I was helping a friend copy files from an old hard drive before reformatting it from NTFS to exFAT. I created a folder on my Windows desktop and started copying everything from the drive. The transfer reached about 95% when it encountered a recovery folder containing important photos and videos and reported an error. The only available option was to cancel, so I stopped the operation assuming the original folder would remain on the source drive. However, the folder is now missing from both the old drive and the desktop copy. I searched the computer and tried EaseUS and another recovery tool, but neither located the folder. The drive is around 10 years old, although a CrystalDiskInfo check reported that its health was good. What is the safest way to recover the missing files?
3 Answers
A canceled Windows file operation can leave files partially copied or remove items that were already processed, depending on how the operation was started and what error occurred. Recovery programs may not show the original folder, so search for recognizable filenames and file types instead. However, every scan or write to the affected drives reduces the chance of recovery.
Stop using both drives immediately. Further copying, formatting, or recovery scans can overwrite the deleted data and make recovery harder. Ideally, create a sector-by-sector image of the source drive with a tool such as GNU ddrescue, then run recovery software against the image rather than the original. Since the files are important, a professional data-recovery service is the safest option.
For future transfers, always use copy rather than cut or move, and verify that the destination contains everything before deleting or reformatting the source. A 3-2-1 backup setup is also a good idea: three copies, on two different types of storage, with one copy kept separately or in the cloud.
I already tried a couple of recovery programs, but I will stop using the drives and try working from an image instead.