Opening a split storage in UFS Explorer from a set of "chunk" files
Splitting large storages or disk images into smaller individual segments is a common practice resorted to in various scenarios. One possible reason is file size limitations, when certain systems or utilities set restrictions on the maximum size of individual files. Another factor is storage capacity limitations, as the destination storage may not have enough free space to accommodate the full image. Software or format specifics plays a role as well, for example, when certain virtualization or forensic applications require smaller file sizes for compatibility.
Split disk images can pose a problem for data recovery tools, since most of them are designed to handle only complete disk images rather than segmented ones, requiring users to manually sort and combine the parts before processing. In contrast to standard software, UFS Explorer of the Professional and Technician editions can seamlessly work with split disk images by assembling their "chunks" into a virtual spanned storage.
For this, the software offers a dedicated option – "Set of chunks as a spanned storage" available under the "Open" section of the main menu.
The user is prompted to select all available segments of the split image. This can be done at once using keyboard shortcuts.
As an alternative, each segment can be loaded separately using the "Add files" button.
When all the segments are opened at once, UFS Explorer sorts them automatically according to the recognized naming convention. Separately added components can be arranged using the "Sort files" button based on one of the built-in presets:
"Alphabetical order" to organize file names alphabetically;
"ACE Lab LBA order" to extract the chunk LBAs from file names and place the chunks as per their LBAs (for disk images created by PC-3000 Data Extractor and other ACE Lab solutions;
"MRT Data Explorer order" to extract the chunk LBAs from file extensions and arrange the chunks according to the respective LBAs (for disk images created by MRT Data Explorer);
"Numeric extension" to extract the ordinal numbers of chunks from file extensions (for disk images created by software following a numeric extension format, like FTK Imager and others).
If necessary, the order of components can also be adjusted manually using the arrow-like buttons.
Once the user clicks "Build", the software consolidates those segments in a single spanned storage, accessible from the Storages navigation pane.
Last update: March 06, 2025