How to preserve a HDD based Game System

This guides a work in progress. It doesn't cover data recovery at this time.

It'll work on most hard drive based systems even if encrypted.

DISCLAIMER: if you mess it up, we are not responsible! Perform this at own risk!

  1. Most important! DO NOT EVEN USE THE SYSTEM! Using/Booting it can cause data to be overwritten/lost permanently, many of you may be eager to dig into the contents but this is how data is lost.
  2. Install Ubuntu Desktop 16.4 on a seperate drive, Windows can be risky and damage data to the point it is permanently lost! Linux/Ubuntu is the safest and best free option.
  3. Make sure your current HDD has enough free space to dump the drive you are wanting to preserve, If the drive is 80GB you need 80GB exactly free, more is best.
  4. Remove the hardrive from the system being cloned.
  5. Connect the HDD needing to be preserved to your Linux/Ubuntu setup. DO NOT CONNECT IT WITH WINDOWS!
  6. To locate your drive use command line and the command "sudo fdisk -l " (without quotes).
  8. *Example picture taken from PS3 Slim DECH-2500A 160GB HDD.

    Disk /dev/sdb: 149,1 GiB, 160041885696 bytes, 312581808 sectors*
    Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
    Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
    I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes

    Above we see that the PS3 Hdd as /dev/sdb

    *Take note of the amount of sectors, as shown above in orange. You will need it later to confirm the dump is good.

    *For your understanding what you are actually typing: if = input/source of = output/destination - do not mess this up!

    Now that you understand, let's get cracking with dd and clone the hard drive :
    Type: sudo dd if=/dev/sdb of=/media/image_file_name_of_choice
    *dd does not show progress by default, just wait it out. Cloning can take up to a couple of hours depending on HDD size. Newer versions of dd can show progress, add:
    status=progress as parameter at the end.
  9. At this stage you may as well pat yourself on the back and get a cup of coffee or tea and wait it out.
  10. Make a backup of your new HDD dump once finished. Saving it to two or more HDD's is best.
  11. After the data is dumped use a free hex editor to make sure the image is good. HXD is a good choice. DO NOT EDIT IT.
  12. Return the original drive to your system and see what you have installed.
Many tools exist that can recover data, Original XBOX cannot be recovered at this time, and XBOX 360 recovery while tools exist they don't find all data. PS3 recovery is much more complex and not fully worked out yet so keep images safe.

Awhile back I spoke to Gerbilsoft who created a tool that can read and restore data from Wii RVT-H units and a few builds have been released there.

If you're in need for XBOX 360/PlayStation 3 data recovery we do have some custom written tools which may help, these have a higher chance of recovery than most public tools. If you're able to upload the image we're happy to look and attempt recovery at no cost to you. All data will be yours and we're happy to make agreements over any data including deleting the files/images our end once finished. You can use our contact form for more information https://www.prototopia.net/misc/contact/.
 
Demon
D
Demon
Demon is the tech guy behind Prototopia and the original founder of ObscureGamers.com, If it breaks it's normally my fault so please send abuse my way if needed. :eek:

I'm dedicated to preservation on all levels, having managed to do many important preservation projects.

Below is a list of projects I've helped with/ran.

  1. 2015, Bought XboxModders.com and renamed it ObscureGamers.com in early 2016 when AssemblerGames.com went offline due to a breach of the servers security.
  2. 2016, released the first ever Wii RVT-R disc dumps without the use of Wii developer hardware. (Further sending the custom drive made by Credier to Bad_Ad to clone.)
  3. 2016, released the earliest known Crackdown builds for X360, along with a ton of Sonic builds for 360 getting noted on sites such as https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic_Unleashed for sharing a preview build with lost/removed levels.
  4. 2017, Released over 300GB of builds, including the first ever SEGA PICO Source Code seen online.
  5. 2018, Was donated an XBOX ONE Alpha Kit (Durango) by a former developer who drove 300 miles to deliver it in person. This system was later restored into fully working order and donated to a private museum.
  6. Left ObscureGamers.com as owner and passed it onto MorphicSn0w, Due to trolls and rude users it was decided to close it.
  7. September 2018, Seeing things not going to plan with AssemblerGames.com me and Morphic decided to build Prototopia.net as a private forum for mature preservationists.
  8. With the help of many months of work from GerbilSoft I released the first ever RVT-H Wii dumps.
  9. Founded the ProjectXe XBOX 360 Alpha G5 kit restoration project, The goal being to restore the system into working order.
  10. Opened Prototopia.net up to vetted members in late 2018.
  11. Pending Project: 50TB Project, over 80 developer kits, thousands of discs to be dumped by myself and a major private collector. ETA unknown, but I intend to make a video of the project highlights.
In the mean time I randomly post site updates and continue to research stuff.

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