You may lose access to an external hard drive due to different reasons. In that case, you are generally promoted to format it for fixing. Even though formatting the drive might seem like the only solution, this action will erase all data on it. Under most circumstances, you prefer not to format your external drive, especially when it contains critical files.
Considering your need, this guide explores practical methods to recover external hard drives without formatting. When your external device is not working properly, you can follow the steps to restore it while preserving your valuable data.
When your external hard drive can’t work normally, you should first check the connection and ensure it is properly connected. You can try using different USB ports or computers. If the external device is physically damaged, you should listen for unusual sounds. You may need to consult a professional for hardware repair.
When your external hard drive is unreadable, check and update drivers on your computer. You can open Device Manager on a Windows PC, expand Disk Drives, right-click the external drive, and then choose Update Driver.
To update drivers on a Mac, you can update macOS to the latest version. All drivers will be updated automatically, along with the software update. If your operation doesn’t resolve the problem, you can choose to reinstall drivers.
If you are repeatedly prompted to format your external hard drive once you connect it to your computer, or you get other prompt errors, try manually changing the drive letter to troubleshoot the problem.
Connect your external drive to your computer, right-click the Start button to raise more options, and then click Disk Management. Locate the drive and right-click on its name. Hit the Change Drive Letter and Paths option. Click the Change button and follow the steps to proceed with your operation. After that, you can re-connect your external drive and check if you can access its data.
If you have formatted your external hard drive, or some important files are erased during the repairing process, you must rely on a reliable recovery tool like Aiseesoft Data Recovery to retrieve your lost data. It provides a safe and straightforward way to restore data from different storage devices, even from severely corrupted hard drives. Moreover, Aiseesoft can recover lost or corrupted files from external hard drives without formatting.
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Question 1. Why is my external hard drive corrupted and can’t be accessed?
Malfunctioning external hard drives can be caused by various reasons. For instance, improper ejection, power outages, or sudden disconnections may corrupt the file system and lead to external drive issues. In some cases, your external hard drive can’t be accessed due to faulty USB ports, cables, or outdated drivers. When your drive is unreadable, you should also check for physical damage and related hardware problems.
Question 2. How do you fix a corrupted external hard drive without formatting?
To fix a corrupted drive without formatting, try using the built-in repair tools on your computer. For instance, you can use CHKDSK on Windows and Disk Utility on Mac to resolve related errors. If your external hard drive is still inaccessible, turn to reputable data recovery software to retrieve your files. Some reliable tools include Aiseesoft, Recuva, Stellar Data Recovery, and Disk Drill. You can also directly seek help from professional services.
Question 3. How can I avoid data loss from external hard drives?
First, you should use your external hard drive gently and avoid drops or shocks. Please put it in a suitable environment, like a dry, cool place. Moreover, you should eject it properly. Use the Safely Remove Hardware option or Eject option on your computer to prevent data corruption. You can back up these important documents and other files using different storage media. Create backups to cloud services like Google Drive and iCloud. To avoid data loss from your external hard drive, you should often scan it with antivirus software. When you face some file system issues and need to format it, ensure you format it appropriately.
Conclusion
This post tells three methods to recover an external hard drive without formatting. Select your preferred solution to regain access to your drive. You can start with basic checks and then turn to software solutions. Besides, you can rely on some third-party partition tools like MiniTool Partition Wizard to rebuild partitions without formatting. If all else fails, you should turn to professional services.
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