How to Recover Data from External Hard Drive?

Recover Data from External Hard Drive

The major causes of data loss on an external hard drive are virus attacks, unexpected system power off, accidental deletion of files, and failure of critical file system structures. To avoid data loss, back up your data from the external hard drive regularly. Follow the method for how to Recover Data from External Hard Drive.

Recovering data using the command prompt(cmd) method:

• Make sure to connect your external hard drive using a standard usb cable.
• Navigate to the start menu and type cmd in the search box.
• Right-click on the command prompt tab and select the run as administrator option.
• Else, press windows + r and type cmd in the search box to open the command prompt window.
• Enter chkdsk l: /l in the command prompt window and press the enter key (replace the driver letter l with your drive letter).

• Type 'y' in the command prompt and press the enter key.
• Type 'f' in the command prompt and press enter.
• Type f:\>attrib -h -r -s /s /d*.* and press the enter key to view all the data on the external drive.
• Finally, all the files and folders will get recovered and stored in their default location.
• The other option is to use a data recovery software to get all the lost data back.

• First, connect the external hard drive to your computer to access it on your computer.
• If the hard drive is not recognized on your computer, follow these steps: How to Recover Data from External Hard Drive.
• Navigate to the start menu and type my computer/this pc in the search box.
• Open the my computer/this pc to view all the storage drives connected to your computer.
• Note down the drive letters and click the map network drive tab that is available on the left panel.
• Click the continue button when it asks for permission to access a new menu.

• Click on the drive button and select the drive that is not in use. 
• Click browse and hard drive your system is not detecting. 
• Click on the ok button after the selection of the drive.
• Click the finish button to exit the window.
• After completing the above steps, restart your computer and check whether the external drive is detected.
• If you aren't able to find your data on the external hard drive, run a data recovery software and scan for the lost data.
• This way, you can recover your data from an unrecognized external hard drive.  

How to recover data from external hard drive mac 

If you have lost your important files from your external hard drive, you can recover them easily. To know how, read, and proceed with the quick, simple methods discussed below.

Using the trash bin folder:

• If you have deleted the data from your external hard drive, which is connected to the mac system, first, check the trash bin folder.
• The deleted files or folders will not be deleted permanently. They will be saved in the trash bin folder of your mac system.
• To recover the deleted data from the trash bin, followed the instructions given below.
• Make sure that your external hard drive is connected to the mac system.
• Open the trash bin folder. Locate and select the files you wish to recover.
• Use the copy items or put back command to recover the data back into the external hard drive.
• You can also use a trusted third-party data recovery software to recover data from your external hard drive.
• Download & install the data recovery software on your mac system.
• Connect the external hard drive to your mac system and start performing the file recovery process by following the on-screen instructions.