I accidentally deleted a partition while creating new ones. The partition becomes unallocated, and all files seem lost. Now, I am looking for recovery methods to restore the lost files.
Partition loss or corruption on Windows PCs can be a distressful situation, making you unable to access the stored files. Mainly, such data loss issues occur due to hardware failures, virus attacks, or file system errors. If you ever experience such an issue, don't lose hope as recovering lost data after partition loss or corruption is possible with the right tools and techniques.
In this guide, we will explore different methods on how to recover files after partition loss or corruption in Windows. Just apply these methods one-by-one to get your deleted files back.
Common Reasons for Partition Loss or Corruption
Before using any partition recovery software or manual workarounds to restore files lost after partition loss or corruption, it's essential to understand the common causes of the same. Some main reasons include:
- Accidental Deletion: You might have deleted important partitions on your device accidentally while managing disk drives in tools like Disk Management.
- File System Errors: Corruption in the file system (NTFS, FAT32, etc.) can make the partition unreadable or inaccessible.
- Physical Damage: The hard drive sometimes develops bad sectors with continuous usage for a long time, which can also lead to partition corruption or failure.
- Disk Failures: Faulty or damaged hard drives, SSDs, or other storage media can cause corruption or deletion of partitions.
- Improper Partition Resizing: Adjusting partition sizes incorrectly using disk management tools may result in misaligned or corrupted partitions.
Understanding these causes helps you identify adequate recovery workarounds as well as preventive measures to avoid such data loss in the future.
Sign of Partition Loss or Corruption
When a partition on a Windows PC gets corrupted or lost, you may encounter the following signs:
- Unallocated Space: The required partition might not be visible, which indicates unallocated space in Disk Management.
- Inaccessibility: You may encounter an error message, like "You need to format the disk before using it."
- Slow or Unresponsive Device: Attempting to access the corrupt or lost partition slows down your device's performance.
Quick Methods to Recover Files After Partition Loss or Corruption
Now without wasting much time, let's jump to the recovery workarounds. Before you apply any of these manual methods or use partition recovery software, make sure you have a proper backup of every file and folder available on your disk partition to avoid further data loss. Go with the below methods one-by-one to get your lost data back:
Method 01: Check Previously Created Backups
If you have any previously created backups of your lost files, recovering lost data is simple. A good backup strategy ensures that your data remains safe even when partitions get lost or corrupt. Here are quick steps to recover lost files on Windows using backups:
Steps to Recover Files Using File History
File History is a Windows built-in backup utility which creates a backup of all files stored on your device. If you've synced File History backup on your Windows device, follow the below steps to restore lost data:
- Type file history in the search box of your desktop and then launch Restore your files with File History.
- Go to different folders and select the files you want to recover.
- Click the green Restore button to recover selected files to their original location.
Steps to Recover Files Using Cloud Backups
You can also use cloud backup services like Google Drive, OneDrive, etc. to create backups of your files and to recover them even after partition loss. For this:
- Open the website of the cloud backup service associated with your backups or install its app.
- Log in to your account and search for the missing files by manually browsing through different folders.
- Once the required file is found, click the Download button to save the file at its original location.
Method 02: Run CHKDSK Command
Windows OS provides a built-in CHKDSK command utility that may help you repair corrupted partitions and recover data. All you have to do is:
- Firstly, launch the Command Prompt on your Windows device.
- Now, type the command: chkdsk H: /f /r /x (replace X with the drive letter of the affected partition).
- Press the Enter key and wait till the command fixes the error.
Method 03: Use a Professional Data Recovery Software
If you don't have any backup or the CHKDSK command fails to recover files after partition loss or corruption, try using a professional data recovery software. Tools like Stellar Data Recovery Professional allow you to recover deleted files from any internal or external storage device, including hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, etc. You can easily restore lost photos, videos, documents and other types of files using this recovery software.
- The Stellar Data Recovery Professional software also supports the recovery of files lost from formatted, encrypted, or corrupted drives.
- Supports recovery of files deleted due to accidental deletion, formatting, partition loss or corruption, unexpected shutdowns, or other reasons.
- Offers Pause and Resume Scan option to pause the scanning process and resume it as per convenience.
- It offers a user-friendly interface, allowing recovery of lost files and partitions in a few simple clicks.
- The software is available in multiple versions, varying in features and prices.
To recover files after partition loss or corruption in Windows PC using this professional data recovery software, you need to:
Step 1: Initiate the process by downloading and installing the Stellar Data Recovery Professional software on your Windows PC.
Step 2: Now, launch the software, select the type of data you need to restore and click Next.
Step 3: After that, click the Can't Find Drive option from the Recover From window. Choose the desired hard drive partition you want to scan and click Scan.
Step 4: Once the scan process is complete, preview the recoverable files and choose the ones you wish to restore. Click the Recover button to save the selected files at the desired location.
That's it, after completion of the above steps, check if the recovered files are accessible from the folder where you've saved them.
Conclusion
When you encounter partition loss or corruption issues on your Windows device, go with the above-mentioned methods to easily restore lost files. Always begin by assessing the situation, then check previously created backups, use the CHKDSK utility, and lastly try professional data recovery software such as Stellar Data Recovery Professional. For best results, maintain regular backups and monitor your drive's health regularly to prevent future data loss.