How to Recover Data from An Unreadable Hard Drive

Overview of Corrupted and Unreadable Hard Drive

What does it mean when your hard drive is corrupted or unreadable? This section clearly explains the problem and its implications for Windows users.

A corrupted or unreadable hard drive occurs when the file system, partition table, or physical components fail, rendering data inaccessible. You might encounter error messages like the disk structure is corrupted and unreadable in Windows Disk Management or when accessing the drive. Whether it’s an internal HDD or an external disk, understanding this issue is the first step in recovering data from an unreadable hard drive.

Possible Reasons Behind Hard Drive Corrupted and Unreadable 

Why does a hard drive become corrupted and unreadable, leaving you scrambling to figure out how to recover data from an unreadable hard drive? When you encounter messages like the disk structure is corrupted and unreadable in Windows, it’s a sign that something has gone wrong—whether it’s a logical glitch or a physical breakdown

1. File System Corruption

The file system (e.g., NTFS or FAT32) organizes data on your hard drive, but it’s vulnerable to corruption. This often happens due to sudden power outages, improper shutdowns, or software crashes while the drive is in use. When the file system fails, Windows may report the disk structure is corrupted and unreadable, making it critical to know how to recover data from an unreadable hard drive before attempting repairs.

2. Bad Sectors on the Disk

Over time, physical wear on a hard drive can lead to bad sectors—small areas where data can’t be reliably stored or retrieved. These sectors can develop from manufacturing defects, prolonged use, or overheating within the PC case. When critical system files or partition tables land on bad sectors, you’ll see disk corruption and unreadable errors, pushing you to seek solutions for how to recover data from an unreadable hard drive.

Bad sectors don’t always spell doom; Windows’ CHKDSK tool can mark them as unusable, but if they proliferate, data recovery becomes urgent. Regular monitoring with S.M.A.R.T. tools can catch this early.

3. Malware or Virus Infections

Malware can wreak havoc on an hard drive by corrupting files, altering the Master Boot Record (MBR), or scrambling the partition table. A severe infection might leave your drive showing the disk structure is corrupted and unreadable in Disk Management. This logical damage complicates how to recover data from an unreadable hard drive, as the corruption isn’t physical but software-induced.

4. Physical Damage from Hardware Issues

Though drives are less exposed than external ones, they’re still susceptible to physical damage. Loose SATA cables, a failing power supply, or excessive vibration within the PC case can disrupt the drive’s mechanics—think stuck read/write heads or a scratched platter. These issues often result in disk corrupted and unreadable status, requiring careful steps to recover data from an unreadable hard drive before the damage worsens.

5. Wear and Tear Over Time

Hard disks have a finite lifespan, typically 3-5 years under normal use. As mechanical components like the motor or actuator arm degrade, the drive may fail to spin up or read data, leading to the disk structure is corrupted and unreadable. This gradual decline underscores the importance of backups and knowing how to recover data from an unreadable hard drive when the inevitable strikes.

Older drives are especially prone during intensive tasks like gaming or video editing, where constant read/write cycles accelerate wear.

How to Recover Data from an Unreadable Hard Drive

When your drive is inaccessible, recovery is still possible. This section outlines reliable methods to recover data from an unreadable hard drive, featuring AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery as a standout solution.

The good news is that even if Windows flags your drive with disk corrupted and unreadable, data might still be salvageable. This software supports recovering lost files from unreadable, corrupted, or formatted drives, including HDDs, SSDs, and external disks. It’s ideal for situations where the disk structure is corrupted and unreadable, offering a safe, non-destructive way to retrieve data. Beyond recovery, it handles partitioning, cloning, and system optimization, making it a must-have for Windows users.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your temp folder is 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 bins 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 ends.

How to Fix a Corrupted Hard Drive on Windows 

After we save the data from hard drive, let's see how to fix unreadable hard drive.

Recovery is only half the battle—fixing the drive is key to reusing it. This section covers practical steps to repair a drive showing that the disk structure is corrupted and unreadable. A corrupted drive doesn’t always need replacing. By checking for bad sectors or reformatting, you can often restore functionality.

Way 1. Check Bad Sectors for Corrupted Hard Drive

Bad sectors can cause corruption. Windows includes a built-in tool to scan for bad sectors, which may resolve the disk structure is corrupted and unreadable. Built-in Windows 11/10 CMD is a very useful tool, with which you can check and fix bad sectors and repair damaged MBR on the internal hard disk. But how to open Command Prompt window? That depends on whether your Windows can boot successfully or not.

>>If your Windows can boot successfully, you can click the Search box, input CMD, and right-click the given Command Prompt icon and select Run as administrator to open the CMD window.
>> If your Windows cannot boot successfully, you need the help of Windows installation disc to open CMD window as the following instruction.

Step 1. Insert Windows installation disc into your computer, boot from it.

Step 2. Select language, time and keyboard input, and click Next.

Step 3. For a Windows 11, 10, or Windows 8.1/ 8 installation media, go for Troubleshoot>Command Prompt. For a Windows 7 installation media, in System Recovery Options, select the first item and Windows 7 as the operating system, click "Next">"Command Prompt".

You just need type "chkdsk c: /f" and press Enter in the window. (where C is the drive letter of one partition on the internal hard disk). In most cases, you will receive a message saying “Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)”

Way 2. Format the corrupted/unreadable hard drive

you can also try to format the corrupted hard drive if checking disk can't help you solve the problem. If you can't boot your computer, 

here we recommend you a reliable GUI free partition manager- AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard (supporting Windows 11/10/8/7). This freeware allows you to create a bootable media, then check (RAW) partition and rebuild MBR in Windows PE mode. In the whole process, the Windows installation disc is not required.

To create a bootable USB: Connect an empty USB to a working computer, download the free software, install and run it on the working computer. Click “Tools” in the top toolbar, and choose “Make Bootable Media” to create a bootable USB. (PS: it will contain installed AOMEI Partition Assistant.)

Then plug the bootable USB in the computer with a corrupted internal hard disk. Enter BIOS and change the boot order to make your computer boot from the bootable USB just created.

Step 1. Once login, you will be in the main interface of AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. On the main interface, right-click the C partition and select "Format Partition".

Step 2. In the pop-out mini window, you can select a proper file system for your needs and click "OK".

Step 3. Hit on "Apply" and "Proceed" to commit the pending operation.

What’s more, you can check an entire disk under the help of “Surface Test” feature. 

Ending

A corrupted and unreadable hard drive doesn’t always mean permanent data loss. By using AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery, you can easily save your data on your hard drive. And if you want to fix a corrupted hard drive, you can try the two offered 2 ways to solve the problem.