How to recover Quick formatd drive contents WITH Windows 10 LTSC instl

Hi,

Briefly hello!

Ok, I'm also 62, used to build PC's in the 80's (and some in the 90's), then went on to work in my profession. I've also, suffered a stroke back about 8 years ago, so not only error prone, but forgetful.

Having said that, in two of my desktops my Win 10 LTSC (Build 17763.rs5_release.180914-1434 64 bit) trial period was expiring (90 x 4 days), so I did a quick format. And tried to reinstall Win10 LTSC. One went smoothly but the other one gave me some grief, so I did a bit of HDD re-arranging and formatting, and installed Win10LTSC.

Problem is I got confused and I Quick formatted the 2 TB drive instead of the 500 GB drive, and installed Windows 10 LTSC on that. I think I also formatted the 500 GB drive.

So 2 problems;

For some reason the 500 GB drive was not visible. Probably me fiddling with them. And the Windows was installed on the 2 TB drive. This is normally not a problem except the 2 TB drive had at least 660 GB of personal data. Family photos going back to the 60's, other files that came in in the last year, and gawd knows whatever else!

Here's what I want to do, but not sure exactly where to reach out to or ask.

I want to restore as much as possible what was in that 2 TB drive. I don't care about the Windows 10 LTSC installed ontop of that. Last I looked it was only about 32 GB, so rest of the 2 TB drive should still be there. Just how to get at it?

So summary;

1) the 2 TB drive is now in another machine, so not booting off it!
2) I can download and use Test Disk and PhotoRec, etc. I am on pensioner income so I would rather not pay for services and I fear they will just take the money and not do much better than I could have laboured over. But if there is another free util that is better please tell!

3) Remember: a) Quick Formatted Drive, b) Installed Win10 LTSC 64 bit over it, c) OS takes about 32 GB, d) HDD is now in another machine, e) Lost personal data is photo's, docs, pdf's, etc. About 660 GB's.

Please suggest!

Thank you,

Satyr37

wow that is old...

dont know why the question isnt asked at the very beginning the way that the essay is arranged is very strange to me

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ok read through it but dont know where the question is
besides that there is something that wants to be gotten at "how to get at it"
this doesn't seem to be anything i understand

That happen to me some time and I was in horror and shock.
I tried many upon many data recovery with only limited file results and search.
The fact is that your wrote over the Boot-record of the drive + your installation of windows probably annihilated most of the data and it is not going to be recoverable ( at least big chunks 50Gig files 100GIg files ) by normal means.

Your could try what worked for me which is "GetDataBack Pro" . It is specifically designed for NTSC formats. It can read the "Shadow-copy" ( I guess ) of the previous format, and you can make a back up image. You can recover large files.

Even if you could restore the boot-record ( by actually previewing ( a wall of text ) a list of files that matches to what was on the drive ) does not mean the files are still functional.

The other option would possibly be to take it to a data-recovery specialist, with a level zero room ( fans with no dust, electronic safe gloves, where they might even go as far as taking apart your drive and loading it on a device, for it to be backed-up via the ones and zeros as they currently are.

Maybe this person has a better tool with tons of functions that I do not know about.

That is my opinion. Again even a 2TB drive that windows installation literally put holes in your files. If it is a SSD I am sorry it is gone ( my opinion ).

Dear @jumanji, thank you for your response. I have listed further details below.

jumanji said:

@satyr37

I have seen your post.

How many partitions did you have in that 2TB disk?

In the TestDisk Current Partition Structure it lists 4 partitions on that 2 TB drive:

1 P Windows Recovery Env 2048 to 1023999 [basic data partition]
2 P EFI System 1024000 to 1228799 [EFI system partition]
3 P P MS Reserved 1228800 to 1261567 [Microsoft Reserved Partition]
4 P MS Data 1261568 to 3907028991 [basic data partition]

When I do a Quick Search I get the following:

P MS Data 2048 1023999 [Recovery]
P EFI System 1024000 to 1228799 [EFI System Partition]
P MS Data 1261568 3907028991 {No descriptor}

I am guessing the area that I can work on and maybe recover data is the sectors 1261568 thru to 3907028991?

The sizes are in sectors.

HTML Code:

[/mention]If you had more than one partition, in quick format you will lose only the first partition - partition cannot be recoverd - Run PhotoRec..  Any subsequent partition/s lost can be recovered by running Partition Recovery Wizard in MiniTool Partition Wizard  v9.1.[/quote]

I have seen MiniTool Partition Wizard and will download it.

HTML Code:

[/mention]
If you had only one single volume, go with [I][B]photorec_win.exe[/B][/I] in TestDisk v7.2.
[/quote]

At this stage I do not quite know the difference between Partition and Volume but have found this page: Volume vs. Partition - What's the Difference? Will read it unless you have other suggestions. Also this page: What’s the Difference Between Volume and Partition on Windows OS? - MiniTool

HTML Code:

[/mention]
Guide to using PhotoRec recovery software: [url=https://www.sevenforums.com/software/193467-guide-using-photorec-recovery-software.html]Guide to using PhotoRec recovery software. - Windows 7 Forums[/url] ( This was the only experiment I did in 2011 when I ventured into Data Recovery. At 77, I have forgotten all about it :-). I hadn't done any PhotoRec recovery since then. But the writeup should help you )

If you have a large volume of data to be copied you may choose an internal disk ( other than the 2TB disk under recovery) if it has adequate space or an external disk with adequate space. If an external disk is your destination, it should be plugged in before you run Photorec  and should be visible in the first window.

This write-up should help how to prepare and copy to the destination disk. You must create a folder named Recovery in the internal or external disk and route PhotoRec to copy all the files to the Recovery folder. An external disk is recommended to avoid any accidents.
Copying files listed by TestDisk/PhotoRec during Recovery:  [url=https://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-devices/286181-my-external-hard-drive-suddenly-became-unllocated-3.html#post2395385]My external hard drive suddenly became unllocated: - Page 3 - Windows 7 Forums[/url]

PhotoRec:

In the second Window you should choose [B][Intel] [/B] if your 2 TB disk under recovery is an MBR disk. If it is a GPT disk, then choose [B][EFI GPT] [/B]

In the tenth window you have to select the destination to save the recovered files.

Hope you will be able to make it up with whatever information is given.[/QUOTE]
     [MENTION=58586]jumanji[/MENTION],

thank you for this. I will go slow. Mainly because I am new to this and I fear making further mistakes.

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Daymin said:

That happen to me some time and I was in horror and shock.
I tried many upon many data recovery with only limited file results and search.
The fact is that your wrote over the Boot-record of the drive + your installation of windows probably annihilated most of the data and it is not going to be recoverable ( at least big chunks 50Gig files 100GIg files ) by normal means.

Your could try what worked for me which is "GetDataBack Pro" . It is specifically designed for NTSC formats. It can read the "Shadow-copy" ( I guess ) of the previous format, and you can make a back up image. You can recover large files.

Even if you could restore the boot-record ( by actually previewing ( a wall of text ) a list of files that matches to what was on the drive ) does not mean the files are still functional.

The other option would possibly be to take it to a data-recovery specialist, with a level zero room ( fans with no dust, electronic safe gloves, where they might even go as far as taking apart your drive and loading it on a device, for it to be backed-up via the ones and zeros as they currently are.

Maybe this person has a better tool with tons of functions that I do not know about.

That is my opinion. Again even a 2TB drive that windows installation literally put holes in your files. If it is a SSD I am sorry it is gone ( my opinion ).

@Daymin, Thank you.

However professional data recovery experts used to charge ~ $600 for the basic stuff about 10 years ago. I believe they normally do work for companies.

In my case, whilst my personal data is important to me, I cannot afford the thousands of dollars s/he is likely to charge. And again as I stated in my previous post above, the really good ones are too busy with highly paid work, whereas the others are likely to charge me an amount they think I can afford and probably leave me in a worse situation than before.

In my days I had taken HDD's apart. Haven't done much with them, but yes I know what the platters etc look like. And no this is a HDD and not an SSD.

Thank you regardless!

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jumanji said:

@satyr37

I have seen your post.

How many partitions did you have in that 2TB disk? If you had more than one partition, in quick format you will lose only the first partition - partition cannot be recoverd - Run PhotoRec.. Any subsequent partition/s lost can be recovered by running Partition Recovery Wizard in MiniTool Partition Wizard v9.1.

Ok, I have downloaded MiniTool Partition Wizard v 9.0. That came down as a 31,225 KB file. I forgot where I downloaded it from though. Then I went looking for v 9.1, and kept getting sidetracked to a Minitool website which downloads pw-free-online, which then presumably downloads latest version, v 12. Which I am not sure, but the software company seems to have moved most of the useful functions to a PAID version.

Currently the version 9.0 I have downloaded is rebuilding parts of the old partition. Up to 10% in scanning the drive now.

If you formatted the drive by accident, and did not write anything to it ( including renaming the drive ). There is a slim chance the MBR ( boot record ) is still there.

Sounds like your on the correct track with testdisk. That did not work for me when I tried it, hopefully your boot record for that specific volume is in-tact.

That is how Mini-tool is suppose to work. You search for partitions to recover, it gives you a list ( after vigorously searching ),
however the problem ( at least for me ) I faced with mini-tool is that it takes too long and could possibly freeze up while searching.

I would look up "GetDataBack Pro" because as I mentioned before
1. It gives the option to create an image of the drive. Other programs can do this but I am not sure.
2. It is made specifically for NTFS
3. I have personally used it to recover large files from an over-written drive. My question to you is
How big are the files your looking to recover.

I am sure there are other options like mini-tools and I am sure you could go the testdisk route ( which your already on ). However my opinion on software recovery is at least attempt to do a data-recovery before you recover a partition.

partition = Every time you divide the drive up by

disk = device. USB, CD-ROM,
partition = is a division of drive space usually reserved for a volume. Each partition could have multiple volumes.
volume = the amount of space you selected and format when you made the partition.

System Reserve and C:\ of most Windows 7-10 are both volumes that allows you to boot into your system.
In a data drive ( a drive used only for data ) usually you will have one partition with one volume on it. While the leftover space
is another partition that could be formatted and designated a volume.

.........

Your boot record is the very first thing any data-reading device searches. MBR ( usually ). With a cassette or CD-rom the computer will look at the boot record for the location of the information, then will go to that specific location ( Track ). However
with any HD or SSD it is requested the information and the record points to it's location.

GPT or MBR ( however it was formatted ) Mini-tool ( or alternative ) Testdisk etc will look for those records first and then you need to select a record and search to see if any of the files ( text wise ) matches what you are looking for.

Best of luck. Again I would attempt to recover data before hand, whichever way you would think.
Data ( even a 2Gig drive ) is important and should be worth as much as life itself. Otherwise you have to consider the lost as a fire or flood.

jumanji said:

@satyr37,

Since you have installed an OS on the 2TB disk, it has completely changed the partition structure in the 2TB disk creating four new partitions... So I do not think Partition Recovery of old partitions is feasible. Jettison Partition Wizard and concentrate on running PhotoRec.

In PhotoRec.

You will choose [EFI GPT] as partition type.

First search the largest partitiion 4. then Partition 1. then 2 and then 3. You can't make any mistakes while running PhotoRec. Even if you make mistakes, it will not matter. PhotoRec does not write anything to the disk.

"The other point I would like to mention here is that this program is absolutely safe to use even by novices. It operates in "read only" mode and does not write anything. So there is absolutely no possibility of any wrong commands writing to the disk,whereas Test Disk is more advanced and can write the partition table, MBR etc., into the disk if a wrong command is given by mistake." quote from my 2011 PhotoRec writeup in Seven Forums..

Thank you @jumanji!

I have completed MiniTool v 9.0's Partition search and obtained nothing useful. Other than that my Windows 10 LTSC Install pretty much over-wrote an entire 1862.42 GB's.



I will next move on to PhotoRec and follow your suggested steps. It is ~ 4:22 PM here and I have to do other things before end of day. Will get back to this tomorrow morning.

Thank you again!

To @Daymin, unfortunately I did install Windows over my ~ 660 GB of personal data. But thank you just the same.