TrueCrypt challenges

I had an encrypted TrueCrypt drive (full-disk encryption mode). Once a BSOD appeared and since that moment Windows fails to boot: after giving my password to TrueCrypt loader, TrueCrypt says No bootable partition found. First I tried obvious option - "disk encryption" from my TrueCrypt Rescue Disk, but noticed it will take about 120-140 hours of PC work. I searched the web and found this advice: boot from any Linux live CD, install TrueCrypt or any similar program and then get access to all the files on the disk.

But I failed to mount the disk. TrueCrypt now shows this message.

I think re-encrypting of decrypted disk area would be a solution, but I don't have an idea how to do this, neither TrueCrypt Rescue Disk nor the TrueCrypt program has this option.

user697367

Posted 2017-02-14T12:10:09.210

Reputation: 11

1Hm. What exactly did you have? A disk that was completely encrypted with the process finished? – Daniel B – 2017-02-14T12:13:18.580

@DanielB It was fully encrypted (full-disk encryption option in TC) until I started decryption (I didn't have any LiveCD at the moment of BSOD, so I tried the most obvious solution), after half an hour of decryption I realized it would take long time to decrypt (about 2-3 MB/sec with a 500GB drive), pressed Esc (as TC message says) and shut down system. – user697367 – 2017-02-14T12:23:50.127

Answers

One or more damaged sectors at the beginning of the drive may be the reason this happened.

Use a tool that scans for bad sectors (and repairs them) and that is file-system agnostic, i.e. it does not care about the way your data is logically organized, it just looks at the hard disk sectors (so it also does not care that you use TrueCrypt).

You use this first before using (other) software that changes the logical structure of your files/allocation tables.¹

I only know of SpinRite that does this. There may be other programs stating they do the same, but I have no personal experience with them. SR is extremely good at trying to lift the remaining bits from damaged sectors (and re-allocating them²); the downside is it keeeeeeps trying, so you have to be patient.

Notes:

It is paid software.
If damaged sectors were not the cause, running this kind of software won't do no harm either³.

^{1. You may already have broken this rule (done damage) by using the rescue disk}
^{2. Actually, the relocation is what the disk always does with bad sectors, it just that SR intervenes in rescuing the data.}
^{3. It may even benefit the drive. By scanning the entire surface it allows the drive to detect and reallocate weak sectors before problems occur.}

Jan Doggen

Posted 2017-02-14T12:10:09.210

Reputation: 3 591