Corrupted Hard Drive Recovery Overview A corrupted hard drive is a storage device that has experienced issues, preventing it from functioning correctly. This can result from various factors such as malware infections, power outages, hardware failure, or file system errors. When a hard drive becomes corrupted, users may encounter problems like slow performance, inaccessible files, error messages, or the inability to boot up the computer. Corrupted hard drive recovery involves diagnosing the problem and attempting to retrieve lost data or restore the drive to its normal state. Here's an overview of the process: 1. **Data Backup**: Before attempting any recovery, it's crucial to back up all important data to prevent further loss. If possible, copy unaffected files to another storage device. 2. **Safety First**: Disconnect the corrupted hard drive from the computer to avoid potential damage during the recovery process. 3. **Diagnosis**: Identify the cause of corruption. Use diagnostic tools like Windows' built-in Error Checking or chkdsk utility, or third-party software like HDD Regenerator, to scan for bad sectors, file system inconsistencies, or other issues. 4. **System Repair**: If the issue lies with the operating system, try repairing or reinstalling it without affecting user data. Boot from a system repair disc or USB, and use tools like System Restore, Command Prompt, or Startup Repair. 5. **Data Recovery Software**: For inaccessible files, utilize data recovery software like Recuva, tools Data Recovery Wizard, or Stellar Phoenix. These tools scan the corrupted drive for recoverable files and allow you to save them to a different location. 6. **Professional Help**: If the above steps fail, consider seeking assistance from data recovery professionals. They have specialized tools and expertise to handle complex cases, often involving开盘修复 (open-chassis repair) in a clean room environment. 7. **Hardware Replacement**: In some cases, the hard drive might be physically damaged, making data recovery impossible. In such instances, it's necessary to replace the drive and attempt to recover data from the backup or the recovered files. Remember, prevention is key. Regularly back up your data, keep your system updated, and use reliable antivirus software to minimize the risk of hard drive corruption.

Have you ever encountered the issue of a corrupted hard drive? When a hard drive becomes corrupted, it renders itself unusable, despite still appearing as a disk. You might notice the following common symptoms:

    • Invalid media type reading drive.
    • Abort, Retry, Fail?
    • The file system is displayed as "RAW".
    • Windows may prompt to format the drive with a warning "disk not formatted. Do you want to format now?"
    • File names contain "strange" or unusual characters.
    • "Sector not found" error messages.

How to recover files from a corrupted hard drive when it holds vital files and folders? Is it possible to fix the damaged hard disk without losing data? Yes, it is. This tutorial presents the most efficient method to recover data from a corrupted hard drive or external hard drive using the top-rated tool, Data Recovery Wizard. Moreover, you'll also learn a comprehensive guide on how to repair corrupted hard drives without the need for formatting.

How to Recover Files from a Corrupted Hard Drive in 3 Steps

Data Recovery Wizard Pro is a user-friendly tool with an intuitive interface that enables you to effortlessly recover files from corrupted hard drives and external hard drives.

Note: If you cannot boot your computer after the system hard drive gets corrupted, you can create a WinPE bootable CD/DVD with Data Recovery Wizard to recover the corrupted hard drive.

Step 1. Scan the hard drive partition First, you need to scan the hard drive partition to detect any lost or deleted files. This process will allow the recovery software to identify the recoverable data on the selected partition. 1. Launch the file recovery software of your choice (e.g., tools Data Recovery Wizard, Recuva, Disk Drill, etc.). 2. Upon opening the software, you'll typically see a list of drives or storage devices connected to your computer. 3. Select the hard drive partition that you want to recover files from. It may be labeled as "C:", "D:", "E:", or another letter, depending on your system configuration. 4. Click on the "Scan" button or a similar option to initiate the scanning process. The software will perform a quick scan initially, looking for recently deleted files. 5. If the quick scan doesn't find the files you're looking for, you can opt for a deeper or comprehensive scan. This may take longer but will search more thoroughly for lost data. 6. Wait for the scan to complete. The duration depends on the size of the partition and the depth of the scan. Once the scanning is finished, you can proceed to the next step to preview and recover the files.

Choose the drive on your hard disk where you lost or deleted the files. Click "Scan" and allow the data recovery software to scan for all lost data and files on that selected drive.

select a location and scan hard drive

Step 2. Check the results

Upon completion of the scan, you can utilize the "Filter" feature or click the "Search files or folders" option to locate the lost files on the hard drive.

Find and preview all lost hard drive data
Find and preview all lost hard drive data

Step 3. Recover Lost Hard Drive Data

Select the desired files that you lost on the drive and click "Recover" to save them to another location.

Restore lost hard drive data.

If you encounter difficulties in using data recovery software, you can seek assistance from data recovery experts.

Tools Disk Repair and Recovery Services

Click here to contact our experts for a free evaluation

Consult with Tools data recovery specialists for personalized manual recovery assistance. After a FREE diagnosis, we can provide the following services:

  • Repair HDD, SSD, external hard drives, USB flash drives, and recover data from all RAID configurations
  • Recover lost partitions not fixable by data recovery software
  • Rectify disks unreadable or inaccessible due to bad sectors
  • Resolve disks converted into GPT protected partitions
  • Wipe data, unformat hard drives, install/remove software or drivers, etc.

How to Repair a Corrupted Hard Disk Drive Without Formatting (4 Methods)

After retrieving lost files from a corrupted hard disk drive, what should you do with the damaged hard disk? Should you just let it go or give up on it? Not necessarily! Below, we'll offer some tips to help you attempt to repair the corrupted hard drive.

Tip 1: Utilize a Free Partition Management Tool to Repair a Corrupted Hard Drive

The first method to fix and repair corrupted hard drives is by utilizing a free partition manager. This tool can automatically check and rectify the corrupted file system and bad sectors with just a few clicks. This partition management software aids you in creating, resizing/moving, cloning, merging, and formatting partitions with user-friendly solutions.

Step 1. Right-click the problematic partition.

Step 2. Choose "Advanced" > "Check File System".

Step 3. Confirm whether you want to hide the partition or not.

Step 4. In the Check File System window, select the "尝试修复找到的错误" option.

Step 5. Click "Start" to begin scanning for errors on the selected partition.

Tip 2: Repair a Corrupted Hard Drive Using Command Prompt

If the hard disk drive has bad sectors or internal errors, it can become prone to corruption.幸亏,如果你知道如何在你的电脑上运行CHKDSK命令,修复硬盘损坏的问题将变得轻而易举。现在,让我们来看看如何运行CHKDSK并修复损坏的硬盘驱动器: 1. 打开命令提示符: - 对于Windows 10/8用户,按下Win + X键,然后选择“命令提示符(管理员)”或“Windows PowerShell(管理员)”。 - 对于Windows 7用户,点击“开始”按钮,搜索“cmd”,右键单击“命令提示符”,然后选择“以管理员身份运行”。 2. 在命令提示符窗口中,输入以下命令,然后按Enter键: ``` chkdsk /f /r /x C: ``` 这里,“C:”代表你想要检查和修复的硬盘驱动器的盘符。如果你要检查其他驱动器,只需将“C:”替换为相应的盘符。 3. 系统会询问你是否希望在下次重新启动计算机时检查该卷。输入“Y”并按Enter键。 4. 电脑重新启动后,CHKDSK工具将自动运行并扫描硬盘错误。这可能需要一些时间,具体取决于硬盘的大小和健康状况。 5. 完成后,系统将显示一个报告,说明它找到并修复的任何问题。如果一切顺利,你的硬盘驱动器应该已经修复。 请注意,这个过程可能会导致数据丢失,因此在运行CHKDSK之前,最好备份重要文件。如果硬盘损坏严重,你可能需要专业的数据恢复服务或考虑更换硬盘。

    1. Press Win + X and choose "Command Prompt (Admin)". 2. Click "Yes" to run Command Prompt as an Administrator. 3. Type chkdsk and press "Enter" to scan for errors on the corrupted hard drive. 4. Type chkdsk C: /f /r/x and press "Enter" to let CHKDSK repair the drive. (Replace 'C' with the actual drive letter of your corrupted hard drive)

Fix Corrupted Hard Disk

If the target drive is a boot disk, the system will prompt you to run the command before the next boot. Type yes and press "Enter" to restart your computer. The command will execute before the operating system loads, enabling it to access the disk and thoroughly repair any corrupted sections.

Tip 3: Run a Disk Check to Fix a Corrupted Hard Drive

    1. Open "This PC" or "Computer," right-click on the hard drive, and select "Properties." 2. Click "Tools" and then click "Check." 3. Choose "Check local disk" and click "Start." 4. Close all running and open programs, and select the option to have the system perform the check during the next boot. 5. After that, restart your PC.

Check disk and fix the corrupted hard disk

If it reports that your drive has 'bad sectors or clusters,' don't worry. The CHKDSK command in Tip one will resolve this issue.

Tip 4. Repair Corrupted System Drive from Control Panel

    1. Press Win + X and select "Control Panel". 2. Click on "System and Security" > "Action Center" > expand "Maintenance" and click "Run Scan". 3. Click "Restart".

Repair corrupted system hard drive

It's Easy to Perform Corrupted Hard Drive Recovery

After completing these steps, you can successfully recover data from a corrupted hard drive and resolve the corruption issue using effective methods. You can now reutilize the hard drive for storing and saving data once more. If you encounter a similar issue on your corrupted internal hard drive, external hard drive, or USB storage devices, don't worry. Simply follow this article to rectify the problem without any data loss.