Loosing your data can be very frustrating, There are many reasons why a storage device may become corrupt or damaged, these errors occur due to Virus/Malware, Bugs, Hardware Malfunction, Interruption of data, Power Outage and so on, therefore making your device unreadable.
But all this can be eluded by simply avoiding the causes listed above and by safely ejecting USB devices from your system. It’s also recommended that you run regular checks and maintenance on all your storage devices.
How to Recover Files from a Corrupt Hard Drive or Memory Card
If your storage device suddenly stops functioning or gives an error message like “You need to format the disk in drive G: before you can use it.” It has becomes unreadable due to a malfunction but you can recover your files with any of these methods below.
Method 1: Remove Errors on the Drive or Locate and Repair Bad sectors on the Drive
To do this,
- you have to open Command Prompt. Hold Start(Windows Key)+R, then type CMD
- Located the Drive of your Device, for example (F: or G:) then Remove Errors on the Drive or Repair Bad sectors on the Drive, using chkdsk command. Eg: C:\User\PC Name\chkdsk G: /r C:\User\PC Name\chkdsk G: /f
In some cases, the files may just be hidden or may turn into shortcuts due to viruses/malwares or changes in attributes. But you can unhide and recover these files by following these steps;
- To recover files which have been affected by recycler virus, Open Command Prompt, then type the affected drive (H:) followed by attrib –r –a –s –h /s /d then enter the command and wait. This will reveal all hidden files.
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To show hidden files and folders click Tools in the windows tab >Folder Options>View> Then tick “Show Hidden Files, Folders and Drives”.
If none of this options works out. You will now have to try the 2nd method
Method 2: This method involves using a Data Recovery software to recover all files. This options works for most people but it requires patient because it can take up to 5 hours depending on the size of your storage device.
The Software I will advice you to use for this is called Easy Us Data Recovery Wizard. This software is very reliable in Data recovery, I have used it a couple of times and it has never disappointed. Easy Us Data Recovery Wizard has 3 mode of Data Recovery;
- Deleted File Recovery: This option helps to recover files which have been deleted and emptied from recycle bin.
- Complete Recovery: This option helps to recover files lost due to format, system crash, virus attack, software crash. This option can also be used in situation where windows ask “Do you want to format this drive?”
- Partition Recovery: This option can be used in cases when you accidentally delete a partition, or partial loss of data due to disk partitioning, Boot Manger etc.
I hope any of these methods works for you, if you have any questions, kindly leave a comment. Good luck
Reference: How to Recover Files from a Corrupt Hard Drive or Memory Card by SOSMAIT Online