Accidentally "formatted" running drive using Fat32Formatter

Hello everyone!


I know someone posted a very similar case some years ago but I still haven't found a solution - so I opened the topic.

I currently have the folowing problem and I hope someone could help me:

I wanted to format a microSD card using Fat32Formatter.

Accidentaly - the wrong drive was selected (my running SSD Drive with Windows) and after i clicked "initialize drive" the Laptop crashed: Bluescreen etc.

Restarting the PC doesn't help - no drive is found.

In my experience "initializing drive" doesn' format it, but it makes the drive space "unallocated"

Someone posted in another Forum that he managed to get his system back running with testdisk after the same problem so here I am.

Assuming I just have to create a partition Table, I created a bootable USB.

Testdisk doesn't find any recoverable partitions in the quick search, but in the Deeper search.
I actually have only one partition and testdisk is finding more that one and I am not sure which one to select.

so I just tryied it :writing the partition table. I tryied this procedure a couple of times but now I get annother error:

I don't get the error 'no drive found "
when starting, the Windows Bluescreen is reporting that windows needs to be repaired and I would need to insert the Windows CD/USB in order to start the Windows repair process.

So - before I make any more damaged I figured maybe someone can give me some usefull advice: maybe which partition to select or if it would be OK to start the Windows Repair process.

Also: Just started Gparted.
at first Gparted showed the hole ssd-drive als unallocated( 240gb)
an now I get:
/dev/sda1/-------------NTFS-------------System------------1,46GB------------boot
/dev/sda2/-------------NTFS-------------tI3136300B-------211.66GB----------no flag
unallocated-------------unallocated--------------------------10.44GB

I was using Windows 10 Pro 64 bit (didn't even write down the windowskey after the update from windows7)
I am using testdisk with the Gparted Live Bootable USB

meanwhile I have uploaded some photos of the current situation (Step by step through testdisk) - beacuse I haven't been able to find and upload the log file

https://picload.org/image/wplpcrd/img_2 ... 214733.jpg
https://picload.org/image/wplpcca/img_2 ... 214906.jpg
https://picload.org/image/wplpccl/img_2 ... 214926.jpg
https://picload.org/image/wplpcci/img_2 ... 215021.jpg
https://picload.org/image/wplpccw/img_2 ... 215156.jpg
https://picload.org/image/wplpcir/img_2 ... 215209.jpg
https://picload.org/image/wplpcia/img_2 ... 215458.jpg
https://picload.org/image/wplpcil/img_2 ... 215504.jpg
https://picload.org/image/wplpcii/img_2 ... 215508.jpg
https://picload.org/image/wplpciw/img_2 ... 215511.jpg
https://picload.org/image/wplpcpr/img_2 ... 215515.jpg
https://picload.org/image/wplpcpa/img_2 ... 215518.jpg

after a tipp I got I tryied to rebuild the BS
Boot- rebuild BS - List

after the rebuild BS I get the followings message for both partitions:

Boot Sector OK
Backup boot sector: OK
Sectors are identical

unfortunately I am not getting any further - I don't want to mess it up and lose my data...so I would be very very gratefull if someone has some advice !!!

Thanks in advance!

Download Windows 10 ISO using the Windows 10 Media Creation tool. Google it and you will find it.

Download Windows 10 x64, if you are using a 64 bit OS, burn the ISO to a DVD or copy to USB flash drive.

Boot from the install media, click next on first screen, click on, repair computer.

Click troubleshoot
Click advanced options
Click startup repair.

That should help get your drive usable again.

You appear to have wiped your system reserved partition that stores your boot files

Thanks Imaneke for the quick reply

I already thought about that...the thing is.. - any chance I mess something up if it doess't work or is it safe to try?

Yes it is safe.

lmaneke said:

Yes it is safe.

ok big thanks I will try it out

Hello everybody.
I just wanted to let you know how I solved my problem.
Using the windows ISO cd didnt help. I could not repair the startup process and I could not reset the Windows because Windos repair could not acces the windows files.
I was almost giving up but I still tryed some options with testdisk. After i re-wrorte the partition table for all 6 partiions, I still got the same error. Then I observed the primary partition is setted to a 1500 mb partition so I changed it to the 210 GB partition. ---and it worked!!!!! so...that was the succes!

as alternative I was thinking about making a clean install of windows. the thing is - i did a clean install on another pc about a week ago but windows 10 is not activated. It was a windows 8 PC with the windows 10 upgrade
is ther e a possibility to attivate it? or is it necessary to buy a new key !?


thanks for the overall support

krs7 said:

as alternative I was thinking about making a clean install of windows. the thing is - i did a clean install on another pc about a week ago but windows 10 is not activated. It was a windows 8 PC with the windows 10 upgrade
is ther e a possibility to attivate it? or is it necessary to buy a new key !?


thanks for the overall support

You probably installed the wrong version or edition of Windows 10. Run showkeyplus from this forum, click on the product keys to blank them out in the results screen and post the results here. Also from Win key+R dialog box, run WINVER, post results here. Right click on start icon, select Command Prompt (Admin), run slmgr /dlv and post those results here. With all that info we can 99% chance tell you why it won't activate.

Showkey - Windows 10 Forums