Cannot see TrueCrypt partitions.

Hello everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone could help me here. I have my files stored on a Seagate Barracuda XT 3TB external HD. The HD used to contain about 6, partitions 4 of them were encrypted and hidden with TrueCrypt.

However, now when I connect the HD to my computer, I can only see 3 partitions which I cannot open and I get the error messages shown below.

http://s29.postimg.org/jbmfc8vk7/image.png
http://s28.postimg.org/9rmlnlval/image.png
http://s27.postimg.org/488kq9jpv/image.png

When looking at the partitions via Windows Desk Management this is what I see
http://s30.postimg.org/a9d3waju9/image.png

And TC only shows me those 3 partitions
http://s28.postimg.org/tmd8ngzvx/image.png

and when I try to mount any of them and I type the password I get an error massage saying that the password is wrong or that the partition isn't a TC volume.


Is it possible to recover the partitions and the files which they contain?

 

I have very little experience with UEFI/GPT partitions or Windows 8, both of which you seem to be using, so I wouldn't dare to try to restore your partitions in place, but the situation doesn't look that bad. I think there's a good chance that your lost partitions could be recovered manually, although it will be a fairly complex procedure.

Your 4th image shows that Disk 1 has several healthy partitions and what appears to be several lost partitions mixed within. I'm imagining something along the lines of using WinHex to go the end of Partition D and then testing the free space that directly follows the partition to see if it contains an intact TrueCrypt header. Or, going to the beginning of Partition E and then look backwards the specified distance for the embedded backup header. The same approach could be tried at the end of Partition F. And WinHex should show the exact locations of each partitions starting and ending offset, plus the free space start and end points, so it shouldn't be that hard to find or test.

Unfortunately for you, I am currently swamped with work due to the upcoming end-of-support for Windows XP and I won't be able to commit to a large effort like this for quite awhile.

In the meantime, be very careful not to write to your external disk, as you can easily make things worse, much worse, by performing various recovery attempts without knowing what you are doing. Don't mess this up! For example, a problem that you might come across if you try to repair it with partitioning software is that you are very likely to destroy your TrueCrypt headers while you recover your missing partitions.

If you simply must make some (relatively unskilled) recovery attempts then I suggest you first make a full sector-by-sector clone of the entire disk, and then perform your various attempts on the clone.

I should have some free time in a few weeks, I hope.

 

Thanks dantz, (don't know how) but I think I was able to fix it. Maybe if you had time later you could tell me what was the problem exactly so other people and I know what to do in this situation.

I own a Seagate Backup Plus 3TB Desktop External Hard Drive USB 3.0 (STCA3000101), the HD fell off the table and into a cardboard box beneath it (about a foot high) and the USB 3.0 port on the GoFlex Desk Adapter got damaged. I took the HDD enclosure off and placed the HDD into a HD docking station (StarTech SDOCK2U33HFB), and connected the docking station to my Dell XPS 15 9530. That's when everything got messed up.

The HDD initially had 7 partitions, 439 GB locked with Microsoft Bitlocker, and 371 GB, 49.9 GB, 510 GB, 225 GB, and 171 GB all locked with TrueCrypt (some locked and hidden) also a 1.0 TB unlocked partition.

I ordered a new GoFlex Desk Adapter and connected the HDD to it and everything seems to work just as before, and I can see all my partitions and everything is working fine.

I don't understand why the docking station couldn't show the partitions in the same way when I connect it to the adapter!!!