Stellar Repair for MySQL: A Real-World Review from a DBA’s Perspective

As someone who has worked with MySQL databases for years, I know that corruption is one of the biggest headaches a DBA can face. Whether it’s a crashed MyISAM table, a corrupt InnoDB tablespace, or an unexpected MySQL shutdown, database failures can cause massive disruptions. I recently had to deal with a severely corrupted MySQL database, and after exhausting built-in MySQL recovery tools, I decided to test Stellar Repair for MySQL.

Here’s my firsthand experience using it to repair InnoDB (.frm, .ibdata, .idb) and MyISAM (.frm, .myd, .myi) files and whether it’s actually worth it.

The Problem: A Corrupt MySQL Database That Wouldn’t Start

The issue started when my 60 GB MySQL 8.0.30 database failed to load after a system crash. Upon investigation, I found:

• Several InnoDB tables wouldn’t open due to tablespace corruption.
• Multiple MyISAM tables were marked as crashed.
• Foreign keys and indexes were broken, making queries fail.
• Standard MySQL repair tools like CHECK TABLE and REPAIR TABLE did nothing.

At this point, I had two options:

1. Restore from backups (which meant losing recent data).
2. Try Stellar Repair for MySQL to recover everything.

I chose the latter.

Installation & First Impressions

Installation was quick and easy on Windows Server 2019. I appreciated the clean UI, which was much simpler than running command-line recovery tools. The software allowed me to browse for my corrupted MySQL files without needing to manually specify paths.

System Specs for Testing

• Database Engine Tested: InnoDB (.frm, .ibdata, .idb) and MyISAM (.frm, .myd, .myi)
• Database Size: 60 GB
• OS: Windows Server 2019 Datacenter Edition
• Hardware:
  • Processor: Intel Xeon Gold 5218 (16 Cores)
  • RAM: 32 GB DDR4
  • Storage: 1 TB NVMe SSD

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Step 1: Verifying Corruption Before Using Stellar

Before using the tool, I checked for corruption using standard MySQL commands:

Checking MyISAM Tables

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CHECK TABLE table_name;

Tables were marked as crashed, and indexes were unreadable.

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CHECK TABLE table_name EXTENDED;

Further confirmed index corruption.

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REPAIR TABLE table_name;

Failed for all major MyISAM tables.

For additional troubleshooting, I tried using myisamchk:

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myisamchk -r /var/lib/mysql/database_name/table_name.MYI

This recovered some tables but failed for the most severely damaged ones.

Checking InnoDB Tables

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SHOW ENGINE INNODB STATUS;

Detected tablespace corruption, and some tables wouldn’t even load.

I also attempted forced recovery by modifying the MySQL configuration:

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[mysqld]

innodb_force_recovery=6

After restarting MySQL, it still wouldn’t start, confirming severe corruption.

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Step 2: Repairing the Database with Stellar Repair for MySQL

At this point, I launched Stellar Repair for MySQL to see if it could recover what MySQL’s built-in tools couldn’t.

Repairing InnoDB Tables (.frm, .ibdata, .idb)

• Error Encountered: “Table cannot be opened because the tablespace does not exist”
• Repair Process:
  • Loaded the corrupt database files into Stellar.
  • Selected Advanced Scan (which takes longer but repairs deeper corruption).
  • Previewed the recoverable tables before saving.

Final Result:

• Tablespace corruption fixed.
• Foreign keys and indexes restored.
• No data loss.

Repairing MyISAM Tables (.frm, .myd, .myi)

• Error Encountered: “Table marked as crashed”
• Repair Process:
  • Loaded the database into Stellar.
  • Ran a Standard Scan (which was faster for MyISAM).
  • Checked the preview to confirm recovery.

Final Result:

• Tables restored without running myisamchk.
• Indexes rebuilt.
• Crashed tables fully accessible.

Step 3: Saving & Verifying the Repaired Database

Once the tool finished repairing the database, I had multiple options to save the fixed data:

• Save directly to MySQL – Restored everything to a new MySQL instance.
• Save as SQL Script – Allowed me to review data before reimporting.
• Export to CSV, HTML, XLS – Useful for offline analysis.

Final Integrity Check:
After restoration, I ran:

sql

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CHECK TABLE table_name;

SHOW ENGINE INNODB STATUS;

All errors were gone.

Key Features That Stood Out

• Worked for both MyISAM & InnoDB – Many repair tools only work for one or the other.
• Retained foreign keys & relationships – Manual recovery often breaks them.
• Batch Repair – Repaired multiple tables at once instead of one-by-one.
• Preview Before Saving – No guessing whether the repair worked.
• Cross-Platform Support – Works on both Windows & Linux-based MySQL databases.

See how the product Works

Performance & Time Taken

• MyISAM Repair (Standard Scan): 45 minutes
• InnoDB Repair (Advanced Scan): 1 hour 10 minutes
• Total Time: Just under 2 hours for a 60 GB database

Faster than manually dumping and rebuilding MySQL databases.

Pros & What I Liked

• Actually worked when MySQL’s built-in tools failed.
• Recovered InnoDB tablespaces without data loss.
• Rebuilt MyISAM indexes without using myisamchk.
• Easy to use, even for non-experts.

Cons & What Could Be Improved

• Resource usage: Large database repairs (100GB+) require at least 32GB RAM.
• More logging details: A breakdown of each step would help for debugging.

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Final Verdict: Is It Worth It?

If you’re dealing with a severely corrupted MySQL database, Stellar Repair for MySQL is an excellent tool.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely. This software saved my database when built-in MySQL recovery tools failed. If you need fast, reliable, and hassle-free MySQL repair, this is one of the best options out there.