- EaseUS Freeware
- Free Data Recovery Software
- Free Backup Software
- Free Partition Manager
Summary
Accidentally formatting a hard drive happens quite often among users. To unformat a hard drive and get back all the lost files, the advanced hard drive recovery software - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard will help. With it, you can recover files from the formatted hard drive in three steps. Download and apply the software to retrieve your data right now.
Format vs Unformat
Format is the process of preparing a partition for data storage by deleting all the data on it and set up a file system for the drive. You will need to format a hard drive in some specific situations like when your hard drive has a RAW file system, Windows reports "disk not formatted", or your hard drive is infected by a virus. In addition to these cases, you may accidentally format your hard drive or external storage devices, which happens frequently among users. Generally, you can format a hard drive under File Explorer, in Disk Management, or use some third-party tool.
While unformat is the process of recovering data from a formatted storage device, be it a hard drive, USB flash drive, or SD card. Unformatting a hard drive or some other storage devices is needed when users want to recover their data lost due to format. Unformatting a storage device can only be done with third-party software or manual data recovery services.
How to Unformat a Hard Drive
- Notice:
- To avoid any chance of data overwriting, don't put files into your hard drive after the format. Although putting data on the disk won't necessarily cause data overwriting, once data is overwritten, there is no chance to get it back.
Unformatting a hard drive can be easily done using the hard drive recovery software - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. It will help you unformat your HDD and get your important files back from the formatted device. It can also recover deleted files emptied from the Recycle Bin or data lost due to partition loss, software crash, virus infection, boot-up problem or other reasons. Other than hard drives, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard also supports the data recovery from USB flash drive, memory card, digital cameras, and other conventional storage devices.
Steps to Unformat HDD with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard:
Step 1. Left-click on the hard drive that was formatted by mistake and click "Scan".
Step 2. Start scanning all lost data on the selected hard drive.
Step 3. In the "Lost Partition Files" results, find the data files you wish to recover. Browse more data in other scan results as well. Finally, select all the wanted files and click "Recover".
You can search for the specific type of files, such as pictures, documents or videos in the Search box by inputting its file name or file format.
As long as your formatted files are not overwritten by new content, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard will help to get back all your lost files from the hard drive. If the
Do You Need Specialized Data Recovery Services?
You may need further help for tough data loss situations like reformatting drive, RAW disk, partition loss, repartition failures and system boot error. Consult with EaseUS Data Recovery Experts for cost-efficient one-on-one manual recovery service. They could offer the following services after FREE diagnosis:
- 1. Unformat the drive
- 2. Repair the RAID, RAW disk or operating system
- 3. Recover lost partition (the one that cannot be recovered by software)
Unknowledge Base - Why Can We Unformat a Hard Drive
There are two types of format: quick format and full format. A quick format only writes the blocks that contain the file system structure and delete all files from the device, while a full format writes zeroes to all data sectors. After a quick format, the data are still on the hard drive and you just don't have the access to it. By rebuilding the volume, you can access and recover the formatted files. However, as mentioned, overwritten data cannot be recovered, which means the data lost after a full format cannot be retrieved. Luckily, in Windows, quick format is the default format option. Thus, in most of the cases, you formatted your hard drive using the quick format and you can unformat your hard drive using data recovery software.
The Bottom Line
When you accidentally formatted a hard drive, USB flash drive, memory card, or other storage devices, don't worry. Stop using your device and apply data recovery software to unformat your hard drive. Then you will get all your files back.
100% of people found this article helpful.
Frequently Asked Questions
- 1. Why cannot I recover 2GB data for free?
-
It is recommended to check the version installed is Free or Trial because they are different versions.
Trial has data preview function but cannot save any files, while the Free version enables to recover 2 GB files. The default free space is 500 MB and you may share the product on social media to get another 1.5 GB.
- 2. Why cannot the recovered files be opened?
-
A file is saved as 2 parts on the storage device: directory info (which is comprised by file name, time stamp and size info, etc.) and data content.
If the files with original file names and folder structures cannot be opened, one possible reason is the corrupted directory info. There is still a chance to recover the data content with the RAW Recovery method in our software.
- 3. Why isn't it suggested to recover the files back to the original drive?
-
The storage structure of the lost files would be altered or damaged by any changes on the drive. If you save the recovered files back to the same drive, the original data structures and data content would be corrupted or overwritten, which causes permanent data loss. So you should prepare another disk to save the files.
- 4. How can I check whether my data is recoverable or not before purchase?
-
The Free version helps you save 2GB files to better verify the recovery quality of our product before purchase.
- 5. How long does it take to scan the drive?
-
It strongly depends on the capacity of your hard drive and the performance of your computer. As reference,most drive recoveries can be completed in around 10 to 12 hours for a 1-TB healthy hard drive in general conditions.
Related Articles
-
PNY Recovery Tool: Free Recover Data from 4/8/16/32/64GB PNY SD Card
Jean / 2016-06-07 -
[Solved] Windows 10 Show Hidden Files Not Working
Brithny / 2018-04-03
-
Recover Deleted Photos/Pictures/Images and Video Files from Digital Camera
Daisy / 2016-08-09 -
Recover Data After Format | Recover Formatted Hard Drive
Daisy / 2016-08-17
About Data Recovery Wizard
It's super easy to recover 250+ types of files after deletion, disk formatting and virus infection. Click the links and compare the difference of each version.