[Verified] Skip bad sectors during copying

What Are Bad Sectors?

A bad sector is a sector on a computer hard disk drive or flash memory that is inaccessible or unwritable due to permanent damage, such as physical damage to the disk surface or a failed transistor in the case of flash memory.

Bad sectors are usually detected by disk utility software, such as CHKDSK or SCANDISK in Microsoft systems, or bad block scanning in Unix-like systems. There are two types of bad sectors: physical and logical.

• Physical bad sectors: These refer to physically damaged areas on the hard drive. This could be due to excessive dust accumulation on the drive or worn-out storage units. Physical bad sectors cannot be repaired.
• Logical bad sectors: These are clusters on the hard drive that appear to be malfunctioning. The operating system detects an error when trying to read data from this sector, as the error correction code (ECC) does not match the sector content. Logical bad sectors can be repaired by overwriting the hard drive with zeros.

Can bad sectors be copied?

No, bad sectors cannot be copied! Bad sectors are inaccessible, meaning they cannot be read from or written to. Hard drive cloning involves reading from the source sectors and writing to the target sectors. If the source sectors have bad sectors and are inaccessible, they cannot be copied.

While bad sectors cannot be copied, you can still copy or clone a disk to retrieve undamaged data from other sectors while ignoring the bad ones.

How to Ignore Bad Sectors During a Copy Process

As you can see, bad sectors cannot be cloned or copied. But what if you still need to extract data from the hard drive, or still need to copy a hard drive or other storage device with bad sectors?

You still have a chance! You can use the Disk Copy tool to clone your disk. This reliable and professional disk cloning software can help you ignore bad sectors while copying the disk.

AOMEI Backupper supports sector-by-sector cloning, which means the software can clone a hard drive with bad sectors. In other words, this tool helps you ignore bad sectors and only copy the remaining or undamaged data on the hard drive or any other storage device.

In addition, it helps you to upgrade HDD to SSD without reinstalling Windows and keep your data. During the cloning process, it allows you to adjust partition size and create a local backup of your hard drive. Besides, it enables you to clone hard drive with different sizes and replace the laptop hard drive without losing data.

Now, follow the steps in detail to copy the data from the bad sectors.

Tip

Be sure to select Sector-by-sector copy.

Step 1. Download, install, and run the Disk Copy utility on your computer.

Click “Disk Mode,” then select the hard drive you want to copy or clone. If your hard drive has bad sectors, check the “Clone bad sectors” option as well. Click “Next” to continue.

Step 2: Select the target disk.

Note: The target disk should be at least as large as the source disk, or larger, if you plan to clone or copy it.

Step 3: Check and edit the disk layout.

If your target disk is an SSD drive, remember to check the “Target is SSD” option.

If prompted to erase the destination disk, click “OK” to confirm.

Step 5: Click “Continue” to begin the hard drive cloning process.

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Video Tutorial: How to Copy Data and Skip Bad Sectors

Here are the steps to copy everything from an old disk to a new one, skipping over any bad sectors:

In short

Have you found the answer on how to clone a hard drive while ignoring bad sectors? In short, using a professional disk cloning software can easily clone a hard drive while skipping bad sectors. Here, the AOMEI Backupper Disk Clone tool can meet your needs. It can help you fix bad sectors on a hard drive and ignore bad sectors during cloning. There are more features waiting for you to explore. Download and try it now!

Frequently Asked Questions About Copying While Ignoring Bad Sectors

1. Can I clone a hard drive with bad sectors?

If the disk is damaged to the point where the computer can't read it, you won't be able to clone it. If the computer can still access the data on the damaged hard drive, however, you can still clone it.

2. Will formatting a hard drive remove bad sectors?

Bad sectors are damaged or faulty areas on a disk that prevent the correct storage or retrieval of data. They can lead to errors, slow performance, system crashes, and data loss. Formatting the disk can mark bad sectors as unusable, preventing further damage, but it does not address the underlying physical issue.

3. Why do bad sectors occur on a hard drive?

New hard drives can have a small number of bad sectors due to manufacturing defects, and more can develop over time from head crashes, wear and tear, physical damage, or dust intrusion.