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How to Recover Formatted Files from External Hard Drive Without Any Risk

Aisha ~ Published: February 3, 2021 ~ 6 Minutes Reading

Even if you have accidentally formatted your external hard drive, you still have the option to recover formatted files from external hard drive. Windows Explorer & Windows Disk Management are two inbuilt utilities that can easily help users to recover data. Nevertheless, the safest and most efficient method to use is Hard Drive Data Recovery software to get back the data without any loss. This write-up contains the methods on how to recover formatted files from an external hard drive in detail.

What are the Various Hard Drive Formatted Issues?

The reason for data loss in hard drives is mostly physical, but sometimes they are also due to human errors. Considering an example, if we are formatting a hard drive without taking a backup this can result in the loss of precious data which is collected over years. Following are some of the common reasons for how a hard drive fails:

  • Firmware Faults: It happens frequently that the hard disk does not get detected by the system. The system may get stuck in the middle of the booting process, thus making it impossible for users to access the files & folders.
  • Crashing of Hard Disk: If there is improper ventilation in the CPU fan then there are chances of the hard drive getting crashed. In this case, a user can hear clicking noises coming from the devices causing deletion of files leading the users to look for a solution to recover formatted files from external hard drive.
  • Unsteady Power Supply: the usage of unreliable power sources or too high/low voltages to power the UPS can ultimately cause the hard drive to fail.
  • Internal Failure: the mechanical failures can also cause the files or folders on the hard drive to get inaccessible. Or a user can face a black screen after the booting screen.
  • Inaccessible or the Corrupted Files: sudden shut down of the system due to power rush can cause some files to become corrupted & thus makes the hard drive to get failed. Usage of a malicious program can also spread the virus into the system which can also make the files & folders inaccessible.
  • Human Fallacy: As a human, we are prone to making errors. The accidental formatting without taking any backup also leads to data damage. The wrong installation of an Operating System can also make the hard drive fail, thereby needing a format.

When the hard drive accidentally gets formatted, it is best to stop using the computer after closing all the unnecessary applications. It is then required to recover files from a formatted external hard drive as all the deleted data is still stored on the hard disk as long as it is not overwritten by any fresh data.

How to Recover Formatted Files from External Hard Drive Using CMD

Mostly there are chances that when you delete, hide or format a hard drive data, CMD (Command Prompt) command line will let you find lost data.

Be careful while using CMD command line to recover files from formatted external hard drive. Follow the steps:

  • Right-click on the Windows icon & then select the Search option

Select Search Option

  • Now, Type: command prompt & then right-click on Command Prompt, Now select Run as administrator. Click as Yes to run Command Prompt as Administrator.

Run as Administrator

  • Now, type chkdsk F: /f in command prompt and then click Enter. (Replace F: with the drive letter of the corresponding device where you lost files or data).

  • Type Y and click Enter

Enter the command

  • Type F and hit Enter. After that type F:\>attrib -h -r -s /s /d *.* and then hit enter.

Command prompt

After performing the above steps you can find and recover formatted files from external hard drive and save them. You can change the file extension to the normal format & then can make those files reusable.

Note: The CMD cannot 100% find the lost data. If in case CMD fails to find the lost files, then skip to the next best solution.

File Recovery from Formatted External Hard Drive Using Reliable Utility

This software is a life-saving recovery tool that can help users to recover files from formatted external hard drive in quick and easy steps. The software is compatible with all the Windows versions including 10, 8, 7 Vista, XP. The best thing about this utility is that it is user-friendly and is very convenient to use by anybody who is a technical user. The tool is highly recommended if users are suffering from a data loss disaster & helps the user to rescue their data.

Supported Hard Drive Brands

Following are the brands of hard drive that are supported by the software. The following list includes the brand name of the hard disk along with that its size is enlisted.

  1. Seagate Backup Plus Slim: Size; 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB, 5 TB
  2. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC: Size; 1 TB
  3. WD MyPassport: Size; 4 TB
  4. Adata SD700 External SSD 512GB: Size; 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB
  5. Samsung T3: Size; 500 GB or 1 TB
  6. Toshiba Canvio: Size; 2 TB

There are many more brands that the software supports. The Hard Drive Recovery software recovers the data of any size of hard disk without any data loss.

How to Recover Formatted Files from External Hard Drive – Stepwise Guide

    • Launch and Run the Software.

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  • Now, scan the selected and corrupted disk drive.

scan the files

  • Preview the selected files & folder data within the software.

Preview the files

  • The user can now extract the complete folder or the selected files.

Conclusion

In this blog, we have discussed both manuals as well as the automated solutions to recover formatted files from external hard drive. Also, we have mentioned various hard drive formatting issues in an absolute way. Follow the write up to easily get your files back from the external hard drive that has been formatted without any data loss.