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STEP #1: STOP USING YOUR DRIVE When you format your hard
drive, you create a new file system for your data. This
means that meta data for all your files before
formatting have been deleted. Most or all of your files
are still on the disk at this point, but the record of
their location has been deleted. Data recovery software
can help you find the data without the location records.
However, the more you use your computer, the more data
you overwrite, thus the greater chances of your data
becoming unrecoverable.
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STEP #2: CHOOSE DATA RECOVERY SOFTWARE The Internet is overflowing with easy to
download data
recovery software. With a quick search, you'll
find everything from free basic software to pricey
professional software. Free software can be effective,
but isn't always quite as stable or user-friendly as
some of the mid-range priced products.
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STEP #3: DOWNLOAD DATA RECOVERY SOFTWARE During
the download step, you'll need to use another computer
to download your data recovery software. You can then
burn the software onto a CD or DVD or transfer it to a
flash drive to use in recovery. Since you've formatted
your hard drive, it's unusable unless you've installed a
new operating system, something I don't recommend during
data recovery.
Remember, writing anything to your hard drive
can damage your data. However, if you have already done
this, hope is not lost, especially if you have a large
drive - your files may or may not have been overwritten.
If you've installed a new operating system on
your formatted drive, don't boot into it. Instead, look
for a portable or bootable version of your data recovery
software. This will let you start your computer without
using your system disk.
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STEP #4 RUN YOUR DATA RECOVERY SOFTWARE Good
data recovery software will give you step by step
instructions to follow as it scans your computer for
your missing files. Just follow the instructions and
wait for your scan to complete. Once it's done, a list
of recoverable files should appear.
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STEP #5: DOWNLOAD RECOVERED FILES TO ANOTHER DRIVE So,
did you recover the files you were looking for? If yes,
great, back them up on another drive and you're all
done! If you didn't recover your data, don't panic just
yet you can still seek professional help. Data
recovery software is great, but isn't perfect. If the
data you've lost is precious, it might be worth it to
enlist the help of a data recovery specialist who can
search for your files in more ways..
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