Full Guide on External Hard Drive Unallocated Recover Data

What does external hard drive unallocated recover data mean?

"External hard drive unallocated recover data" refers to the process of recovering lost or inaccessible data from an external hard drive that has unallocated space. When a drive becomes unallocated, it means the partition or file system is no longer recognized by the operating system. This could happen due to various reasons like accidental deletion of partitions, corruption, or even a formatting error.

However, even though the space is unallocated, the actual data might still be recoverable. The unallocated space simply means that the operating system is not currently able to access or use the data stored on it, but the data itself may remain intact on the drive.

To recover data from an unallocated external hard drive:

1. Do not write new data to the drive, as this can overwrite the existing data, making recovery more difficult or impossible.
2. Use data recovery software: Specialized software like AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery can scan the unallocated space for recoverable files.
3. Partition and format the drive: In some cases, creating a new partition and then using data recovery software can help retrieve lost files. However, this can risk overwriting the original data, so it is best done with caution.
4. Data recovery from unallocated space can be complex, so if the data is crucial, it's often recommended to consult a professional data recovery service.

How to make external hard drive unallocated recover data

Here’s how to recover data from an unallocated external hard drive using three different methods:

Way 1. Use data recovery software

When your external hard drive becomes unallocated, it means the drive is not assigned to any partition, rendering your data inaccessible. Fortunately, data recovery software like AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery provides a straightforward solution to recover lost data from such situations.

AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery is a powerful data recovery tool designed to help users recover lost, deleted, or inaccessible files from various storage devices, including external hard drives. With its intuitive interface and robust features, this software can efficiently recover data from external hard drives that have become unallocated due to accidental deletion, disk formatting, or partition corruption.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data lost and click Scan.

Step 2. Then, the recovery tool start to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first for finding your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.

Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, Recycle Bin and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".

Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.

Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovering to end.

Way 2. Use Disk Management to check for partition issues

Sometimes, an external hard drive may appear unallocated due to partition issues. You can use the built-in Disk Management tool to check for and resolve these problems.

Step 1. Press Windows + X and choose “Disk Management”.

Step 2. Look for your external hard drive that shows as "Unallocated".

Step 3. Right-click on the unallocated space and select "New Simple Volume" to create a new partition. This action may overwrite the drive, so only use this method if data recovery isn't a priority.

Step 4. If you don’t need to recover data, you can format the drive to make it usable again.

Way 3. Try Command Prompt for quick repair

If you prefer a command-line solution, you can use the built-in Command Prompt tool to fix minor partition or disk issues without losing data.

Step 1. Type cmd in the search bar and open it as an administrator.

Step 2. Type the following command, replacing C with the letter of the unallocated drive:

chkdsk C: /f /r

This command attempts to fix errors on the drive. If the drive has a valid partition, this might restore access to it.

Conclusion

Recovering data from an unallocated external hard drive is possible, especially if you use the right tools. Start by avoiding formatting the drive, then try recovery software or disk management tools. If these steps don’t work, a professionaldata recovery tool called AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recoverycan help. Always back up your important data to avoid similar issues in the future.