Method and system for identifying and recovering a file damaged by a hard drive failure

• US 20070220306A1
• Filed: 03/14/2006
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hobbet, Jeffrey, Childs, Philip
• Granted Patent: US 7,574,621 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata

Abstract

A method and system for identifying and recovering a file damaged by a hard drive failure. The method includes monitoring event logs, mapping at least one failing sector to at least one corresponding corrupted file if a hard drive failure is detected, and performing a selected remedial procedure based on the at least one corrupted file. According to the method and system disclosed herein, the user is quickly informed of the corrupted file and is given choices for remedial procedures.

Claims

1. A method for identifying and recovering a file damaged by a hard drive failure, the method comprising:

monitoring event logs;

mapping at least one failing sector to at least one corresponding corrupted file if a hard drive failure is detected; and

performing a selected remedial procedure based on the at least one corrupted file.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

for each corrupted file, providing a selection of remedial procedures to a user; and

receiving a selected remedial procedure from the user.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the selection comprises:

restoring at least one corrupted file from a backup file;

resetting at least one failing sector corresponding to the corrupted file; and

restoring at least one failing sector corresponding to the corrupted file.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining whether a backup version of the corrupted file exists.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising determining whether the backup version is the same version as the corrupted file if a backup version of the corrupted file exists.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising restoring the corrupted file by replacing the corrupted file with the backup file if the backup file is the same version as the corrupted file.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising restoring at least one failing sector corresponding to the corrupted file if the backup file is not the same version as the corrupted file.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the restoring comprises replacing at least one failing sector with at least one sector of the backup file, and wherein the at least one sector of the backup file has the same offset as the at least one failing sector.

9. The method of claim 4 further comprising resetting at least one failing sector corresponding to the corrupted file if a backup version of the corrupted file does not exist.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the resetting comprises providing the uncorrupted contents of the corrupted file by writing data to the failing sector.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of a SMART module and a Windows event log generates the event logs.

12. A computer-readable medium containing program instructions for identifying and recovering a file damaged by a hard drive failure, the program instructions which when executed by a computer system cause the computer system to execute a method comprising:

monitoring event logs;

mapping at least one failing sector to at least one corresponding corrupted file if a hard drive failure is detected; and

performing a selected remedial procedure based on the at least one corrupted file.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 further comprising program instructions for:

for each corrupted file, providing a selection of remedial procedures to a user; and

receiving a selected remedial procedure from the user.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the selection comprises:

restoring at least one corrupted file from a backup file;

resetting at least one failing sector corresponding to the corrupted file; and

restoring at least one failing sector corresponding to the corrupted file.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 further comprising program instructions for determining whether if a backup version of the corrupted file exists.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 further comprising program instructions for determining whether the backup version is the same version as the corrupted file if a backup version of the corrupted file exists.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 further comprising program instructions for restoring the corrupted file by replacing the corrupted file with the backup file if the backup file is the same version as the corrupted file.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 further comprising program instructions for restoring at least one failing sector corresponding to the corrupted file if the backup file is not the same version as the corrupted file.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein the restoring comprises program instructions for replacing at least one failing sector with at least one sector of the backup file, and wherein the at least one sector of the backup file has the same offset as the at least one failing sector.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 further comprising program instructions for resetting at least one failing sector corresponding to the corrupted file if a backup version of the corrupted file does not exist.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the resetting comprises program instructions for providing the uncorrupted contents of the corrupted file by writing data to the failing sector.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein at least one of a SMART module and a Windows event log generates the event logs.

23. A system for identifying and recovering a file damaged by a hard drive failure, the system comprising:

a processor;

an operating system operatively coupled to the processor; and

a recovery application operatively coupled to the operating system, wherein the recovery application comprises program instructions for;

monitoring event logs;

mapping at least one failing sector to at least one corresponding corrupted file if a hard drive failure is detected; and

performing a selected remedial procedure based on the at least one corrupted file.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the recovery application further comprises program instructions for:

for each corrupted file, providing a selection of remedial procedures to a user; and

receiving a selected remedial procedure from the user.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the selection comprises:

restoring at least one corrupted file from a backup file;

resetting at least one failing sector corresponding to the corrupted file; and

restoring at least one failing sector corresponding to the corrupted file.

26. The system of claim 23 wherein the recovery application further comprises program instructions for determining whether a backup version of the corrupted file exists.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the recovery application further comprises program instructions for determining whether the backup version is the same version as the corrupted file if a backup version of the corrupted file exists.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the recovery application further comprises program instructions for restoring the corrupted file by replacing the corrupted file with the backup file if the backup file is the same version as the corrupted file.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein the recovery application further comprises program instructions for restoring at least one failing sector corresponding to the corrupted file if the backup file is not the same version as the corrupted file.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the restoring comprises replacing at least one failing sector with at least one sector of the backup file, and wherein the at least one sector of the backup file has the same offset as the at least one failing sector.

31. The system of claim 26 wherein the recovery application further comprises program instructions for resetting at least one failing sector corresponding to the corrupted file if a backup version of the corrupted file does not exist.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the resetting comprises providing the uncorrupted contents of the corrupted file by writing data to the failing sector.

33. The system of claim 23 wherein at least one of a SMART module and a Windows event log generates the event logs.