[Bug-ddrescue] Re: What to do with created file?

[Antonio Diaz Diaz]

Dennis wrote:
> I did run ddrescue over the partition which contains my /home-path (as root) 
> and got an output file which seems to be the correct size (about 30GB). 
> But what to do with this file? After what IŽve read, ddrescue writes source 
> devices back into files which are supposed to be a device, which should mean 
> that I can simply mount the output file and then access the files in there. 
> But this does not work!

Ddrescue copies the *non-damaged* part of the input file. The damaged 
part is, by definition, impossible to copy. So you have to repair the 
obtained copy *before* trying to mount it.


> Additionally, I have to add that my /home-partition is an encrypted loop 
> device, but at the time I started ddrescue to backup this partition, it was 
> mounted correctly and therefor accessible without limitations.

You *never* should try to rescue a mounted partition. The data in the 
partition may change while being rescued, giving an unusable output file.


> Can somebody please tell me how to access the files in the output file and 
> then copy some of them to another partition? Thanks!

You have to rescue the partition, repair the rescued copy and mount it 
(the copy). That's all.


Regards,
Antonio Diaz, maintainer of GNU ddrescue.