Summary:
Losing files from an external hard drive can be expensive leading to loss of important files. If you are looking to recover data from an external hard drive, this article is right for you. Looking for a quick way out? Try SFWare Data Recovery Software to safely recover data from external hard drives.
Table of contents
Reasons behind data loss from external HDD
Scenarios where external hard drive recovery is important
Is it possible to recover data from external hard drive?
How to recover data from an external hard drive?
How to recover deleted, Lost files from External HDD
How to recover data from unrecognized External hard drive? (undetected)
How to recover files from External corrupt or damaged HDD?
Frequently Asked Question
Reasons behind data loss from external HDD
A few common reasons that cause data loss from external hard drive are:
One of the most common reasons is accidental deletion of files from the external HDD. If files are accidentally deleted, you can always find them in Windows Recycle Bin or Trash in Mac computers.
Reformatting the drive to another file system erases all the data from the external drive. If you are trying to reformat the drive, make sure you have the backup of data and proceed with formatting or reformatting the drive.
Bad sectors on the hard drive makes drive’s sector unreadable therefore the files become inaccessible.
Virus/ malware attack on the drive, corrupted the drive and infects the file existing on the drive. Therefore, make sure to use antivirus software before using the device.
Abrupt handling of device (external hard drive), power failure, sudden power surge can damage the external hard drive and cause data loss.
Indications of external hard drive failure
When the drive starts showing certain indications, external hard drive recovery becomes important. Here are some of the scenarios listed below:
External Drive not detected: External hard drive won’t be recognised by your PC. In such situations, you won’t be able to know if the drive is in working condition or not. You can try some of the fixes to repair the external hard drive.
Drive Corruption: Data becomes inaccessible when the drive gets corrupt. In such a situation, all you need to do is recover your data from a corrupt external drive and repair the drive.
External drive detected but no files on it: This could be a result of severe corruption. If you come across such situation, it is recommended to recover data from external hard drive and fix the issue.
Is it possible to recover data from external hard drive?
Yes, it is possible to recover data from external hard drive. However, it is important to not use your hard drive until external hard drive recovery is performed. When data is lost or deleted from the hard drive, only the address that holds the information about file is deleted and the actual file still exists on the drive. If new data is written to the drive, the chance of over writing increases and external hard drive recovery becomes tough and tedious.
With the help of the safe and secure data recovery tool, you can recover deleted or lost files from external drive. SFWare Data recovery software is one of the most recommended software to recover data from external drive. Be it formatted or corrupt drive, the software scans the drive’s sector to recover all the files.
How to recover data from External hard drive?
If your data is deleted or lost from the external hard drive, here are some of the free methods that can help you recover deleted or lost files from external hard drive.
Recover files from external hard drive using CHKDSK
Recover files from external drive using file history
Recover Files from External hard drive using CHKDSK
To recover files using CHKDSK, connect your external hard drive to your computer.
Type command prompt in the search box >> Run as administrator click OK.
Type the following command in the CMD window and hit enter:
ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D F:*.*
Or First input drive letter F:
ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D :*.*
Replace E with your external hard disk drive letter
-h removes the hidden attribute. Therefore, the items will show up in Explorer.
-r removes the read-only attribute.
-s removes the system attribute. This also allows items to show up in Explorer
/s makes the command look in all subfolders recursively to recover files
Recover files from external hard drive using Previous Version
Previous Version or File History is a Windows inbuilt feature to recover files deleted or lost from the drive. Previous Version allows you to find the files that were existing when File History is enabled.
Note: To recover files from Previous Version you need to enable the File History (Restore Point). If file history is not enabled, you will not be able to recover files using Backup and Restore in previous versions of Windows.
Steps to restore a Previous Version using Windows file history:
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- Go to the folder where your files were stored before deletion.
- Right-click inside the folder and select Properties.
- Open the Previous Versions tab.
- Select which recent dated previous version you want to recover.
As mentioned above, the previous version was not enabled. This method will no help you recover files from external drives. In such a situation, all you need is a professional data recovery software to recover deleted files from the external hard drive.
Recover data from External Hard Drive using SFWare
Download and install the SFWare Hard drive recovery tool on your computer and connect your external drive to your PC.
Step 1: From the main screen, select Recover Files. Next, based on the scenario, choose Deleted file recovery or Lost file recovery
Step 2: Click on the drive from which you need to recover deleted or lost files. Now, scanning process begins. After the completion of scanning, all the recoverable files are listed.
Step 3: Preview the selected files for recovery. If you are satisfied with the results Save them on your computer.
What to do when your drive is corrupted or formatted? When the drive becomes unreadable data will no longer be accessed. To access data from an external drive, you need to repair a corrupt drive and recover data from it.
The best way to fix a corrupt external drive is to format the drive. Do not worry! with the help of SFWare Data recovery software, you can recover files formatted from the external drive as well.
How to recover files from corrupt External HDDs?
To recover data from external drives, download and install the application on your Windows or Mac systems. Connect the external hard drive to your computer and launch SFWare External Hard Drive Recovery tool.
Step 1: Click on the Recover Drive/Partition from the main screen -> Drive/ Partition Recovery or formatted Recovery based the scenario of data loss.
Step 2: Check the disk with suitable file system and select the file types you want to recover form corrupted external hard drive. The software scans for the files to recover.
Step 3: Once the scanning completes, recovered files are listed. Select the files and click on next.
Once the files are recovered, save the them in the desired location.
Now, what if your external drive is not detected or recognized by the computer. There will be scenarios while your external drive is detected for not being accessible or blinking but not detected. In such a situation, you need to fix the external drive and recover data.
How to recover data from unrecognized External hard drive?
External drives won’t be detected by the computer when the hard drive is not compatible with your motherboard. In such situations, the external hard drive is not being detected or recognized by the computer.
You can click on he below link to try some of the fixes to repair the external hard drive not detected problem-
External drive not recognized on Mac
External drive not recognized on Windows
External drive blinking but not detected
Conclusion
This article will surely help you recover data from external hard drives. However, data loss from external drive is inevitable. To avoid any data loss situations further, make sure you always keep a backup of your external hard drive data. If you have not taken any backup, do not worry! you can always rely on SFWare data recovery software to recover data from external hard drive.
Frequently Asked Question
Can an external hard drive be recovered?
Yes, you can recover the external hard drive using the Previous Version. If you have not enabled the Backup restore point, this method won’t help you. In such a situation, you can recover using a professional hard drive recovery tool.
What do I do if my external hard drive is not showing up?
When External hard drive is not showing up on your PC, try to connect your external drive to another PC and verify if the drive is working or not. Check the external hard drive in Disk Management. If the drive is unavailable in Disk Management, it is recommended to recover the external drive and repair it.
How do I recover files from my external hard drive that won’t read?
Download and install SFWare Data recovery software. Connect your external hard drive and launch the software.
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- Click on Recover Drives from the main screen and follow the instructions.
- Select the external drive you want to recover.
- Once the scan is completed, all the recoverable files will be listed.
- Select the files and save them on different location on the drive