Recovering files from accidentally formatted NTFS partition

Once disaster strikes it may be assumed that it has been lost forever, whether it is a result of software error, or user error, this can be catastrophic. When such a disaster appears, what the best can be done?
Many users accept that their files are gone forever and face all succeeding losses. However, this is not necessarily the way it has to be. Even when NTFS does not have a practicable solution for the recovery of lost data, hope is now a possibility with Remo Recover (Windows) Pro Edition NTFS Partition Recovery, an easy and secure way to recover data you had thought was lost forever.

Remo Recover (Windows) Pro Edition NTFS Partition Recovery is a tool that helps you to recover data when

• Files and directories are accidentally deleted.
• Drive is accidentally formatted.
• When partition table is corrupted.
• When your partition is accidentally deleted.

What happens when you format a drive?

Formatting a drive is a process, which arrives after creation of partition, which is mapping the drive to create user-defined regions. Such regions or partitions needs to be formatted before using them. Most of us still today believe format means erasing the data on a drive and making it completely refreshed to store data from scratch.

A logical drive or partition requires file system to manage data, when we format a drive a file system like FAT or NTFS in Windows takes control of the drive and creates its section and required files to manage data.

By formatting the drive, you clean your file system and instruct it to manage data again, wherein file system assumes the drive completely fresh and starts overwriting on those sectors, which still hold data. This is the reason why recovery is possible even after formatting a drive, recovery software apply special planned techniques and various algorithms, to find or create virtual pointers to those unlinked data.

Once the software is able to create a pointer it is as simple as copying data from one hard drive to another. The complexity increases with attempts of overwriting and fragmentation level, data once overwritten becomes unavailable for recovery, and there is no possibility to recover such data.

Do’s and Don’t after data loss

• If possible, do not save anymore data onto the NTFS system after formatting the partition
• Close all applications without saving any data to the disk or other data storage media (if possible).
• Switch off the computer.
• Think patiently about how data has lost. Try not to panic and quickly restore the data in question as adventurous behavior can lead to even more data loss.
• If the data were really lost due to formatting then it is advised to use Remo NTFS Partition Recovery to restore them, by attaching the drive to the machine where Remo NTFS Partition Recovery is installed.

Recovering files from a formatted NTFS partition

Recovering data using Remo NTFS Partition Recovery software is a fairly simple task. Accompanied by an on-screen “wizard”, you are guided through the data recovery process step by step. When all is accomplished you will be able to use the once-lost data just as before.

Follow the simple steps below to recover lost data from formatted NTFS drive:

Step 1: Connect the drive from which data needs to be recovered to the system where Remo Recover (Windows) Pro NTFS partition Recovery software is installed.

Step 2: Start the Remo Recover Main application from either start menu or desktop shorcut. Click on Remo Recover – Advance option. Further select NTFS Partition Recovery. The application main window will be displayed as shown in figure a.

Figure a: Application Main Window

Step 3: Select ‘Recover your Data’ option and click on ‘Next’ button to continue. As you click ‘Next’ button, a window will be displayed to select the physical drive which has formatted partition. As you select the drive you can see information of drive selected on right side of the window panel as shown in Figure b.

Figure b: Select source disk

Step 4: Let the processing mode be set to default i.e., Display default partitions. As you click on ‘Next’ button, the application analyses the drive and lists all the found partitions in the partition table as shown in Figure c.

Figure c: Partition Table

Step 5: Select the formatted partition, from which data has to be recovered. Once partition is selected, click Finish button. NTFS Partition Recovery analyses selected logical drive and searches for files and folders in it.

While NTFS Partition Recovery searches for files and folders, process information is displayed at the bottom of main application window panel and actions are recorded in process log on application main window panel.

After searching for files and folders, all found files and folders will be displayed in a tree format as shown in Figure d.

Figure d: Found files and folders

Step 6: Once the tree is formed the final step is to restore data to safe location. If you want to recover whole tree structure formed, click root folder to mark whole data and click on ‘Save All’ option on the tool bar or button from the tools menu.

As soon as you click on ‘Save all’ button, a window to select destination location is displayed as shown in Figure e.

Figure e: Select local drive

Select a logical drive in your local disk where you wish to save the data.

If you want to save a particular file, right click and select Save option. This will save the selected file/folder to specified destination location.

Note:

• If you do not find your files and folders in the tree structure formed, then run Turbo scan option from Tools menu. In this operation, the application performs rigorous search to find files and folders and will list all the found files and folders.
• You can preview the file before it could be recovered using Preview option.
• If you do not want to save data now but do it later, then you can save scanned information in a file using ‘Save Scan Information’ option in Tools menu. You can open scan info file whenever required using ‘Open Scan Information’ option in File menu and recover data to desired destination location. This reduces the pain of scanning the drive again to search for lost / deleted data.

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