Accidently reformatted external hd with MCT..

Paradroid · 17 Jun 2023

winver-22H2- 10 Pro
No data loss, smartly backed the data to another drive before running mct. Just made my old 500 gig hd to 32gig bootable windows. Hahaha...

Question is: I already did the reformatting allocated space with disk mngmt but it was set to default size by windows which was 475gig. So iam assuming that there is still the 32 left from the mct.
Unfortunately it assigned a different drive letter also. i need it be the same letter so some of my programs that used to use it can remember. Any advice on getting the old drive letter , and the full 500 gig of space back would be appreciated.

pepanee · 17 Jun 2023

In Disk Management, Right-click -> Properties of the drive. Make sure the first number at the bottom (like in the first orange square in the picture) is the more closer number to 500GB. My picture is of a 1TB Drive that I have. Notice the 1,000,###,###,### bytes in the first orange box.
Don't look at the second number (second number in my picture says: 931GB, which is not the correct number. The reason why is because there's this weird numbering system that is used. Don't worry about all that. It's just the way it has been since... the beginning of time.)

Accidently reformatted external hd with MCT..-image.png

So double check to see if your "Capacity"'s first number says: 500,###,###,### bytes. If that's the case, then you are using the whole drive's space, and that 32gb of Windows boot files or whatnot are no longer there.

MisterEd · 17 Jun 2023

When you are going to reinstall Windows and your computer has more than one hard drive then disconnect all the drives except the one that you will install Windows on. I assume that this drive only has one major partition called C: and maybe a couple others without a drive letter. If so do a custom install and delete all the existing partitions on the drive until all that is left is unallocated space. That way when you install Windows it will automatically create the C: partition and any other partitions it needs.

pepanee · 17 Jun 2023

In addition to the above, make sure this is one big rectangle (with a blue line on the top), and not two rectangles, or more:

Example of three rectangles:

Paradroid · 17 Jun 2023

To MisterEd:
So not looking to reinstall windows. Initially i just wanted to make a back up to my usb hardrive. Not knowing that it would be a bootable one. Appreciate your advice though thanks. I think i may be able to navigate disk manager to figure out the old drive letter. in case i need to use it again for my old desktop.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for your advice/help pepanee.

pepanee · 17 Jun 2023

You're welcome.

But like I stated in my post right above yours, as long as there isn't more than one rectangle, for that drive, then you're using the whole drive. If there is another smaller rectangle, in that 500 GB drive, then you can right click it -> Delete Volume, I think.

Just make sure you are not doing anything to your Main Drive that has Windows installed on it, or any other drive that you have in the computer, just in case.

Paradroid · 17 Jun 2023

Oh ok so i can just delete that part of the drive that may still have windows backup installed on it then? Got it thanks. So for my other rambled together question lol. Is there anyway to recover or get windows to recognize the old drive letter? Remember it being E drive, i think.. Its now listed under D.

pepanee · 17 Jun 2023

In my example:

Disk Management:
Right Click drive rectangle -> Change Drive Letter and Paths -> Change button -> Select E -> OK -> OK

Paradroid · 17 Jun 2023

Go tit sorted out. It was the correct drive letter after windows reformatted it. and there is one straight line through, so all the space is back as original. Thanks again for your assistance.

pepanee · 17 Jun 2023

You’re very welcome =)