External Hard drive formatted / deleted while installing windows 10

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  1. Posts : 16,325
    W10Prox64
       #61

    @dempa110
    Download the free version of Minitool Power Data Recovery here:
    Best Free Data Recovery Software (2018 Update) - MiniTool Power Data Recovery
    Select recover partition and then run the scan on the unallocated part.
    (The free version will only allow 1GB max. recovery of files.)
    See if it finds all your files from the deleted partition. That will set your mind at ease.
    You do have another drive to recover your files to, right?
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 23
    Microsoft 10
       #62

    simrick said:
    @dempa110
    Download the free version of Minitool Power Data Recovery here:
    Best Free Data Recovery Software (2018 Update) - MiniTool Power Data Recovery
    Select recover partition and then run the scan on the unallocated part.
    (The free version will only allow 1GB max. recovery of files.)
    See if it finds all your files from the deleted partition. That will set your mind at ease.
    You do have another drive to recover your files to, right?

    Hi @simrick - there doesn't seem to be an option to Select recover partition and then run the scan on the unallocated part? Unless I am missing something?

    When I select the WD Harddrive, it just starts scanning without asking further questions - the unallocated doesn't appear to be there?
    Scan seems to only focus on the 32GB FAT32 bit?

    External Hard drive formatted / deleted while installing windows 10-mini-power-tool-data-recovery-menu.jpg

    External Hard drive formatted / deleted while installing windows 10-mini-power-tool-data-recovery.jpg
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 11,618
    Windows11 Home 64bit v:23H2 b:22631.3374
       #63

    Be rest assured that as long as you have not created a new volume in the unallocated space and formatted it, your data is there. This is a technical fact. Yes, try what simrick has suggested and you will know that. I will take another hour or so on the next step in our endevour to get it out with a freeware. If successful, you will be the first one to have done it. I really appreciate your perseverance and cooperation.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 23
    Microsoft 10
       #64

    No, thank you @jumanji !

    Sounds good, I will wait and see if you can figure it out (would be great to find a financially viable option), with the @simrick option as a final backup hopefully. I haven't had any glimpse that the other data is actually there - so was just looking for that in the interim for my own peace of mind. But sounds like it may be there (even if I can't find evidence for it!) :). I trust your opinion more than mine!
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 11,618
    Windows11 Home 64bit v:23H2 b:22631.3374
       #65

    @dempa110

    posts crossed. You may complete with the Power Data recovery trial in conjunction with simrick and then do this.


    Here we go on the next step.

    1. Post a screenshot of Windows Disk Management with only your ESD drive plugged in. This you can do immediately and post. The next step will take sometime for you to execute. So take your own time. I am not in a hurry That also gives me time to start my experiment on the trial HDD. I am a pretty slowmover.

    2. Earlier you have saved sector 0 which is the MBR sector and Sector 2048 which is the Volume /Partition boot sector - the file system. If you look at the sector 2048 map you posted in post # 50 , in the leftside ASCII panel you can see the words MSDOS5.0 and a 5 lines below that the word FAT32. Prior to the disaster, that sector 2048 had the original NTFS volume bootsector - Filesystem.. When the Media Creation Tool formatted the drive and wrote the 32GB FAT32, it has overwritten the original NTFS and written a FAT32 boot sector.. My endevour now will be to kill the usurper and restore it with the original NTFS Volume Boot sector. How?

    Somewhere in the last few thousand sectors, there is a backup of the NTFS bootsector. The task is you have to find it and save it. As I said the first format by the Media creation Tool does not wipe the data. The loss of the original NTFS boot data in sector 2048 had made the rest of the space unallocated. If you hadn't meddled with it by creating a new volume and formatted the unallocated space the original backup will and should be there .

    Below is the screenshots of my 500 GB test drive.

    External Hard drive formatted / deleted while installing windows 10-23-06-2018-21-40-27.jpg

    External Hard drive formatted / deleted while installing windows 10-23-06-2018-21-51-58.jpg

    Using bootice go to the last sector on your ESD drive and keep rolling the mouse roller to scan through the sectors and find out which sector has the Backup of the NTFS . Be systematic. Roll down through the first 1000 sectors, take a break and continue rolling down by another 1000 sectors. If you are breaking inbetween note the last sector and when you resume start searching from the left sector. When found save it as backup and also post a screenshot. As a rough estimate on your 1TB drive the backup may be found around sector 1953520064 but it can vary. EDIT: This figure is wrong. From your bootice sector map I found your last sector is 193519616 So Stat rolling down from that end sector

    I shall now create a 32 GB Fat32 partition in my trial drive and go ahead with my experiment - slow mover
    Last edited by jumanji; 24 Jun 2018 at 02:47.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 23
    Microsoft 10
       #66

    [QUOTE=jumanji;1399562]Here we go on the next step.

    1. Post a screenshot of Windows Disk Management with only your ESD drive plugged in. This you can do immediately and post. The next step will take sometime for you to execute. So take your own time. I am not in a hurry That also gives me time to start my experiment on the trial HDD. I am a pretty slowmover.

    Hi @jumanji - here is a screenshot of Windows Disk Management with only my ESD drive plugged in:


    External Hard drive formatted / deleted while installing windows 10-wdm-screenshot.jpg

    Will look into your next few steps a bit more slowly...
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 11,618
    Windows11 Home 64bit v:23H2 b:22631.3374
       #67

    jumanji said:
    @dempa110
    As a rough estimate on your 1TB drive the backup may be found around sector 1953520064 but it can vary. ...
    @dempa110
    EDIT: That figure is wrong. From your bootice sector map I found your last sector is 193519616 So Start rolling down from that end sector.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 23
    Microsoft 10
       #68

    jumanji said:
    @dempa110
    EDIT: That figure is wrong. From your bootice sector map I found your last sector is 193519616 So Start rolling down from that end sector.
    Thanks @jumanji - I am having a go now - have started scrolling down from 193519616 searching for the Backup of the NTFS ... wondering how long I might be scrolling for? 1000's, 10000's? Up to 193520654 so far. It's a shame there isn't a method to search for that specific text.

    EDIT 1: Sorry - so are you saying START at 193519616 then scroll my mouse DOWN (i.e. 616, 617, 618, 619) until I come across NTFS? Did you say that you estimate that it should be around 1953520064 ?

    I went straight ahead to 1953520064 ... lots of zero's - so working BACK from there. Not sure if I am using the best strategy...? Thought I'd check?

    EDIT 2: Working back (scrolling up) from 1953520064 - data starts appearing again at 1180720631. So assume that Backup of the NTFS is somewhere between 193519616 and 1180720631 ??
    Last edited by dempa110; 24 Jun 2018 at 05:46.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 11,618
    Windows11 Home 64bit v:23H2 b:22631.3374
       #69

    Your bootice disk map shows Total Sectors as 1953519616 at the bottom. You have to scroll down from that.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 23
    Microsoft 10
       #70

    jumanji said:
    Your bootice disk map shows Total Sectors as 1953519616 at the bottom. You have to scroll down from that.
    Thanks @jumanji - I started scrolling down from 1953519616 - but wasn't sure if I'd be scrolling for mins, hours, or days. I don't suppose there is any smart way to shortcut (or narrow down) the scroll process a little more? Worried I'll either miss the Backup of the NTFS bit or go insane in the process :)
      My Computer


 

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