Preface

Abstract

DDRescue-GUI is a Graphical User Interface for GNU ddrescue, a data recovery tool. GNU ddrescue is a command-line (text-only) program, so using this interface with it brings you all of the power ddrescue has to offer, combined with the ease of use of a simple, cross-platform GUI. This document will teach you how to use both GNU ddrescue and DDRescue-GUI, and serves as a general-purpose troubleshooting reference.

Why read this document?

Well, for a lot of reasons. Firstly, data recovery is a complex and delicate subject, and even when using tools as powerful as GNU ddrescue, things can go wrong, especially if you're not experienced. That might sound quite negative, but in truth it's exactly why I wrote DDRescue-GUI; I've made a fair few mistakes when doing data recovery. Some of them have simply wasted a bit of time, but some of them have meant I've lost data. I'm simply fortunate that the data I lost wasn't important, but if a GUI like this had existed when I first used ddrescue, I could have avoided making some of those mistakes. I wrote this guide so you can avoid making some of the mistakes I've made.

The other reason is that while (and, perhaps, because) GNU ddrescue is extraordinarily powerful, it can be quite confusing to use. It has a lot of options, some of which are generally useful, and some of which apply more to corner-cases, so I hope this document will be helpful when you're deciding which options to use. When writing the GUI, I've tried to help you make the best decisions by using reasonable defaults, but here I will explain the options in detail, which should help with some of the confusion some of my users have experienced.

What is covered in this document?

Hopefully, it covers anything you might want to know about DDRescue-GUI, ddrescue, and data recovery in general. I know that's a large undertaking for a small guide, so at various points I may direct you to read other materials for more detail in particular areas.

To be specific, this document covers:

Basic Information About DDRescue-GUI

Why you should use it, what systems it works on, and what GNU ddrescue is.

Data Recovery Concepts

Explains basic data recovery concepts in plain language, and other important things like device names.

DDRescue-GUI's Basic Functionality

Just enough to get you on your feet with using DDRescue-GUI. Covers general use of the GUI and some of the more basic features.

Advanced Functionality

Advanced functionality of ddrescue and DDRescue-GUI, including use of map files, mounting output files (Linux and macOS only), and explanations of advanced options and when/why to use them.

Frequently Asked Questions and Troubleshooting

Some of the questions I get asked a lot, and also some extras to help you if you encounter problems.

Conventions

I have used a few conventions in this book, but I've tried to keep it simple where possible. DDRescue-GUI runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and I will provide screenshots for all platforms where necessary. At any point where you need to be careful about something, this icon is used with some information:

[Caution]Caution

Some general advice about how to do something, or what you should check.

Alternately, if there's some important information you need to read, I'll use this:

[Important]Important

Some important information which may apply in a few scenarios.

If there's a little snippet of useful information that might apply to you, I'll put it in a note:

[Note]Note

These are used to point out little pieces of information that may serve as shortcuts or as platform-specific features.

If there's a general-usage tip for you, it might look like this:

[Tip]Tip

These might suggest something extra or optional you can do in particular circumstances.

If you need to follow instructions carefully, I might use this:

[Warning]Warning

These are used to emphasise important part of instructions, or instructions that may have severe consequences if followed improperly.