SQL Server Database Suspect or Page Errors: Recovery Order
A suspect database is a data problem, not an instance problem. The first action should be a byte-level copy, not a repair command.
Image before touching
Copy the MDF, NDF and LDF files (or the whole volume) before any attach attempt. REPAIR_ALLOW_DATA_LOSS writes pages, and a rebuild can discard exactly what you needed.
Page-level salvage
Pages carry headers and checksums. After imaging, pages can be read individually, and records rebuilt even when allocation structures are broken. Deleted rows may still exist in pages not yet reused.
Logs decide the ceiling
If the transaction log is intact, recent transactions can be replayed. If the log was truncated or the database was rebuilt, recovery stops at the last consistent state.
FAQ
Is 'EMERGENCY' mode safe?
Read-only, so it is safer than repair mode — but it still touches the files. Image first.
Can deleted rows be recovered?
Sometimes, from page residue; depends on how much the pages were reused.
What if the backup is also corrupt?
That is when page-level work matters most; run verification on the copy, never the original.
Boundary: recovery stops at the last complete, verifiable state; overwritten pages and truncated logs cannot be recreated.
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