How to Recover Data From External Hard Disk?

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  • Published on
    January 7th, 2020
  • Updated on
    February 28, 2022
  • Read Time
    10 minutes

Summary:- We all know how useful external hard drives are. However, just like a normal computer hard disk, an external hard disk is also prone to several issues. What will you do if you have accidentally formatted external hard drive? Or, how will you recover lost files from corrupted external hard disk? Through this article, I would like to help you learn the most common hard drive issues. In addition, I will explain how to recover data from external hard disk.

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Use of External Hard Disk

An external hard drive is considered one of the most commonly used storage media devices. Whenever it comes to storing a large amount of data, an external hard drive comes out to be the best option. It provides an ample amount of storage space at a very reasonable price. You can easily store large files, such as databases, movies, games, etc. on an external hard disk. There are so many users who use external hard drives to store data backup. An external hard drive is also used as a medium to transfer data between computers.

If you store your data on an external hard drive, you can carry it anywhere you want. The convenience of using external hard drives is just so great. However, we should not forget how fragile they are. Yes, you heard it right. External hard drives are so fragile that any mishap can take place at any time. They may encounter serious issues just like a regular computer hard disk does. Data loss is one of the most common issues faced by many computer users these days. An external hard disk is also prone to data loss issues due to various reasons.

Loss of Data From External Hard Disk

You must know the importance of your data stored in the external hard drives, whether you are working as an individual or running a business. An unexpected loss of your important data can land you up in big trouble. Below are the three main reasons that can cause data loss:

Accidental Deletion: This is one of the most common reasons behind data loss. Sometimes what happens that you accidentally delete your important data from the external hard disk without realizing that you do not have the backup. If you permanently delete the files using the Shift+Del method, they get removed from the file directory and cannot be recovered from the Recycle Bin. Although the files are still present in the hard disk, you cannot recover them manually.

Disk Formatting: Disk formatting is a process in which you erase everything from the external hard disk in an automation mode. Once you format the external hard disk, there is nothing left in it. Sometimes it may happen that you have to format your hard disk unwillingly. Let us suppose your external hard disk gets corrupted due to any reason and, as a result, you cannot use it. In such a situation, the only way to reuse the external hard disk is by formatting it.

Corruption: If an external hard disk gets corrupted, all the stored data will become inaccessible. Corruption occurs due to various reasons, such as virus attacks, abrupt system shutdown due to sudden power outages, logical failures, bad sectors, etc. You cannot open a corrupted external hard disk. As a result, you will lose access to your data stored in the external hard disk.

It is very important to take proactive steps to prevent data loss that may occur in the external hard drive due to the above reasons.

How to Prevent Data Loss?

Always remember that an external hard drive is just a mechanical object that does not last forever. No matter what brand you are using and how well you are taking care of it, an external hard disk can fail and lead to data loss situations. If you do not know how to prevent data loss, here are a few useful tips:

  • To extend the life of your external hard disk, It is your responsibility to take good care of it. Always keep your external hard disk in a case to protect it from dust, moisture, condensation, high or low temperatures, etc.
  • Monitor the health of your external hard disk regularly. It is one of the smartest ways to diagnose the problem and prevent failures. There are many hard disk monitoring tools available that can help you monitor the health of your external hard disk and report issues. In this way, you can fix the problems before any mishap occurs.
  • It is strongly advised not to overload the external hard drive. If it is overloaded, its lifespan will be decreased. Also, you may put yourself at a high risk of data loss. So you should always keep your hard disk under capacity.
  • Never pull your external hard disk out of your computer just like that. Always use the “Remove Device” option to safely remove it.
  • Most of the users often do this mistake, accidentally delete important files from the external hard disk. So before you can delete any file, you need to check twice whether you are selecting the correct file or not.

Although the above tips are very helpful, data loss on the external hard disk is not impossible. So if you face data loss due to any reason, you need to perform external hard drive data recovery.

Solution to Recover Data From External Hard Drive

Not many people actually know how to recover data from an external hard disk. They just get panicked, not knowing what to do. Those who know how to perform external hard drive data recovery, have better chances to prevent data loss situations. The best way to recover data from an external hard disk is by using the backup. Generally, computer users use an external hard disk to store data backup. But there are some smart users who back up the files from the external hard disk to a cloud platform. So if you have taken the backup of your external hard disk, you can successfully restore your files from it. If there is no backup available, you have to use a professional solution to recover files from an external hard disk.

There are many vendors in the online marketplace that provide data recovery software to recover lost files from the accidentally formatted external hard drive. If you choose the wrong data recovery software, this could make the problem even worse and there could be less chance to recover any data. Therefore, you have to choose the right solution. Most of the vendors provide a free demo version of their data recovery software. You must evaluate the software before purchasing its licensed version. The demo version will help you check the preview of your data which you can actually recover from the corrupted external hard disk. If you are satisfied with the results, then only you should purchase the data recovery software. I would recommend you to use the SSD Data Recovery Tool from SysInfo Software.

Expert Choice: SysInfo Removable Data Recovery Tool

SysInfo Removable Media Data Recovery Tool is the smartest data recovery software you will get at a very affordable price. Using this software, you can successfully recover lost files from the corrupted external hard disk. It also supports data recovery from accidentally formatted external hard drives. It not only supports the external hard drive but also the USB pen drives, USB flash drives, solid-state drives (SSDs), SD cards, SD memory cards, memory sticks, compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.

Key Features of the SSD Data Recovery Tool

  • This data recovery software can restore all types of data from the removable media devices including external hard drives.
  • Using this tool, you can successfully recover lost files from accidentally formatted external hard drive.
  • It supports Windows files systems like FAT & NTFS, and partition tables like MBR & GPT.
  • There are three different modes to scan the corrupted external hard disk: Standard, Advanced, and Deep.
  • It creates a tree-structure view where you can check the preview of your recoverable files. You can also check the file properties before saving them.
  • The Auto-search feature will allow you to search the files in the tree-structure.
  • This software is highly compatible with all Windows-based operating systems including the latest Win 10.

The best part of this software is its interactive user interface. No prior technical expertise is required to use this software. Any technical or non-technical user can this software with ease. Also, do not forget to download the free demo version before purchasing the software. It will help you see the recoverable files in the preview session.

How to Recover Data From External Hard Disk?

You can easily recover data from an external hard disk using the Removable Media Data Recovery Tool. First, download the software from the below link and install it on your computer. 

Once you have successfully installed the software, connect the corrupted external hard disk to your computer and follow the steps shown below:

Step 1: First, launch the Removable Media Data Recovery Tool on your computer and select the volume of the external hard drive. Then click Next to continue the process.

Step 2: You can see the information of the selected volume, such as Volume Name, Volume File System, and Volume Size. Click Next to continue the process.

Step 3: In this step, you need to select the recovery mode. You can select either Standard, Advanced, or Deep mode of recovery as per the level of corruption. Note: If you select the advanced mode of recovery, you need to enter the maximum file systems to fine. By default, it is 3. Click Next to start the scanning process.

Step 4: Within a few seconds, the scanning process will be completed. Click OK.

Step 5: Now expand the scanned volume in the tree-structure and check the files and folders that you can actually recover. Select the file to check its properties. After that, select the files and folders you want to save, and click the Save button.

Step 6: On the Browse For Folder dialog box, define a location where you want to save the recovered data. Click OK to start the saving process.

Step 7: The saving process may take some time. Once it is completed, click OK and close the software application.

Now you can check the recovered files.

Note: In the case of physical failures like crash/damage, the data recovery software cannot detect the external hard drive.

Physical damage to an external hard drive can be fatal and, as a result, it can cause serious data loss. In such a situation, data recovery becomes very difficult. Any third-party data recovery software cannot recover anything from a damaged hard disk. You should consult a professional data recovery service provider for help. Some common hard drive errors solution one must know.

Conclusion

Although external hard drives are so convenient and reliable, they are not immune to data loss situations. This article has explained the most common reasons for data loss in external hard drives. In addition, it has shared some useful tips to prevent data loss situations. The best way to prevent data loss is by taking regular backups of your data. However, if you have no backup and you want to recover lost files from the corrupted external hard disk, you should use the data recovery software recommended in this article. I hope this article will help you recover data from external hard disk.

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