HDD Raw Copy Tool

HDD Raw Copy Tool is a specialized utility for the exact copying of hard drives and solid-state drives at the sector level. The program performs a bit-by-bit transfer of all data from one storage medium to another, regardless of the file system, partitions, or sector condition. It operates with devices at a low level through direct hardware access. This approach guarantees a complete duplication of the original content, including unallocated areas, unpartitioned space, and bad sectors. The tool is applicable in data recovery tasks, creating forensic images, cloning drives with damaged sectors, and migrating systems with errors.

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• Raw sector copying. The core function performs a sequential transfer of every addressable sector from the source device to the destination device. The process completely ignores the logical structure of the data, copying all information exactly as it is physically stored on the magnetic platter or NAND memory. This includes the Master Boot Record (MBR), partition tables, bootloaders, complete file systems, and all sectors containing user data or marked as empty. The operation runs sequentially from the first logical sector (LBA 0) to the last, ensuring an exact replica.
• Handling of bad sectors. The software implements robust algorithms for handling damaged or unstable blocks on the storage medium. When it encounters a sector that cannot be read using the controller's standard mechanisms, it performs repeated read attempts, sometimes adjusting low-level parameters such as timeout or signal strength. If retries fail, the tool can proceed in two ways: fill the corresponding sector on the destination with zeros or a specific data pattern, and then continue copying the next operable sector. This approach allows for completing an image of a disk with damaged areas.
• Compatibility with disk image formats. In addition to direct disk-to-disk cloning, the utility can create image files of an entire storage medium. These files, typically with .img or .bin extensions, represent an exact binary copy of the source. The tool is also capable of writing a previously created disk image to a physical destination device. This method is frequently used in system administration environments to deploy identical configurations on multiple machines or to restore a complete system backup.
• Working with devices of different capacities. The application manages scenarios where the destination disk has a slightly different capacity than the source. If the destination is larger, the excess space remains unallocated and is not overwritten. If the destination is smaller, but its capacity is sufficient to contain all addressable sectors of the source (up to the last sector containing data), the copy is completed fully. The tool verifies basic geometric parameters before starting the operation to prevent data loss due to insufficient destination medium size.
• Device selection interface. It presents a detailed list of all storage units connected to the system, showing key information for their identification. This information includes the device model, serial number, total size in bytes or sectors, and the name of the controller or port to which it is connected (e.g., SATA, USB, SCSI). This clear display helps the user accurately select the source and destination devices, minimizing the risk of choosing incorrectly and overwriting critical data.
• Data verification mode. After completing the copy process, the tool offers the option to perform a comprehensive verification. This mode compares, sector by sector, the content of the source device with the destination device or with the generated image file. The comparison is performed at the binary level, ensuring that every byte on the destination is identical to its counterpart on the source. Any discrepancies are flagged and reported to the user. This function is critical for ensuring the integrity of the copy, especially in forensic contexts where data accuracy is legally required.
• Low-level device access. The program uses direct hardware access methods to bypass the operating system's abstraction layers and disk caches. It communicates with storage controllers using ATA/SCSI passthrough commands, allowing it to send specific instructions directly to the drive. This privileged access is essential for reading sectors that the file system marks as bad or inaccessible, and for interacting with disk areas that are normally hidden from standard user applications.
• Progress visualization and logging. During the copy operation, the interface displays real-time metrics including transfer speed in megabytes per second, the amount of data processed, the percentage completed, and elapsed/estimated time. Additionally, it maintains a detailed log of all actions performed, errors encountered (such as bad sectors and the outcome of their retries), and the parameters used in the session. This log can be saved to a text file for subsequent analysis or for documentation purposes.
• Support for advanced storage. It supports a wide range of storage technologies, including hard disk drives (HDDs) with PATA (IDE), SATA, and SCSI interfaces, solid-state drives (SSDs) connected via SATA or NVMe, and USB flash drives. The tool can work with devices that use 512-byte sectors and the modern 4K (Advanced Format) standard. It can also interact with drives that have bad sectors remapped to the reserve area (G-list and P-list of the firmware).
• Creation of bootable media. When performing a sector-by-sector copy of a medium containing a bootable operating system, the resulting replica on the destination device retains all structures necessary for booting. This includes the initial bootloader code in the first sector, the partition table, and system files. If the destination hardware is compatible with the copied system configuration, the cloned disk will be able to boot the operating system without requiring additional setup steps or boot repair.

The HDD Raw Copy Tool was developed by the HDDGuru team, an online resource known for its hard drive diagnostic and recovery utilities. Its development began in the early 2000s, with the first public version released around 2005. The program was initially created to address the need for a reliable cloning utility capable of handling disks with bad sectors, a common task in data recovery at the time. The programming language used for its development is C++, with a focus on direct hardware interaction and Windows drivers through the Windows API. The application has been maintained and updated over the years to add support for new interfaces such as NVMe and to maintain compatibility with modern versions of the Windows operating system.

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