Re: [Bug-ddrescue] GNU ddrescue data recovery tool - more suggestions

[Antonio Diaz Diaz]

Hello Al,

wilsonstreet wrote:
> In a previous email, I suggested grouping the options in
> terms of related tasks.

The output of the --help option is intended as a reminder of ddrescue's 
syntax and options. Adding too much info to it would make it more 
difficult to find what one is looking for. If --help does not solve a 
doubt, the right thing to do is consulting the manual. So I think I'll 
add a chapter to the manual grouping the options.


> -- direct  (how to "correctly set" "sector size" of the
> source partition/disk ??? - we can set "clusters",
> "block-size", but there is no option to set the "sector size")

$ddrescue --help
...
-b, --block-size=<bytes>       sector size of input device [default 512]
...


> -- generate-logfile (this is currently ambiguous - is it
> generate-"logfilename" or "generate-logfile" command?)

$ddrescue --help
...
-g, --generate-logfile         generate approximate logfile from partial 
copy
...


> I also noticed that when Ctrl+C is used to interrupt an
> operation, the text is printed on screen directly over the
> user prompt, which may confuse the user - or worse - panic
> the user.

Any user panicking because ^C overwrites the user prompt should not be 
using ddrescue. ;-) But mine overwrites the beginning of the "copying 
non-tried blocks..." message, not the user prompt. What version of 
ddrescue are you using?


> if you press
> Ctrl+C, the program may delay a little time while it cleans
> up , before it confirms that you have pressed Ctrl+C.

Ddrescue does not delay a little "while it cleans up". It delays a 
little while the read call returns, which is controlled by the kernel or 
the drive itself.


> Possibly include information about or actually use system
> commands (such as "mount" to find the devices and their
> references, maybe also block size, etc.

Again, any user not able to find the manual for the 'mount' command 
should not be using ddrescue.


Regards,
Antonio.