How do I un-format an external HDD and restore my old files?

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Johnj2871

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Apr 13, 2017
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Hey guys, I apologize if this has been asked before, but I did something stupid and could use some help.

I recently bought a new computer and a 500GB HDD to save all the important files. Stupidly, I used Windows manager to turn my HDD into a boot drive for windows (at no point during the install did it say WARNING WILL FORMAT AND DELETE ALL OF YOUR FILES but I admit this was sorta dumb). So now all my files are all gone and my 500GB unit now lists it's max space as 40 gigs. I downloaded recuva to restore the old files, but it only reads the 40 gigs the boot drive designated so it won't access all the files. So how do I un-format this thing and send it back to it's original 500GB state so I can pull out the files?

Thanks for the help.
 
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If affordable, if possible, sector-by-sector, as-is, clone the source HD onto a target HD, store the target HD in a safe place, in case another round of DR attempts are needed. I hope the install did a Quick Format, while that eliminates the MFT, the files themselves still exist -- except for any part that was over-written.
Be aware that DR at this point is similar to going to a giant junkyard, spreading a tarp, looking all over and placing all found pieces of an automobile onto that tarp. Or, think of it this way, a city full of people you want to visit no longer have street addresses or family names -- and you want to find all of them under those conditions.
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Ralston18

Ralston18

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Oct 11, 2014
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Unfortunately you may be out of luck with this one.

Files can be undeleted provided that nothing else has been written to the host drive in the meantime.

However formatting is a much more destructive process and all will be lost.

If the drive happens to be partitioned and you only formatted one partition (40 gigs) then the other partitions may be intact and their data recoverable.

Google "free drive partition software windows"

The idea being to find some tool that will help figure out the overall status of your 500GB HDD and provide some help with identifying the partition with your data.

Be very careful to just explore and learn. Find a way to locate your data if at all possible. Then, hopefully, recovery will be the next action.

 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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If you're talking about using that drive to create a Windows install...yes, it did warn you.

Anyway...Recuva or TestDisk might. maybe kinda do this.
Or, you may be out of luck.
 
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RolandJS

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Mar 10, 2017
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If affordable, if possible, sector-by-sector, as-is, clone the source HD onto a target HD, store the target HD in a safe place, in case another round of DR attempts are needed. I hope the install did a Quick Format, while that eliminates the MFT, the files themselves still exist -- except for any part that was over-written.
Be aware that DR at this point is similar to going to a giant junkyard, spreading a tarp, looking all over and placing all found pieces of an automobile onto that tarp. Or, think of it this way, a city full of people you want to visit no longer have street addresses or family names -- and you want to find all of them under those conditions.
 
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