrescue - data recovery tool

SYNOPSIS

ddrescue [,options/] ,infile outfile /[,mapfile/]

DESCRIPTION

GNU ddrescue - Data recovery tool. Copies data from one file or block device to another, trying to rescue the good parts first in case of read errors.

Always use a mapfile unless you know you won't need it. Without a mapfile, ddrescue can't resume a rescue, only reinitiate it. NOTE: In versions of ddrescue prior to 1.20 the mapfile was called 'logfile'. The format is the same; only the name has changed.

If you reboot, check the device names before restarting ddrescue. Don't use options '-F' or '-G' without reading the manual first.

OPTIONS

-h, --help: display this help and exit
-V, --version: output version information and exit
-a, --min-read-rate=<bytes>: minimum read rate of good areas in bytes/s
-A, --try-again: mark non-trimmed, non-scraped as non-tried
-b, --sector-size=<bytes>: sector size of input device [default 512]
-B, --binary-prefixes: show binary multipliers in numbers [SI]
-c, --cluster-size=<sectors>: sectors to copy at a time [128]
-C, --complete-only: don't read new data beyond mapfile limits
-d, --idirect: use direct disc access for input file
-D, --odirect: use direct disc access for output file
-e, --max-errors=,[/+]<n>: maximum number of [new] error areas allowed
-E, --max-error-rate=<bytes>: maximum allowed rate of read errors per second
-f, --force: overwrite output device or partition
-F, --fill-mode=<types>: fill blocks of given types with data (?*/-+l)
-G, --generate-mode: generate approximate mapfile from partial copy
-H, --test-mode=<file>: set map of good/bad blocks from given mapfile
-i, --input-position=<bytes>: starting position of domain in input file [0]
-I, --verify-input-size: verify input file size with size in mapfile
-J, --verify-on-error: reread latest good sector after every error
-K, --skip-size=,[/<i>][,<max>]: initial size to skip on read error [64 KiB]
-L, --loose-domain: accept an incomplete domain mapfile
-m, --domain-mapfile=<file>: restrict domain to finished blocks in file
-M, --retrim: mark all failed blocks as non-trimmed
-n, --no-scrape: skip the scraping phase
-N, --no-trim: skip the trimming phase
-o, --output-position=<bytes>: starting position in output file [ipos]
-O, --reopen-on-error: reopen input file after every read error
-p, --preallocate: preallocate space on disc for output file
-P, --data-preview[=<lines>]: show some lines of the latest data read [3]
-q, --quiet: suppress all messages
-r, --retry-passes=<n>: exit after <n> retry passes (-1=,infinity/) [0]
-R, --reverse: reverse the direction of all passes
-s, --size=<bytes>: maximum size of input data to be copied
-S, --sparse: use sparse writes for output file
-t, --truncate: truncate output file to zero size
-T, --timeout=<interval>: maximum time since last successful read
-u, --unidirectional: run all passes in the same direction
-v, --verbose: be verbose (a 2nd -v gives more)
-w, --ignore-write-errors: make fill mode ignore write errors
-x, --extend-outfile=<bytes>: extend outfile size to be at least this long
-X, --exit-on-error: exit after the first read error
-y, --synchronous: use synchronous writes for output file
-Z, --max-read-rate=<bytes>: maximum read rate in bytes/s
--ask: ask for confirmation before starting the copy
--cpass=<n>[,<n>]: select what copying pass(es) to run
--log-rates=<file>: log rates and error sizes in file
--log-reads=<file>: log all read operations in file
--pause=<interval>: time to wait between passes [0]

Numbers may be in decimal, hexadecimal or octal, and may be followed by a multiplier: s = sectors, k = 1000, Ki = 1024, M = 10^6, Mi = 2^20, etc... Time intervals have the format 1[.5][smhd] or 1/2[smhd].

Exit status: 0 for a normal exit, 1 for environmental problems (file not found, invalid flags, I/O errors, etc), 2 to indicate a corrupt or invalid input file, 3 for an internal consistency error (eg, bug) which caused ddrescue to panic.

REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs to bug-ddrescue@gnu.org
Ddrescue home page: http://www.gnu.org/software/ddrescue/ddrescue.html
General help using GNU software: http://www.gnu.org/gethelp

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2016 Antonio Diaz Diaz. License GPLv2+: GNU GPL version 2 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.