How to Retrieve Data from Formatted Hard Drive
Formatting your hard drive could delete vital files, so act immediately. Use the drive more and the files you want to recover may be wiped, making recovery tougher. Below is a detailed post to help you retrieve data from formatted hard drive.
Can you retrieve data from formatted hard drive?
Data can be recovered from formatted hard disks. However, circumstances may affect healing. Our instructions will make retrieving data from formatted hard drive straightforward.
What type of drive do you use?
There are two main types of drives – hard disk drivers (HDDs) and solid state drives. (SSDs). Understanding the differences between these drives is crucial for effective data recovery.
HDDs record physical data like gramophones. (although the analogy is a bit outdated). Even after formatting it is possible to recover data from hard drive since they keep physical traces of your data.
On the other hand, SSDs use flash memory and rely on TRIM commands to optimize their performance. TRIM removes data locks every time you delete something. Makes data recovery from formatted SSDs a challenge. It is important to back up your data when using SSDs consistently.
How do you format drives?
The format you use is important in checking whether data recovery is possible.
Quick format simply deletes files and creates a new file system by storing your data on a drive. If you do fast formatting, you have a chance to recover your data. However, it is important to stop using the drive immediately to avoid duplicating your files.
The format is one more full step, not only deleting data, but also repeating it with zero. This will permanently delete all files, making it impossible to recover data.
How to Retrieve Data from Formatted Hard Drive
After absorbing the data provided so far, you have an idea whether data recovery is possible for your hard drive or not. To recover data from formatted drives, you need to use a recovery software tool. We have tested three popular recovery tools for Windows and we will analyze their performance.
Option A: WinfrGUI Data Recovery
Microsoft Corporation developed WinfrGUI, a simple Windows File Recovery graphical interface. This free software simplifies wrist search for all technological levels.
Supported file systems and formats
WinfrGUI supports FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, and others for compatibility with varied storage media. Your valuable data can be recovered reliably.
Efficiency and Performance
WinfrGUI uses an advanced algorithm to scan and sort recoverable file types on formatted hard drives efficiently. It makes the recovery process easier and makes it easier to find files by sorting them into different groups.
Custom Recovery Options
With WinfrGUI, you can configure recovery options by specifying file extensions or search criteria. It allows you to improve your results according to your needs.
A smooth recovery experience.
Recovering lost or deleted files is a simple process with WinfrGUI. You can easily select the desired files for recovery and set targets for smooth recovery.
Option B: Recuva Data Recovery
Recuva was developed by the team behind it. CCleaner is a lightweight but powerful tool for data recovery. It has a free version for file recovery from form hard drive and has additional functions in a paid version.
Installation
The installation process is easy with both downloadable installation and portable version. The software is lightweight and does not require extensive configuration.
Performance
Recuva has two methods of scanning – standard scanning and deep scanning. Standard scanning is fast but could not find all the required files. Deep scanning takes a long time, but gives better results. However, we encountered a generous data problem while trying to open the recovered file, which was disappointing.
Option C: EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard works like a wizard leading users through the data recovery process. It supports various file systems and handles various types of file signatures efficiently.
Installation
Installing the free trial version of EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard quickly and easily takes no more than a minute.
Performance
EaseUS has incredibly fast scanning options, but may miss some files. Advanced scans take longer to complete, but provide a more comprehensive search. However, we found that this scan also misses some file files. The filter option is useful to disrupt results but does not provide a complete recovery.
Conclusion
According to our tests, Recuva did not yield satisfactory results, making it an unreliable option. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard works fine, but has some shortcomings in terms of file recovery. WinfrGUI has proven to be the most powerful and reliable tool to retrieve data from formatted hard drive.
What is Hard Drive Formatting? Do I Even Need to Format my Hard Drive?
Although hard drive formatting may seem scary, it is useful in some cases. Formatting erases data and prepares the drive for new files. Formatting hard drives may be necessary for changing operating systems, selling or removing disks, or fixing disc damage.
Formatting erases data permanently and disk recovery is not assured. Remember to back up your data before formatting your drive.
Tips to safely format hard drives in Windows
Follow these procedures to format your drive without losing data:
Quick format:
- Link your PC to your hard disk.
- Right-click the drive in File Explorer and select Format.
- Select express format in the pop-up menu.
- Start formatting by clicking Start.
Use disk management:
- Right-click on my computer and select Manage to start managing the disk.
- Select the hard drive you want to format and start formatting.
In a situation where you want to recover data after formatting, make sure not to rewrite data to the drive. Instead, use data recovery software to try to retrieve the file.
By following these instructions, you can retrieve data from formatted hard drive and guarantee the best performance and security of your storage device.
>>Also Read: How to Retrieve Data from External Hard Drive?
