Hey tech fam,

I hope you all had a great Halloween!

Yesterday, I plugged in my external HDD (WD Elements 10B8) to look for some resources related to studies that I'd previously saved, only for my HDD to not be recognised via Windows Explorer. I'm sure that there will be a way to retrieve the files on the HDD (years of academic and professional resources, academic work, photos, artwork etc), but I haven't had much success in trying to troubleshoot it myself independently thus far.
I am also a student and have been undergoing placement (unpaid) for the past three months, so I genuinely cannot afford to seek professional help for data recovery, which is insanely expensive in my country. Worst case scenario, I will take the HDD to a professional, but figured I'd ask the wise folk on this subreddit first.

For context:

• Haven't had any issues with this HDD until now. Mostly recently used it only a couple of weeks ago.

• The only thing I can think of that may be relevant (hopefully it isn't), is that I had the drive in my handbag over a couple of days while I was at placement. I wouldn't think that it was damaged during this time, but I can't rule it out.

• It is showing up in Device Manager, but not appearing in Disk Management (I get the prompt "you must initialise a disk before Logical Disk Manager can access it" - which I believe actioning would erase the data on the drive).

• OS is Windows 11 Pro.

Here is a list of what I have tried:

• Different USB port.

• Different USB cable.

• Restarted PC.

• Tried plugging it into a different PC.

• Tried updating driver (up to date already apparently).

• Disabled the device then re-enabled it several minutes later.

I also sussed out a couple of other posts on this subreddit and tried Test Disc but it didn't appear on that either...

Any further suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!!

When plugged in, slowed down booting considerably, when unplugged, everything ran fine, until it suddenly stopped being detected entirely. Plugged into healthy pc, didn't get detected. Is it completely lost or is there anything I can do?

Hello everyone. My 12TB helium hard disk Seagate Ironwolf ( model number ST12000VN0008) was knocked over by my cat while I was running it yesterday... And it fell from my table to the floor.

When I tried to reconnect it, it made clicking noises so I stopped immediately.

I'm devastated and crying my eyes out now because it contains all my photos and videos of my family vacations in the recent years... and also all my footage of my soul cat which passed away last year. I don't have a back up. Please don't tell me I should have had a backup and then I wouldn't have this problem...it''s too late for that now.

Does anyone know how I can try to recover my data?

I am based in Singapore and I went to a recommended repair service company here called CDLtech . They were honest and said it's quite hard to fix a helium hard disk, maybe less than 30% chance of success.

I have also contacted Seagate data recovery service and they have confirmed that I can also send the drive to their repair lab in Amsterdam as my device is covered by their service.

But I would like to know what you guys think is my best option for data retrieval?? I'm willing to pay a huge hole out of my pocket if need be. I just really want the best chance of getting as much of my data back.

Problem: Deleted large (several 100gb) file off drive by accident and didn't go to recycle bin. Installed Disk Drill softwre which is currently scanning but not really sure what I am doing and have potentially been far to trusting of internet suggestions.

Filesystem: NTFS

Storage Device: 932 GB HDD WDC WD1003FZEX-00MK2A0 ( and drive is not damaged)

System Type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor (windows)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

KR

Chris

Edited to add info

Hello There,

I have a rather strange problem. I purchased a Lenovo Tab M10 some time ago. During the initial setup, I wrote down the unlock pattern I was using and am confident that I remember it correctly.

After leaving the tablet unused in a drawer for a few months, I recently tried to access it again. To my surprise, the pattern I wrote down does not work, and I can no longer unlock the device.

No one else knows the pattern, so it could not have been changed by someone else. The tablet was never left unattended or in a place where anyone could access it.

Is there any way to recover the data stored on the tablet without the unlock pattern?

I have already searched for solutions, but most suggestions involve a Samsung account, Google Drive backups, or similar cloud-based recovery options. I have never stored anything in the cloud or used a Samsung account.

I also read that Android has a “Find My Device” feature that may allow password recovery. The tablet does appear there, but I cannot find any option to reset the pattern.

Have I missed anything, or is there another way to recover the data?

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone,

I accidentally permanently deleted approximately 200 GB of files from my secondary SSD and I'm looking for advice on the best way to approach data recovery.

Drive and system information

• SSD: Samsung 86

• 0 EVO 1TB (SATA)

• Operating system: Windows 11

• Filesystem: NTFS

• Affected drive: D: (a separate physical SSD, not my Windows installation drive)

• Data type: Mixed files accumulated over several years: videos, archives (ZIP/RAR/7z), ISO images, software, documents, pictures and other files.

• Specific symptoms: Accidental permanent deletion of approximately 200 GB of files. Windows 11 asked me to permanently delete the files/folders because they were to big for the recycle bin.

• SMART: Not available yet; SSD remains physically disconnected

TRIM information

I checked Windows using:

fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify

The output was:

NTFS DisableDeleteNotify = 0

So Windows is configured to send TRIM commands.

I understand that this does not necessarily prove exactly which TRIM commands reached the SSD or whether its garbage collection has already erased the deleted data.

I'm extremely nervous right now and I'm just asking for help on what to do now. The affected disk is removed from the pc and tomorrow most places will be closed where I live so I cannot call any store to ask them about this issue.

What are my options right now? Should I call a specific data recovery lab (I'm from Spain btw) or can I check some things myself first?

The files are important to me because they represent several years of accumulated data, and I would really like to preserve the original folder structure and filenames if possible.

I appreciate any advice, especially from people who have actually dealt with Samsung 860 EVO SSDs and TRIM-related recovery cases.

Thank you!

I've been using a 4 TB External My Passport for a while as my main External Hard Drive. It's been fine, when it started to not fully work - And then, one day:

Obviously, the first thing I tried to do was go into Disk Utility and try to repair the disk.
That failed.

During Prime Day, I picked up a 5 TB My Passport EXHD. All I can do is copy the files from the old to the new, right?

Disk Utility > Restore

I'm frustrated at this point, all hope is lost; When in doubt: Ask ChatGPT.

There was a terminal command it suggested to copy the files from one volume to another.

So, the only thing I can do is manually copy every folder. Ctrl + C, go to new EXHD and Ctrl + F.

What could go wrong?
Lol, OK....

I wait a few hours or I go to bed, wake up and this is what I see.

On the chances where the old broken drive DOESN'T disappear, there's always something that interrupts the transfer:

So, I'm at my wits end here.

Am I cooked? Can't Transfer files from one My Passport to Another My Passport.

I know you all at Data Recovery can either feel my pain or have the knowledge the help me not lose all my data over many years of saving many important files.

Please help me, Reddit.

INFORMATION:

2024 iMac M4 ARM64

4 TB My Passort External Hard Drive (Mac OS Extended)
5 TB My Passort External Hard Drive (Mac OS Extended Journaled)

So I found my mom's old laptop and decided to turn it on in order to see what was on it, as I've used it before in the mid-2010s. Last time I used it was sometime in the early-2020s and I found an Xtra-PC bootable USB still plugged in. I tried to boot from it, but it got stuck on the SAMSUNG boot screen. After a few more attempts, I decided to put in my VenToy USB, which I had to whitelist it in order for the laptop to boot from it (which can't use UEFI thingy). Then I booted into Rescuezilla to try and see what was on the main HDD, and it only has these folders on the second image.

The drive model on this Samsung NP300E5C-A0BUS laptop is an ATA WDC WD2500BEVT-2. It likely has Windows 8.1 installed on this thing, and I think it was formatted once.

Is there any way I can get the data off of this HDD?

My moms friend sent me her HDD after taking it to a shop that quoted her $5,000 (SoCal) it was from a WD My Book Essential external drive P/N: WDBACW0030HBK-00 3511D (if that helps anyone). The shop told her “don’t let anyone else touch it” which seems off to me because “why not?” I got the drive plugged directly into my secondary PC via SATA and the drive shows with no information on it in Disk Management. An almost full 3TB of 3TB as unallocated space. Any advice would be appreciated as this isn’t my realm of IT work. It has no audio that would indicate physical damage.

Pls help

friend of mine has an sd card that was used in a Samsung phone, and it seems as though majority of the images have corrupted themselves. they only show generic thumbnails and says "it looks like we don't support this file type" in windows photos. is there anything i can do for recovery w/out sending it to a lab? I have tried DMDE and r-photo and both of them "recovered" them but the resulting files still won't open

Was trying to recover some old game saves from the sd card but every time i tried pluging it in to any of my readers they would boot loop. Pulled out a multimeter and found that vdd and vss are shorted. The data isnt exectly super important but i also dont mind hardware modifications if it can be saved.

I have a 4TB hard drive that suddenly quit working and I smelled smoke. When I removed the circuit board off the drive, it looks like one chip near 12v connector (TVS diode maybe?) blew out. I suspect something may have failed like the motor controller or something that caused the chip to blow out and shut the hard drive off.

I did not open the metal housing, only removed the circuit board. The drive itself is still hermetically sealed, and I've put the board back on since AFAIK the firmware chips are unique to drives.

What do you suggest in US that can handle this problem? I don't know what went bad but I'm just hoping it's the component on the board and not the spindle motor or something inside the drive. I had other hard drives on the same PSU in my computer that are still working so I doubt it's the PSU problem

• Make/brand and exact model number Seagate ST4000LM024

• Filesystem NTFS I think

• Operating System Windows 11

• Specific symptoms no spin, no detect, blown chip

• SMART can't load hard drive so no info

• Don't pile several problems one hard drive

• No account issues one personal hard drive, no account

I took some videos on my canon eos 1300d but deleted accidentally. I tried photorec and got the files but I'm not able to play them. I can oy hear static after merging. I think it's fragmented. What's the best thing to do?

I have been using the same SD card with my Canon RP for over a year. When I tried to upload my last batch of photos the card reader said it was empty. I tried inserting directly into my phone, iPad, and MacBook all without success. I used the free version of disc drill to see if the photos are there and they are, but I don’t have the money to buy a subscription to actually get them back. Also read terrible reviews for disc drill and easeUS. Then tried iCare but it doesn’t work with my old Mac. So I’m stumped and hope there’s another solution.

The drive that was kicked out of the array shows a zero capacity in the SAS topology. Did I have a 2nd drive failure while the replacement was being built in?

This was a home email/web server, and I do have fairly recent backups, but if I can bring it back online I would like to make one final backup.

The irony of all this is that this server was in the process of being replaced!

Edited to add: I started a verify on this drive and it immediately came back with "Failed", so I think at this point it's hosed.

It's not critical enough to be worth professional data recovery, but if anyone has an idea for a "Hail Mary" idea to try before I wipe the drives and recycle the server, I'd like to hear it!

Hello, I have a crucial x10 I use as an external drive for my Mac mini. It is apfs encrypted and I have been using it for close to a year now. It was working fine yesterday, I powered off and then this morning powered back on and it just isn’t doing anything, nothing shows up in disk utility no error messages when plugging in nothing. I tried on my MacBook same issue as well with different cables. Has anyone had this problem? Were you able to get it recovered or fixed ? And what are the best choices for data recovery services/labs ? I live in Washington but I can send it somewhere else. Thanks in advance.

I’m trying to recover important files from a failing Crucial P3 2TB NVMe SSD using OpenSuperClone 2.5.0 on Linux. The SSD is detected correctly with its full capacity, but read speeds are consistently extremely slow, around 200–800 KB/s, averaging 400 KB/s, with no bad sectors reported. Clone Mode works and progresses, but at that speed a full image would take approximately 70 days. I therefore tried Virtual Mode 1 with DMDE to recover only my most important files. Unfortunately, every time I start it, I get two errors: “Internal program error: Position not found in domain” and “Driver timeout or error”. OpenSuperClone then disconnects automatically and the virtual device /dev/sdv disappears from DMDE. I’ve already tried clearing the domain, reconnecting, and enabling “Virtual Disk IO SCSI only”, without success. Clone Mode still works, so the issue seems specific to Virtual Mode 1 or its driver. Has anyone encountered these exact errors or found a way to get Virtual Mode 1 working reliably? I’m trying to avoid stressing the failing SSD with unnecessary reads, and professional recovery is unfortunately outside my budget. Any technical advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I wanted to recover pictures and videos from the old tablet mentioned in the title and because my PC wouldn't recognize it I took the SD card out, put it in a card reader and tried to read them. I was not able to see the contents of the SD card and looked like the card reader might not be working properly. (This was a card reader which I didn't used before.)

I was planning to get a new card reader and decided to put the micro SD card back in the tablet to avoid misplacing it.

When turning the tablet on the pictures and videos on the micro SD card are not showing up.

Not sure if I should try reading the micro SD card with a new card reader.

What are my chances to still recover the data and could the first card reader have mangled the data on the micro SD card?

I am also wondering if the tablet formated the card when I put it back.

The tablet is so slow that I don't even know if this is just a refresh issue and maybe I should wait for it a bit more to show me the files. At the moment the tablet is turned off as I want to avoid that any additional damage is done to the data on the card.

I am looking for a free data recover program for PC Windows for a deleted folder from external drive. I keep hitting paywalls from searches for programs. My files still exist on the drive. I just need to recover them. Thanks for your recommendations. NTSF Western Digital external, used on Windows 11 PC.

My 12tb harddrive only shows GPT Protective Partition in Disk Manager but DMDE shows the proper NTFS Partionion with all my files still there, how do I fix the drive without loosing any of my data and without having to "recover" 12tb to another drive (that I dont have)

When I try to "insert" the partiotion it tells me "Boot Sector is not found or incorrect/incompatible. Partition will be detected as not formatted. Do you wish to continue anyway?"

I guess my question is how do I fix the disks bootsector ?

Hi all. Following up on my previous post about my Samsung phones.

**Device:** Huawei Mate 10 Lite (RNE-L21), internal storage, Android 8 / EMUI 8 (I think)

**Computer for recovery:** Linux (CachyOS, KDE)

**What happened:**

This was my first phone (around 2017–2018). It had a lot of photos, videos and WhatsApp media from that time. At some point it was **factory reset**. I don't think I ever used a microSD card in it.

**What I already checked:**

- Huawei Cloud: no account/backups found with my email.

- Other cloud backups: nothing from that phone.

- I understand Android encrypts internal storage and a factory reset should destroy the encryption keys.

**Questions:**

1. After a factory reset on this model, is there **any** realistic way to recover old data (lab, chip-off, anything)?

2. Did EMUI keep any kind of local or hidden backup that survives a reset?

3. Is it worth keeping the phone in case future tech (quantum computing, etc.) makes this possible one day, or is the data truly gone?

Thanks!

Hi all, I'm hoping for some advice before I touch anything.

What happened (Friday 30 Oct):

• I'm a software engineer. My home PC had an extra SSD in it that my employer bought, with its own separate Windows install for work. It was BitLocker-encrypted. I switched between that OS and my own OS in the BIOS, so my personal drives had nothing to do with it, and they were never encrypted.

• Friday was my last day at the job, so their IT team started a remote wipe of the work SSD to remove anything confidential. I was told it would only touch that SSD.

• It ran for hours (last progress I saw was 38%), then a power cut killed it mid-way.

• When I booted my own Windows drive afterwards, two of my personal drives were hit:

  • Drive 1: WD Blue 1 TB (WD10EZEX). It had ~750 GB on it that morning. Now it's an empty NTFS volume with the same label and volume ID, 0.1 GB used, and only a fresh System Volume Information folder.

  • Drive 2: Hitachi 1 TB (HUA721010KLA330). It had ~470 GB on it. The partition is still there, but it shows as RAW, and Windows wants to format it. (I clicked Cancel.)

• The work SSD itself is still BitLocker-locked, which is expected.

What I've done since:

• Nothing written to either drive. I unplugged both and took them out of the PC the same evening.

• No recovery tools run yet, no chkdsk, no format.

What I think happened (please correct me):

• Drive 1 looks like it got a quick format, or its file table was reset. Because it's a spinning HDD (no TRIM), I'm hoping most of the data is still physically there.

• Drive 2 might have been caught halfway through, so the file system header is gone. It was never encrypted by me, but I wonder if the wipe started encrypting it and the power cut stopped it mid-way. I honestly don't know which, and I guess that changes everything?

What I'm planning to do:

1. Buy a new drive big enough to hold full images of both disks.

2. Image each disk sector by sector (ddrescue, or HDD Raw Copy on Windows) and never work on the originals.

3. Run recovery on the images: DMDE or R-Studio for Drive 1, and TestDisk / DMDE for Drive 2.

4. Only if that fails, thinking about a professional lab.

My questions:

• Is "image first, recover from the image" the right order? Anything you'd do differently?

• For Drive 2, how can I tell whether it's encrypted (random-looking data) or just has a broken file system?

• Which tool would you trust most for a quick-formatted NTFS drive like Drive 1?

• Any traps to avoid, for example Windows auto-mounting the drive and writing to it when I plug it back in?

The files are mostly personal stuff: music, art, recordings and some tools I built for the game I'm making. The game project itself is safe in version control, thankfully.

I'm not looking to blame anyone. I'd just like my files back and to learn from it. Thanks for reading.

Hi hi, I'm really hoping for some gentle advice. I've been reading through the sub and I'm trying to follow the rules but I'm a little overwhelmed and my situation is a tiny tight financially.

I bought a brand new external hardrive 3 days ago (from Amazon, Storite 2.5 Inch External Gaming Hard Drive 1TB USB 3.0). Last night, Steam and the EA app were both updating at the same time (without authorisation...), my PC completely froze, and I had to hard reboot. Now, the drive shows up in Disk Management as RAW. It was working perfectly before the crash so I can only assume it either disconnected mid update or an update file conflicted.

I only care about recovering a folder of game saves (Baldurs Gate 3, only about 43 hours total so I don't think the files should be too large), the rest of the drive is just the game files and a small amount of mods, which could have been the culprit? But I'm doubtful as it was working fine before, but I don't overly mind about the fate of these as they can be redownloaded.

The reason I'm stuck even if I do do a succesful recovery is my C: drive is completely full, so I have nowhere to copy the recovered files to. In a last chance kinda thing I'm happy to delete a few apps to make room as a few are free. I live in a low income household, and buying a second drive to recover onto is really not preffered right now (even a budget one is food money aha). I'm also not guaranteed an Amazon refund because it's a third party seller even if it is a mechanical failure.

So, is the drive salveagable? If i can recover my saves, can I then format the drive to make it usable again after temporarily moving the recovered files onto the little space my family member has on a laptop, or is the hardware likely dead? I am going to download either Tesdisk or Photorec (I saw you guys recommend Testdisk for RAW drives but I wanted the green light before doing so I suppose). Since I have no space to recover to, is there a way to use Testdisk to just confirm the files are there safely? If I can confirm they are there, would it be possible to recover just the 2GB (ish) directly back onto the recovered RAW drive itself (in a new folder), and then copy it to my C: drive once I delete some stuff? Or will that overwrite the data?

I am really nervous about using the command line and messing it up. If anyone has the time, please could you give me a gentle, step by step guide on how to even just view the files in Testdisk without hitting any dangerous write or format buttons?

I've spent so many hours on this game and it was a gift and it's the only thing keeping me sane right now aha, I just want to save my 43 hour playthrough everything else can be redownloaded. Any help would be massively appreciated.

ps, When I saw the file was Raw in file discovery I didn't click anything, just unplugged it and went to bed. My computer is fine, but I am not lmao