This final recovery attempt used GNU ddrescue.

In the original post I kept confusing ddrescue with the separate program dd_rescue.

They are not the same tool.

GNU ddrescue is the one I ultimately prefer for this job. It is specifically designed for recovering data from problematic block devices, reads the easier areas first, and can use a mapfile so the recovery can be resumed without starting over.

There was another sleepy mistake in the original recording too: at one point I typed sd2 instead of sda2.

This is why sleep is important.

Despite the confusion, I did eventually get a useful disk image.

Directory structure

The archived disk image is around 1 GB compressed and about 4.5 GB decompressed.

The original ASSEMBlergames thread documenting the World Series Baseball 2K2 discovery is also preserved.

I’ve also got a solid-state replacement solution coming for the HKT-0120 SCSI drive.

Not before we pull the entire thing apart, obviously.

Stay tuned! :D

Sources