I was trying to create Windows installation media and mistakenly overwrote a 6TB Barracuda drive. After formatting it three times (once quick and two normal formats), the drive is only showing 31GB space, while the rest appears as unallocated. I'm hoping to recover the old files, or at the very least, reclaim the full capacity of the drive. Any advice would be appreciated!
3 Answers
Unfortunately, after doing two full formats, it’s pretty unlikely you’ll retrieve your old files since formatting typically overwrites the sectors. You might have better luck just deleting all partitions and creating a new one to get your drive back in use.
It could be helpful to get someone experienced to assist you with recovery. Having an extra set of knowledgeable hands can make a difference!
First things first: stop using the drive! Every time you write something to it, you risk overwriting important files. If you have another computer, try using Recuva or a similar data recovery tool. Make sure you save the recovered files to a different drive, not the 6TB one! Good luck!
Yep, be cautious with it! Data recovery is delicate, so use software wisely.
Totally agree! I freaked out when I messed up a drive once, and stopping usage saved me so much trouble later. Glad you have another PC to work with!