b. Transfer from Media

This section includes procedures for transferring content from a number of physical media types. If you don't see instructions for the media in your accession (common examples include Digital Audio Tapes [DATs] and tape drives), talk with the Archivist for Digital Curation. Typically, we'll record item-level extent statements (as in the Audiovisual Extent guidelines) to aid our ability to inventory these items at a later date (e.g., when we obtain a reader for that type of media or identify a vendor to transfer it). For important collections, however, we may explore alternative and more immediate means of transferring content from the media.

Note

Some Mac-formatted removable media are labeled as such. However, you may not become aware that your removable media is Mac-formatted until you are unable to complete one one of the steps below. If that happens, proceed to the Mac-formatted Removable Media section.

Virus Scanning 

The following removable media must be scanned for viruses before any transfer of contents is completed:

• 3 1/2 inch floppy disks

• Optical disks (CDs/DVDs)

• USB drives

• Hard drives (external and internal)

• SD Cards

Note: The contents of 5 1/4 inch floppy disks can be scanned after they have been transferred. Windows Defender will not recognize 5 1/4 inch floppy disks and thus a virus scan cannot be completed on the disk itself.

To perform an on-demand malware scan using Windows Defender, follow the steps below:

• Launch Settings from the Windows Start Menu

• In the Windows Settings screen select Privacy & Security and then select Windows Security

• In the Windows Security screen select Virus & threat protection

• In Virus & threat protection, click Scan options (this will be found under the Quick Scan button)

• Select Custom Scan and click Scan now

• A pop-up browser window will appear. Navigate to the removable media you wish to scan and click “select folder”.

• The browser window will close and the virus scan will immediately start. You can track the results at the top of the Scan options page. When complete the window will tell you when the last scan was completed, how many threats were found, how long the scan lasted, and how many files were scanned

NOTE: If scan reveals any threats, eject the disk and remove to the separations.  You may also delete the barcode folder and its contents. If this is a high-value collection or the disk appears to hold very significant content, remediation and content extraction may be attempted. Consult with the Archivist for Digital Curation to determine if such steps are needed.

3.5" Floppy Disks

• Connect the 3.5” floppy disk drive to a USB port. 

• Slide the write-protect tab on the top left side of the disk up so that both holes are open; insert disk into drive.

• Open AccessData FTK Imager and select “Add Evidence Item” from File menu or from toolbar.   In the screen that pops up, select “Logical Drive” as the Source Evidence Type; In the next screen select “A:\”.

• When evidence is added, the A:\ drive will be listed under the Evidence Tree section of the FTK Imager screen. Right click on the A:\ directory and select “Export Directory Listing.”

• Navigate to D:\Collections, select the appropriate collection and barcode within that collection. Then select the metadata folder and save the file as “[barcode]-manifest.csv” (i.e., as 31858002233603-manifest.csv).

• Content will be located in the [root] directory.

• [unallocated space] refers to sections on the storage media that are not currently allocated to files by the file system. It may contain the remnants of files as well as ‘slack space’ (essentially left over disk space when a file does not completely fill a disk sector). For more information see: http://www.computer-forensics.net/FAQs/what-is-unallocated-space.html. 

• Deleted content is indicated by an ‘X’ over the folder or file icon and an exclamation point at the beginning of the file name.

• To transfer files, right-click on the [root] directory and select “Export Files.” Choose the appropriate barcode folder for the destination. The file transfer will begin and a window will provide results when the operation is complete.

• • You may now click the 'Remove Evidence Item' button and proceed to review content.

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5.25" Floppy Disks

Transferring data from a 5.25" floppy disk requires the use of Device Side Data's FC5025 Floppy Controller and associated software.

• • Insert the floppy disk into the 5.25" disk drive in the RMW.

• • Because the drive will note appear in the Windows Explorer, click on the '5.25 Disk Image and Browse' icon.

• • Once the program opens, you must select the correct disk type from the drop down menu at the top of the window.  This may involve some trial and error; while many of the floppies reviewed by the Bentley thus far have been MS-DOS formatted, there are a good number of options.

• • Click the 'Browse Disk Contents' button to view any files.  If you have selected the appropriate disk type, you will see a file listing in the new window that opens.  If no files can be read, you may need to select a different disk type and try to browse again.  

• • If you have exhausted the selection of disk types and content is still unable to be read, the disk may use a unique formatting or have suffered some data loss or degradation.  Eject the disk, move it to the separations, and delete the barcode folder.  

    • NOTE: If you are working on an extremely high-value collection, notify the Archivist for Digital Curation, as additional efforts may be warranted.

  • Once you have determine that there is in fact content on the disk, click the "Capture Disk Image File' button.  Enter the path to the appropriate barcode folder for the image output directory and use the barcode for the image filename.  The FC5025 software will then read through the individual tracks on the disk and produce an exact copy of the data therein.  If this operation fails, try again; if no disk image is able to be created, eject the disk, move it to the separations, and delete the barcode folder.  

    • NOTE: If you are working on an extremely high-value collection, notify the Archivist for Digital Curation, as additional efforts may be warranted.

• • Your next step will be to extract files from the disk image.  Open AccessData FTK Imager and select “Add Evidence Item” from File menu or from toolbar.   In the screen that pops up, select "Image File" and then browse to the file you just created.

• • Once the file is loaded in FTK Imager, navigate to the root directory, which will contain the folders and files that were on the original floppy disk.  Export the files to the appropriate barcode folder.  

• • You may now click the 'Remove Evidence Item' button, delete the disk image file (right-click and select 'Shred with Identity Finder Endpoint'), and proceed to review content.

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Data CDs and DVDs

Note: When a collection contains large amounts of CDs and/or DVDs, using the Nimbie may be more efficient than individually transferring content from discs using the removable media workstation.

• Open the DVD-RW Drive to view files on disc; select all content, right click, and select the “Copy” option. Open the appropriate barcode folder, right-click inside, and select the “Paste” option; TeraCopy will conduct the file transfer and verify that each file has been successfully copied.  

NOTE: If TeraCopy identifies any errors with the copy operation it may be necessary to employ alternate methods to transfer the files.  Contact the Archivist for Digital Curation if it appears that important materials have not been successfully transferred.

• • You may now eject the optical disk and proceed to review the content.

Alternative Method of file transfer

• Open AccessData FTK Imager and select “Add Evidence Item” from File menu or from toolbar.   In the screen that pops up, select “Logical Drive” as the Source Evidence Type and from the dropdown menu select CD/DVD drive (usually “D:\”) from the list.

• When evidence is added, the D:\ drive will be listed under the Evidence Tree section of the FTK Imager screen. 

• From the Evidence Tree, navigate to the lowest directory level that contains the folders and files that are on the data CD/DVD. Select the "Export Files" function to export the directory and it's contents to the appropriate barcode folder. 

• You may now click the 'Remove Evidence Item' button and proceed to review content.

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Audio-Formatted CDs

For the purposes of this manual, ‘audio-formatted CDs’ refer to optical media created to be used with a CD player. Archivists will need to create one uncompressed .WAV file for each track and one compressed .WAV file for the CD using a utility called Exact Audio Copy (EAC).

Appraisal Note

Due to the time required to rip audio-formatted CDs to uncompressed .WAV files, preview the content with VLC Media Player (if necessary) to verify that it fits within the Bentley's collecting scope and should be migrated off the original media. Be sure to include the estimated extent (in KB, MB or GB) of the content on the removable media you separate without transferring on the Separation Record.

Note

When a collection contains large amounts of CDs and/or DVDs, using the RipStation may be more efficient than individually transferring content from discs using the removable media workstation.

Often, such media will only include .CDA files:

Create One Uncompressed .WAV File for Each Track with EAC

• Open Exact Audio Copy (EAC); see below for configuration instructions. 

• If this is a commercially-produced disk, you may reconnect to the network so that track listing and other metadata may be retrieved via online services.  Go to Database > Get CD Information From > Remote Metadata Provider. EAC will attempt to download information and if there are multiple results, you will be prompted to double-click on the correct one to save.

• If no information on audio CD was provided by EAC, assign a title, artist (i.e., the collection creator, unless there is a clearly identified individual or group who is responsible for the recording and/or holds copyright) and year .  If applicable, you may also add a genre as well as performer (especially if others have contributed to the recording) and composer.  If known, you may also add titles to the individual tracks.

• After making sure that the check boxes next to all tracks are filled, select Action > Copy Selected Tracks > Uncompressed.

• When prompted, browse to the folder where you will save the files; use the appropriate barcode-titled folder.

• EAC will begin copying the audio tracks, displaying progress and any errors in a window; upon completion, you will be presented with a status report and notified of any errors. Click "OK" to proceed.

• Go to Action > Create CUE Sheet > Multiple WAV Files (with corrected gaps)…; save the resulting file (which will automatically be named with the CD title) alongside the WAV files and log.   This CUE sheet (plain text) will contain all the metadata you entered as well as information on track listing and timing.

Create One Compressed .WAV File for CD with EAC

Generate an access version of the audio CD for the Bentley Digital Media Library:

• • Ensure that all tracks are checked, and go to Action --> Copy Range --> Compressed.

  • On the "Copy Range" dialog, ensure that the start position is the beginning of the first track and the end position is the end of the last track. Click OK.

  • Name the file according to the barcode, and save it to the appropriate folder.

• You may now proceed to review content.

EAC Configuration

• Go to EAC > EAC Options > Character Replacements and make sure that quotations marks (“), carets (^) and percent symbols (%) are replaced with nothing:

• Go to EAC > EAC Options > Write and disable the option to use all uppercase characters on writing: 

• Go to EAC > EAC Options > Tools and enable options to write a status report after extraction and to append a checksum to this report.

• Go to EAC > Compression Options > Waveform and select “Microsoft PCM Converter” for Wave Format and “44.100 kHZ, 16 Bit, Stereo” for Sample Format:

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Video-Formatted DVDs

For the purposes of this manual, ‘video-formatted DVDs’ refer to optical media created to be viewed with a DVD player and which contain a menu used to access one or more video objects, special features, and so forth. Archivists will need to create an .ISO disk image with FTK Imager and .MP4 file(s) (access derivatives) with Handbrake.

Note

When a collection contains large amounts of CDs and/or DVDs, using the RipStation may be more efficient than individually transferring content from discs using the removable media workstation.

Appraisal Note

Due to the time required to create an .ISO disk image and rip an .MP4 file, you may first review the content with VLC Media Player (if necessary) to verify that it falls within the Bentley's collecting scope and should be migrated off the original media. Be sure to include the estimated extent (in KB, MB or GB) of the content on the removable media you separate without transferring on the Separation Record.

Note

When a collection contains large amounts of CDs and/or DVDs, using the RipStation may be more efficient than individually transferring content from discs using the removable media workstation.

One way to recognize such media is by its AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders:

To ensure that we preserve the original viewing experience and any associated information as well as provide users with an accessible version of video content, we will create an .ISO disk image with FTK Imager and an .MP4 file with Handbrake. 

Creating an .ISO Disk Image with FTK Imager

• Open AccessData FTK Imager and select File > Create Disk Image or click the “Create Disk Image” icon on the navigation menu.

• Select “Logical Drive” as the Source Evidence Type for disk image creation and in the next screen select the CD/DVD drive (usually “D:\”) from the list.

• Check the options to “Verify Images after they are created” and to “Create directory listings of all files.” Then click the “add” button and select the appropriate barcode folder as the image destination. Use the barcode as the image file name.

• FTK Imager will track the progress of the image creation and inform you of the operation results. If image creation fails due to file system or formatting errors, it may not be possible to create an image.

NOTE: FTK Imager may produce multiple segmented .ISO files (.01, .02, .03, etc.), as it imposes a 1 GB size limit per .ISO image.  All of these files (and associated .CUE file) must be kept together, as they are all required to produce the exact copy of the optical disk.

Creating an .MP4 File with Handbrake

• Open Handbrake; check to make sure the following are selected: (1) the “HQ 1080p30 Surround” preset, (2) “Mp4” as container.

• Go to Tools > Preferences and select the “Output Files” menu. Enable “Automatically name output files” and browse to the appropriate barcode folder for the default path. Under “File Format” enter {source}-{title}. Under "Filename collision behaviour:" select "Append Number". Make sure the “Always use MP4” option in "MP4 File Extension" is selected. 

Note

If you're working with a non-commercial DVD and, as a result, "Automatically name output files" results in a non-unique default name to your MP4 file, change the name to the item's barcode, e.g., "Format: 39015094760579" (without the {source} or {title}).

If you're working with a non-commercial DVD (as above) and it has multiple tracks, change the name to the item's barcode followed by the title, e.g., "Format: 39015094760579-{title}" (without the {source}).

• Add the DVD; under “Open Source,” select the D: drive; the “Titles” menu will show if there are more than one videos on the disk.

• Click “Add to Queue” or (if there are multiple titles on the disk) click the arrow to open an option to “Add all.” 

• Click “Start”; Handbrake will go through the queue and provide progress information near the bottom of the window. It may take a relatively long period of time for the conversion process to complete. It may be necessary to adjust the power settings on your work station so that it will not sleep.

After completing the above steps, you may conduct a more thorough review to record any information about the contents.

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USB Drives

• Turn on the Tableau UltraBay 4 on, insert the USB drive into the forensic USB Bridge. 

• Open the drive; transfer files using TeraCopy (the default copy handler on the RMW): highlight and copy content and then paste into the appropriate barcode folder.  (Alternatively, drag and drop.) 

• To remove flash drive, click on the “Safely remove hardware and eject media” icon at the bottom right of the Windows toolbar and select “Eject T8R2”.  You are now ready to review the content.

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An SD HC card inserted into the SD card reader. Note that the card does not go all the way into the reader.

Secure Digital (SD) Cards

• Attach the Forensic USB Bridge to the RMW and, once it is on, attach the SD card reader.

• The SD card reader supports a number of different SD card formats, including CF MicrosDrives, RS MMCs, SDs, mini SDs, MMCs, Olympus DC Cards, M2s, MSs, MS Pros, MS Duos, MS ProDuos. Use the underside of the reader as a guide to inserting the SD card into the appropriate slot. Please note that mini SD and Micro SD slots are on the side, rather than the front, of the reader.

You may now proceed to copy folders/files to the appropriate barcode directory with Teracopy (as with data CDs and DVDs). Review content when copy operation is complete.

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Zip Disks

• Attach Tableau T8-R2 Forensic USB Bridge to RMW and once the T8-R2 is on, attach the Zip disk drive via USB cable.

You may now proceed to copy folders/files to the appropriate barcode directory with Teracopy.  Review content when copy operation is complete.

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HFS or HFS Plus (Mac-Formatted) File Systems

• Follow the appropriate instructions for mounting media (see above). Proceed to the mac-formatted removable media instructions below. 

Note: In some cases the media may not appear in the steps below. If the media remains missing, please us the Mac workstation to transfer the files.

• • Open AccessData FTK Imager and select “Add Evidence Item” from File menu or from toolbar.   In the screen that pops up, select “Physical Drive” as the Source Evidence Type; In the next screen select the appropriate drive.

    • When evidence is added, the drive will be listed under the Evidence Tree section of the FTK Imager screen. Right click on the directory and select “Export Directory Listing.”

    • Navigate to D:\Collections, select the appropriate collection and barcode within that collection. Then select the metadata folder and save the file as “[barcode].manifest.csv” (i.e., as 31858002233603-manifest.csv).

• [unallocated space] refers to sections on the storage media that are not currently allocated to files by the file system. It may contain the remnants of files as well as ‘slack space’ (essentially left over disk space when a file does not completely fill a disk sector). For more information see: http://www.computer-forensics.net/FAQs/what-is-unallocated-space.html. 

• Deleted content is indicated by an ‘X’ over the folder or file icon and an exclamation point at the beginning of the file name.

• To transfer files, right-click on the [root] directory and select “Export Files.” Choose the appropriate barcode folder for the destination. The file transfer will begin and a window will provide results when the operation is complete.

• You may now click the 'Remove Evidence Item' button.

• Proceed to review content

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