Recover Windows Formatted Disk
How to recover files after formatting a disk
Recover formatted Windows disk. This is a situation that we all hope we will never have to face. You will find that an important hard drive has been formatted and no data is available now. The disk may have been accidentally formatted, or it may have been done suddenly, before you realized that you need the files that are on the disk. In some cases, you may have formatted to change the file system, ran into problems, and now you need to recover files from a formatted hard drive.
Regardless of how you came to this point, the fact is that now to restore access to data, you need to recover data from the hard drive after formatting. Don't panic, there are several options available to you that can restore your system to full working order.
What does formatting do to your files?
When you format a hard drive, the operating system loses its ability to refer to data on the drive. Until the individual sectors of the disk are overwritten, there is a chance to recover the formatted hard disk.
The files and data are still there, but your operating system simply cannot access them. The only thing that does the formatting is to remove the existing pointers that tell your operating system where the files are physically located. If you can restore these pointers, you will be able to access your data again.
If you find that you have accidentally formatted a disk you want to recover, you should stop using that disk immediately to avoid overwriting the sectors that may contain the data you are trying to recover. Your best chance to recover all your files is to start the recovery process as soon as possible.
Why is formatting necessary?
A full format should be done if you want to destroy sensitive data or if you encounter any errors after a quick wipe. Since formatting involves deleting all files, you cannot format the partition and drive in which the operating system is installed: it will not be able to delete itself. And after that you need a high-quality formatted hard drive recovery.
It's easy to think of formatting as a destructive operation that does more harm than good, but it really isn't. Formatting is necessary in order for hard drives to be usable. An unformatted hard drive cannot be used to store files because modern operating systems follow certain file storage conventions and can only interact with storage devices that have an appropriate file system.
Recovering data on a formatted disk
Restore backups
Backups can be restored to a formatted disk with complete success if the backup was completed without errors. In fact, this is the preferred method for recovering large installations during disaster recovery tests. Formatted blank disks are used as the basis for large-scale recovery operations.
Disaster recovery tools continually reuse the same hardware, including disk drives. After a single client restore completes, all disks are formatted and overwritten. The next customer arrives with their backup media and can restore all of their files and data, allowing their system to start working. This procedure can work on your individual system as well.
If you are restoring part or all of your hard drive from previously created backups, follow these steps using a backup software package.
To recover data from a formatted hard drive using backups: Identify the file systems, files, or the entire hard drive that you want to recover. Find the correct backup image to use for recovery. In many cases this will be the most recent backup available, but in some cases you may want to revert to older versions of your files.
Start the restore by running the restore procedure from your backup / restore tool and asking it to get a list of the files that you have identified.
When the process is complete, check your files to make sure everything is in order. In the case of a damaged file, you may need to run another restore of that file using a different or older set of backup media. Restore with a Time Machine backup.
Recovering a formatted disk without backups
Backups are great and can be useful when recovering files from a formatted hard drive, but good backups are not always available. In some cases, the user may never back up their computer at all. What if you need to recover data from your hard drive after formatting your device? Are your files lost forever?
There is a way to perform a formatted hard drive recovery without using backups.
You will need to use a software tool to help you recover your data.
If you choose the right software tool and start the recovery process quickly enough (before the new data is saved to the formatted hard drive), you will be able to recover all formatted partitions and your files with them. Moreover, restoring entire partitions is usually faster than restoring individual files. Why? Because the data recovery tool doesn't need to analyze the entire hard drive. Instead, he only needs to find the beginning and end of the partition, knowing that all the data is still physically located somewhere in that space.
There are a number of data recovery software tools available for recovery on both Mac and Windows platforms.
4DDiG - Windows Data Recovery
4DDiG - Windows Data Recovery is a great option when you are looking for an answer on how to recover a formatted hard drive.
A free download is available, so you can try this tool and see what it can do for you. Let's see how you could use 4DDiG - Windows Data Recovery to restore access to your disk and files.
The program carries out the restoration:
- deleted files (it happens that users, without thinking, quickly send dozens of files to the trash can and immediately clean it, the files are deleted forever, but there is a way out - download 4DDiG and take the chance to see your files again);
- formatted disk, SD card and USB stick;
- a lost partition (if the system generates an error when asked to open a file, the software will help you fix the problem and restore the lost data);
- external device (such drives are very convenient, notes and easily damaged, so take note, 4DDiG will cope with the task of file recovery as quickly as possible).
- after a computer failure (there is often an unpleasant situation, for example, when a student was preparing a presentation, an essay, or even a term paper on the last night and suddenly there was a failure - do not shed tears 4DDiG will help out at once);
- raw files (basically, it is impossible to get access to RAW files without data recovery software. In order not to suffer for a long time, choose 4DDiG - Windows Data Recovery.
The 4DDiG system of work is very simple - just three steps and you will get the long-awaited result:
- First, select the location of the files you are looking for.
- Then scan and review the lost files (you can spend a few minutes on this).
- When the program displays a list of all found files, you can select the ones you need for preview and recovery.
