Ext. 4TB USB Suddenly Unallocated w/ Lots of Data Looking 4 HELP : )

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  1. Posts : 617
    windows 10 pro
    Thread Starter
       #11

    NavyLCDR said:
    It actually most likely IS your problem. The partition table that defined the partition got deleted or corrupted. More than likely all that will need to happen is for the program to restore the partition table from remaining information it finds on the drive and, hopefully, everything will magically reappear - assuming nothing writes to the drive before then, and since it is still unallocated, nothing probably did write to it.

    I had it happen to me once about 10 years ago. I paid about $40 for a program, can't remember which one, and it asked if I wanted to restore the previous partition (which was the same size that was there before). I said yes, about 10 seconds later everything reappeared. There are two different "tables" on the drive. There is the partition table which describes the starting and ending point of the partitions on the drive. Losing the partition table results in the drive showing as not initialized and/or unallocated. Each partition will contain a file system table that describes the location of the files within that partition. Losing the file system table will still show a partition on the drive, but it will be in RAW format.

    Being unallocated, your drive has a better chance of full recovery, because what the recovery program will do is restore the partition table without affecting the file system table - and it will make the existing file system table for that partition usable again. If you just went ahead and "re-initialized" the drive by defining a new partition - the old file system table for that partition would be discarded and you would begin to lose data as the drive got written to. In that case, the recovery program would have to go through and start piecing together what it could find of the old files and chances for recovery would be much less.
    >It actually most likely IS your problem.

    I've heard that before : )

    >
    More than likely all that will need to happen is for the program to restore the partition table from remaining information it finds on the drive

    Do you know if I can tell
    MiniTool Power Data Recovery to do just that that is check out the partition table rather then letting it begin to what could more then likely be a 48 hour scan of the 4TB hard drive looking for files that it can recover?




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  2. Posts : 617
    windows 10 pro
    Thread Starter
       #12

    muchomurka said:
    Usually, backup copy of gpt table should be stored cca 50 sectors from the end of disk; if this copy is not corrupted, it is possible to copy gpt table to 3rd sector of disk using any hex editor (HxD recommended). Not so easy; always backup target area to file before overwriting; some training in virtual machine may be extremely useful.
    Thanks for the input.

    >Usually, backup copy of gpt table...

    Sadly the procedure you describe at first glance seems to be way beyond my expertise. You don't happen to be my next door neighbor by any chance and can come over later this afternoon.
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  3. Posts : 617
    windows 10 pro
    Thread Starter
       #13

    NavyLCDR said:
    Power data recovery should do that for you.
    >Power data recovery should do that for you.

    Thanks for dumbing that down for me.

    Not unlike the last question I asked you is this an option (Power data recovery should do that for you.) I can choose (I do not have the program yet) from the interface in lieu of telling the program to begin a very, very lengthily and time consuming scan of the 4TB drive?

    That other question I asked of you was:

    >More than likely all that will need to happen is for the program to restore the partition table from remaining information it finds on the drive

    Do you know if I can tell
    MiniTool Power Data Recovery to do just that that is check out the partition table rather then letting it begin to what could more then likely be a 48 hour scan of the 4TB hard drive looking for files that it can recover?

    --

    Or are those two questions one and the same except asked in different ways. Thanks for taking the time today to reply.
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  4. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #14

    phaedruspress said:
    Thanks for the input.

    >Usually, backup copy of gpt table...

    Sadly the procedure you describe at first glance seems to be way beyond my expertise. You don't happen to be my next door neighbor by any chance and can come over later this afternoon.
    Actually reading the FAQ here:
    FAQ for the best data recovery software – MiniTool Power Data Recovery

    Difference between Partition Recovery function in MiniTool Partition Wizard and Lost Partition Recovery in MiniTool Power Data Recovery:
    Partition Recovery function is designed to recover lost/deleted partitions along with data in these partitions while Lost Partition Recovery function is developed to recover data from lost/deleted partitions. In other words, the former recover partitions to their original location while the latter requires another drive to save recovered files.
    It really looks like you need MiniTool Partition Wizard Free:
    Best Free Partition Manager for Windows | MiniTool Partition Free

    And the Partition Recovery Tool which you will find under the Disk Menu.
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  5. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #15

    In MiniTool Partition Wizard Free, click on your unallocated drive, then go up to the Disk Menu, then click on Partition Recovery.
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  6. Posts : 617
    windows 10 pro
    Thread Starter
       #16

    Quick aside note:

    This youtube video talks about partition recovery using the paid for version of Mini Tool Partition Wizard "How to Recover Unallocated Partition with Data on It"

    This too seems to possibly solve the problem albeit this vid is talking about the server edition. I don't know if the paid regular version of wizard does the same.

    Fast forward if you wish to approx. the 2 min mark and then to approx the 5 minute mark. The reason I ask is that I think that the paid version of Wizard is less then the paid version of MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

    Any thoughts appreciated on Wizard paid version vs. MiniTool Power Data Recovery regarding what I am trying to do are much appreciated. Thanks.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YnF9k-865c

    ------

    Hah! It looks like you were writing the above just as I was writing this : ) Not home now but will digest everything tomorrow morning. Thanks so much.
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  7. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #17

    I'm experimenting at the moment, give me a minute....
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  8. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #18

    OK.... you will need to pay for Pro. BUT.... you can see what is possible with the free version of MiniTool Partition Wizard. Click on the Partition Recovery Wizard Icon:

    Ext. 4TB USB Suddenly Unallocated w/ Lots of Data Looking 4 HELP : )-capture.jpg

    Click Next, then click on the drive with the unallocated space:

    Ext. 4TB USB Suddenly Unallocated w/ Lots of Data Looking 4 HELP : )-capture1.jpg

    Click Next, Select Full Disk Scan, Next:

    Ext. 4TB USB Suddenly Unallocated w/ Lots of Data Looking 4 HELP : )-capture2.jpg

    Try Quick Scan, then next. If your lucky, your lost partition will be found. Double click on the entry for the lost partition:

    Ext. 4TB USB Suddenly Unallocated w/ Lots of Data Looking 4 HELP : )-capture3.jpg

    A window will open showing you what is in the lost partition:

    Ext. 4TB USB Suddenly Unallocated w/ Lots of Data Looking 4 HELP : )-capture4.jpg

    If you don't get the partition detected with the quick scan, try the full scan. Unfortunately, Partition Wizard Pro is required to actually save the partition.
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  9. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #19

    The good news is that Kyhi's Recovery Tools drive contains MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro!
    Windows 10 Recovery Tools - Bootable Rescue Disk - Windows 10 Forums
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  10. Posts : 617
    windows 10 pro
    Thread Starter
       #20

    NavyLCDR said:
    OK.... you will need to pay for Pro. BUT.... you can see what is possible with the free version of MiniTool Partition Wizard. Click on the Partition Recovery Wizard Icon:
    SNIPPED FOR SPACE

    Thanks so much for the hard work. I don't mind at all paying for MTPW Pro since it appeared I was going to have to pay for something whether it was this or MiniTool Power Data Recovery and Data Recovery was about US 30.00 dollars more. I did notice the caveat in one of your pics that if this does not work then I might have to in fact try again with Data Recovery and wind up paying for that as well. Should that happen and both programs do not work that will teach me some kind of lesson.

    So again thanks so much to yourself and others who contributed. Most likely I will digest everything again tomorrow and begin the process then and more then likely start with
    MTPW Pro.
      My Computers


 

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