Losing data is not a pleasant thing to experience. Whether it is a photo that holds an unforgettable memory or a document vital for your business, data is always important. But things can go wrong once in a while.
No matter how careful you are in protecting your data, it can still get lost or the devices can malfunction. Especially a USB storage device or an external hard drive which is one of the most common types of storage devices we occasionally use to back up our files.
Luckily, there are available options to recover deleted files from external storage devices. So without wasting your time, let’s dive into it.
1. Using CMD
If you are using Windows, you might want to try out the “chkdsk” feature provided. However, this command only works when the files are hidden on your USB. If you have accidentally deleted files from the USB drive or formatted them because of a virus infection, your best option to get data back is by using a data recovery tool. Anyway, before using third-party tools for recovery, you can try this out to see if it works.
- Press Win + R on your keyboard to open the Run prompt.
- Type CMD and press Enter to open the command prompt.
- Type “chkdsk X: /f” (without quotes). Also, be sure to replace “X” with the drive letter of your device.
- Press Enter.
- After the process is completed, type in one more command,
ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D X:*.*
Be sure to replace “X” with the drive letter here as well. - Press Enter.
That’s it. If Windows was able to find any deleted files on your drive, it will be visible in a new folder inside the device.
2. Use iMyFone AnyRecover to Recover your Data
As we mentioned, the chances of getting your files back using the above method is not high. So our next best pick is a data recovery tool. We are going to use iMyFone AnyRecover, which is one of the best data recovery solutions available today, especially for external devices. This program will scan the external storage devices for any deleted or erased data and then recover them for you.
Although there are several other alternatives in the market, we recommend AnyRecover for a safer, faster, and easier data recovery. Below are the steps to recover your lost data from an external device using AnyRecover.
- Download iMyFone AnyRecover, then install and launch the software.
- Connect the USB drive or external storage device that you want to recover data from.
- Select the external device under the External Removable Devices section.
- Click on the Start button at the bottom.
- The tool will start scanning your device for any traces of deleted files. Patiently wait for the process to complete. As soon as the scanning is completed, it will show you the list of the files found during the scan.
- Double-click a file to preview its content, which helps save time and space, then you can select all the files you need and recover them as bulk.
- Choose a safe location to store the recovered data.
That’s it. You have successfully recovered the files deleted from the external hard drive or USB device.
In addition to just recovering files from external devices, the iMyFone AnyRecover tool can be used for several other purposes. As you can see on the main interface itself, you can recover data from emptied recycle bin, your computer’s folders, hard drives, other partitions, etc. It is a complete recovery tool if you want to recover lost files from any of the storage devices you own. What’s more, AnyRecover allows user to try it and recover limited files for free.
3. Consult a Data Recovery Expert
In most cases, if the data can be recovered using software, the AnyRecover tool will be able to do that. But there can be times you have overwritten the data multiple times and the data recovery tools no longer can help you. Also, if the hard drive or USB device has been broken, the data recovery may not be possible using software tools. In such scenarios, the best thing you can do is consulting a data recovery expert in your region.
There are a few things you should keep in mind while doing it. You should make sure that the company is trustworthy. Especially if the data is some important information that you cannot risk leaking, make sure that your data will stay private before, during, and after the recovery.
That’s where iMyFone AnyRecover stands out because you can perform data recovery by yourself and your data privacy is completely protected.
The Bottom Line
In this article, we have presented three ways to recover lost data from a USB drive or an external hard drive. Undoubtedly a professional USB recovery tool like iMyFone AnyRecover outperforms with its safety, excellent features and easiness.
It is always suggested to keep a backup of essential data, which will save you in such a data loss scenario.