Accidentally formatted external hard drive using my digital tv to record some pr

TJBOON

Honorable
May 22, 2012
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10,510
Accidentally formatted external hard drive using my digital tv to record some programs. Just noticed that it has caused all the previous content to disappear or appear as random files that wont open like corrupt files. Please tell me there is some way to get the old files back. The hard drive contains a heap of pictures from various trips Ive been on and is the only source for them. Please help! I need them back :(
 

plasmastorm

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Oct 18, 2008
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19,160
If you have overwritten the data then it is most likely gone for good.
You could try a recovery program but personally if the data is that importat do nothing with the drive and send it to a professional recovery company such as Disk labs. But be prepared for a £4-500 bill and bad news imo.
 

ddrivepen343

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Dec 19, 2012
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10,510

Accidentally formatting is not a big problem. Your drive and the inner data are perfectly ok! All you need to do is to download a recovery tool to save the drive and data.
As to the recovery tool, a reliable freeware can be a good choice for you. It helped me retrieving all of my crucial files back as my drive was mistakenly formatted last time.
Note for you:
1. Stop using this drive immediately to avoid overwriting the original data, which can make inner data gone permanently.
2. Save the recovered files on a different drive in case of recovery failure.
3. Never forget to back up your data as possible as you can.