A Guide to Recover Data from External Hard Drive

Today, you would most likely find an external hard drive in a home or an office. They are popular due to the speed, cost, and convenience they provide. However, this tool is subject to data loss risks, which can be mechanically or software-induced. Everyone loses data at some point in their lives but not everyone knows how to recover files from an external hard drive when it happens.  Just like other storage devices, external hard drives are fragile and may lose data or won’t be detected for various reasons.

Not to worry if you are in this situation, the data can be recovered if you’re proactive. Here are different approaches to recover files from your external hard drive. These methods also apply to those who want to learn how to restore a backup from an external hard drive.

Causes of Data Loss from an External Hard Drive

Common reasons why you may have lost your information or files include:

• A virus attack
• Physical damage to your hard drive
• Corruption of files
• Accidental formatting of your hard drive
• File system failure
• Lost partition structure
• Frequent connection to and disconnection from other devices
• Unexpected shutdown of your hard drive

How to Recover Files or Data from an External Hard Drive

Recover Files on Windows

Using File History

Windows has a backup feature – ‘File History’ that allows you to go back in time to recover old versions, lost or deleted data. To recover your files using this free feature.  Before you begin, if you have not activated the external hard drive on Windows File History, it won’t be possible to recover your files with this method.

• Go to the Folder or External hard drive from which your files were deleted or lost.
• Right-click and select Properties.
• Click on the Previous Versions tab and select the previous version where your deleted or lost files can be found.
• Then, click on the Restore button to recover your data.

Recover Files on a Mac

Using Backup/Time Machine

The ‘Time Machine is a default native tool to help recover lost files or restore data. It is literally a time machine that takes you to past versions of your drive and would only work if you have ever created a backup in the past. It is free and doesn’t need to be downloaded.

Step 1

Ensure you have the ‘Time Machine backup on a drive. Then, connect the drive to your computer.

Step 2

Go to the ‘Finder’ and select the folder from where you have lost the files.

Step 3

Open ‘Time Machine’. Select the clock icon on the menu bar and then select Enter Time Machine from the dropdown menu.

If you can’t find the clock icon, go to the Apple menu and click on System Preferences. In the new window, click on Time Machine. Click on the check box next to Show Time Machine in menu bar. Now, you can go to the clock icon in the menu bar, and you will have the Enter Time Machine option there.

Step 4

When you click on ‘Time Machine’ you can search for the files you lost. Find all the files and select them. Finally, click on the Restore button.

Using Third-Party Software to Recover Files

There are various third-party applications you can use to restore your files from a hard drive but most of them need to be paid for. A free software to try is Recoverit, it is easy to use and offers 100 MB of free data recovery. Here are the steps to follow.

1. Download Wondershare Recoverit, or a recovery software of your choice.
2. Run the installer you just downloaded.
3. After you install the application, launch it and select the external hard drive from the home screen. Then select Start.
4. Wait for the software to complete scanning the hard drive.
5. Preview the recovered files, then select the files you want to recover and click on Recover.

Using a Data Recovery Service

Sometimes, you could try to recover data from an external hard drive and it isn’t working out. The last resort is to use a local data recovery or digital forensics service near you. These providers have advanced software and hardware recovery equipment they use to recover files or restore backups.

The cost varies depending on the files you want to recover and how long it will take to be completed amongst other factors. Whichever service you choose to go with, we suggest you have a consultation to know if they are right for you. This is because you may not be comfortable with others having access to sensitive information on your external hard drive.

If this service has a physical office, then you are in luck because you can always walk in to meet with them on any issues you need assistance with.

Avoid Data Loss from an External Hard Drive

The one solution to avoid losing valuable data is to back up your important files regularly.  Your data could be backed up in several ways, from using an external drive to backing up your files on the cloud or a remote server over the Internet.

• Create a schedule to back up regularly.
• Avoid connecting and ejecting your external drive frequently as this can delete the data and harm your drive.
• Always eject your drive from the computer before disconnecting it.
• Do not format your drive every time. The formatting procedures should be as low as possible.
• Avoid physical damage such as dropping your drive on hard surfaces.
• Make sure to use antivirus software and scan your drive whenever you can.
• When you plan to delete data from your drive, double-check everything before deleting folders so you don’t lose important files.

Recovering deleted files from an external hard drive is a widespread situation. Though, each situation can be unique in some sense. Either way, there are multiple approaches to recover files from an external hard drive today.

Thanks for reading!