That is why, if you cannot restore from a recent [[backup]], we recommend that you create a *partition image* of your Persistent Storage *before* attempting to repair the file system of your Persistent Storage from the Welcome Screen.

<h3 id="identify">Identifying your Persistent Storage in the <i>Disks</i> utility</h3>

In the right pane, this storage device should have 2 volumes, corresponding to 2 partitions on the USB stick.

<p>If unlocking fails at this step, your Persistent Storage is so damaged
that decryption is impossible, making all your data completely
unrecoverable.</p>

In the **Name** field, specify *persistent-storage.img*.

If bad areas were reported, try leaving your USB stick to rest for some minutes and executing the same `ddrescue` command again to copy more data.

[[Repairing the file system from the Welcome Screen|fsck#welcome]]

If the hardware of your USB stick is not failing, repairing the file system
from the Welcome Screen is likely the easiest technique.

If the hardware of your USB stick is failing, you might still be able to
repair the file system of your Persistent Storage after copying the
partition image to a new USB stick.

<h2 id="welcome">Repairing the file system from the Welcome Screen</h2>

If the hardware of your USB stick is not failing, repairing the file system from the Welcome Screen is likely the easiest technique.

In the Welcome Screen, try to unlock the Persistent Storage.

When the error message about file system errors appears, click on the **Repair File System** button.

After the repair finishes:

<p>We recommend that you keep the partition image for some time.</p>

If the hardware of your USB stick is failing, you might still be able to repair the file system of your Persistent Storage after copying the partition image to a new USB stick.