External Hard Drive Recovery: Steps to Get Lost Data Back

Understanding Data Loss on External Hard Drives

Data loss on external hard drives can occur due to various reasons, and it is important to understand these causes to better protect and recover your valuable information. Here are some common factors that contribute to data loss from external hard drive:

1. Accidental Deletion: Human error is one of the leading causes of data loss. It’s easy to mistakenly delete files or folders from an external hard drive, especially when managing numerous files or dealing with complex folder structures.
2. Hardware Failure: External hard drives consist of mechanical components that can fail over time. Hard drive crashes, motor failures, or damaged read/write heads can render the drive inaccessible and result in data loss.
3. File System Corruption: File system corruption can occur due to improper ejection of the external hard drive, power outages, or software issues, which can further lead to data inaccessibility or loss.
4. Formatting or Reformatting: Accidentally formatting the external hard drive or choosing the wrong file system during the formatting process can wipe out all the data stored on it.
5. Virus or Malware Attacks: External hard drives are vulnerable to virus and malware attacks, especially if they are connected to infected computers. These malicious programs can corrupt files or delete them entirely.

Knowing the reasons for external hard drive data loss, let’s see reliable data recovery for external hard drive.

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Best Practice for External Hard Drive Data Recovery

Today external hard drive recovery is much easier with the assistance of professional data recovery software. These specialized tools are designed to efficiently scan and recover lost data from external hard drives, providing a user-friendly interface and advanced features that enhance the recovery process.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a reliable data recovery software that specializes in recovering lost data from various storage devices, including external hard drives. With this tool, RAID data recovery, SD card recovery, and SSD data recovery is not difficult any more.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use this powerful tool for external hard drive recovery:

Step 1: Download and Install MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

Click the button below to get the free edition of MiniTool Power Data Recovery. Install this free data recovery software on your computer, ensuring that it is not installed on the external hard drive from which you want to recover data.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2: Launch the Software and Select Recovery Mode.

Once installed, launch the software and select the desired recovery mode based on the type of data loss you have encountered. MiniTool Power Data Recovery offers several two recovery modes, including recovering from logical drives (displaying all existing partitions, lost partitions and unallocated space) and recovering from devices (internal and external hard drives, USB drives and SD cards, CDs/DVDs).

Step 3: Choose the External Hard Drive.

Select the external hard drive from the list of available devices displayed by the software. Click the “Scan” button to initiate the scanning process.

Step 4: Scan and Preview the Recoverable Files.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery will perform a thorough scan on the selected external hard drive, searching for recoverable files. The scanning process may take some time, depending on the size and complexity of the drive. During the scanning process, you can preview the recoverable files in the software interface.

Step 5: Recover and Save the Files.

After previewing the recoverable files, select the ones you wish to restore. Choose a location on your computer or another storage device where you want to save the recovered files. It is crucial to save the files to a different drive to prevent overwriting the lost data.

By following these steps, you can significantly recover data from external hard drive.Click to Tweet

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Essential Tips to Avoid Data Loss from External Hard Drives

Data loss from external hard drives can be a frustrating and stressful experience. To help you prevent such situations and safeguard your valuable information, here are some important tips to avoid data loss from external hard drives:

1. Regularly Back Up Your Data: One of the most effective ways to prevent data loss is to maintain regular backups of your external hard drive. Here the free backup software – MiniTool ShadowMaker is highly recommended. Reliable Cloud backup is also a good choice.
2. Safely Eject Your External Hard Drive: Always use the proper procedure to eject your external hard drive from your computer or device before physically disconnecting it. This ensures that all read and write operations are completed, reducing the risk of data corruption or loss.
3. Use Reliable Power Sources and Surge Protectors: Power fluctuations and surges can damage the circuitry of your external hard drive, leading to data loss. To protect your device, connect it to a reliable power source and use surge protectors or uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices to safeguard against sudden power surges or outages.
4. Avoid Physical Damage: Handle your external hard drive with care and avoid subjecting it to physical shocks, drops, or excessive pressure. Protect it from extreme temperatures, humidity, and water exposure. Investing in a shockproof and waterproof external hard drive case can provide an additional layer of protection.
5. Keep Your External Hard Drive Virus-Free: Regularly scan your external hard drive for viruses and malware to prevent them from corrupting or deleting your files. Install reliable antivirus software and keep it up to date. Be cautious when connecting your external hard drive to public or unknown computers to minimize the risk of malware infection.
6. Be Cautious with Formatting and Deletion: Exercise caution when formatting or deleting files on your external hard drive. Double-check the selected drive and files to ensure you are not accidentally formatting or deleting important data. Create multiple partitions on your external hard drive to separate multiple types of personal data, reducing the risk of accidental formatting.
7. Perform Regular Disk Checks and Maintenance: Regularly check your external hard drive for errors or bad sectors using disk checking tools provided by your operating system or third-party software. Address any detected issues promptly to prevent further data loss.

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Conclusion

With the right tools and approach, external hard drive recovery can be a managable task. By understanding the common causes of data loss and following the step-by-step guide provided, users can restore their valuable files and minimize the impact of data loss.

Should you have any questions to external hard drive data recovery, don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].