How to recover files from an external hard drive? Here is the guide to restore your data.
- external hard disk they are increasingly used to archive files and documents. They allow you to create backup copies of your most important data, to always have a backup copy of the documents on your PC. This way, in case of computer breakdowns, viruses or malfunctions, you can easily restore damaged files.
Despite the caution in the make backups on external hard drives, you can still make mistakes on portable drives, such as sudden deletion or corruption of data. For example, if you accidentally removed a file from your external drive and you don't know how to recover it, you can rely on some free data recovery software.
Among the many recovery software on the web, you can use Recuva, a free and easy to use software. After downloading the program from this link, you can install it by following the instructions in the following image. Remember to tick any secondary programs offered during the installation process.
Once the installation is complete, run Recuva and complete the initial wizard. Thanks to the wizard you are followed step by step to recover your files from external hard drive. It is sufficient to first select the file type that has been deleted, then indicate whether it is a photo, a song, a video, a document, or select all files if you are unsure of the format. This will search for all possible extensions.
The next step allows you to indicate the drive you want to recover files from. In this case you have lost data from an external hard drive then select the unit connected to the PC. Drive D has been selected in the image, corresponding in this case to the portable disk connected via USB. In your case, the external drive may be named with another letter.
In the penultimate step it is required whether to enable the advanced mode. This mode allows you to search much more deeply than the basic version, but it takes much longer because so many files are scanned. It is preferable not to activate this mode and immediately see the results obtained. If the file you were looking for is not listed in the results, then you can rescan by activating the advanced mode.
The search is finally over and you can see the scan results. A detailed list is shown containing all recently deleted files. Each file is marked with a dot. If the dot is green it means that the file on theexternal hard disk it can be recovered with a good chance. If not, so if the dot has a different color, the file could be at risk.
Select the document from those listed. Recuva shows the preview of the file, if available, and also indicates a lot of information, such as the path where the document is located, the size of the file, the date of the last modification and other details. Finally proceed with the recovery by clicking on the "Recover" button. The where screen opens indicate the destination where to save the file. It is preferable to save the document on a different medium than the external hard disk, to avoid overwriting any files to be recovered.
For example, you can save the file on the internal hard disk of the PC or on a practical USB key. Depending on the size of the data you want to recover, Recuva can take several minutes to restore the files and finally export them to the selected destination.
Recover files from damaged external hard drive: conclusions
File recovery can be a simple task if you use software like Recuva. However, in many cases the recovery can be considerably complicated, if for example the external hard disk has some bad sectors or corrupt. In these situations, after checking the health of the disk as well, it is necessary to resort to more advanced recovery software and techniques.
can recover files from external hard drives, restoring deleted or corrupted documents. If you were unable to save your data, you can contact us for advice. We will be able to analyze the external support and recover the files you need.
