I have accidentally formatted the hard drive connected to my Windows PC. It has erased all my important files, including my wedding photos. Now I am looking for recovery methods to get those deleted pictures back, please help me recover this data, thank you.
Have you ever wondered what if your precious and important photos get deleted after accidentally formatting hard drives on your Windows PC? Whether you have any previously created backups of lost photos or not, recovering deleted photos after formatting is quite simple.
Go through this guide on how to recover photos from formatted hard drive on Windows PC to explore different recovery workarounds. From the prerequisite steps you should consider to getting help from amazing third-party photo recovery software, we’ve covered almost everything. Keep reading this article to know more!
Why Should You Format a Windows PC?
Before getting into different methods to recover photos from a formatted hard drive, it is important to understand when you should format your Windows PC. Some main reasons why you may have to format are:
Cleaning Virus or Malware Infection: If your computer is infected with viruses, malware, or other malicious programs, formatting it can easily eliminate these threats.
Improving Device Performance: Windows PCs slow down over time and become sluggish due to the accumulation of junk files and software, fragmentation of the hard drive, etc. Formatting removes all unnecessary clutter, rendering your device OS run faster and smoother.
Fixing System Errors and Issues: Certain system errors, like blue screen of death (BSOD) crashes or OS corruption can make your PC nearly unusable. Formatting the hard drive and reinstalling Windows can fix these issues by replacing damaged files with new ones.
Immediate Steps to Take After Formatting
To enjoy smooth and easy photo recovery of your lost photos from formatted hard drives, it is important to consider certain points. This includes:
Avoid Saving New Files: Immediately stop using your hard drive or don’t save new data on the formatted drive, as this might overwrite deleted files and make the recovery complex.
Disconnect the Drive: If possible, disconnect the hard drive from your Windows PC to prevent any accidental writes.
Avoid Multiple/Repeated Formatting: Formatting the hard drive again can reduce the chances of successful recovery.
Quick Methods to Restore Photos Lost From Formatted Hard Drive
Go with the following hard drive recovery methods one-by-one to recover photos lost due to any data loss scenario, including formatting:
Method 01: Use a Professional Photo Recovery Software
Recovering lost photos from a formatted hard drive using Windows built-in recovery methods can be time-consuming or tricky. This is why a photo recovery tool is considered the best solution. Stellar Photo Recovery is a versatile photo recovery tool which allows you to restore photos deleted due to any reason, including formatting, accidental deletion, system failure, and many more.
Some most prominent features of the Stellar Photo Recovery tool are:
Recover photos from various devices including Windows PC, Mac, USB flash drives, crashed computers, recycle bins, etc.
Along with photos, you can use this tool to recover video and audio files of several file formats.
It is a 100% safe and secure tool with a user-friendly interface offering quick recovery.
Supports recovery from various hard drive file systems, including exFAT, FAT32, NTFS, HFS+, etc.
Let’s see how to recover photos from a formatted hard drive on a Windows PC using the Stellar Photo Recovery software in 3 easy steps:
Step 1: After downloading and installing the Stellar Photo Recovery software on your Windows PC, launch it. From the homepage, select the storage drive where the deleted photos were earlier stored and click Scan to initiate the scanning process.
Step 2: Once the scan is finished, preview the recoverable files and select the photo(s) you need to restore.
Step 3: Click the Recover button to save selected photos at the desired storage location on your PC.
Method 02: Recover Photos Using Command Prompt (CMD)
If you have technical expertise, try using Windows’ Command Prompt utility to attempt file recovery. This method best works when the photos are deleted due to malware attack or unexpected system crash. All you have to do is:
Firstly, press the Windows + R keys, type cmd in the Run prompt and press Enter.
Now, type the command: chkdsk X: /f (replace X with the drive letter of the formatted hard drive) and press Enter.
Next, type attrib -h -r -s /s /d X:\*.* and again press the Enter key.
Once the commands are successfully executed, check the drive to see if the photos are restored. If this method anyhow fails, check previously created backups to recover your photos.
Method 03: Check File History Backups to Restore Deleted Photos
Backups are one of the most reliable options to recover deleted photos after formatting a drive. If you maintain regular backups of the important files and folders stored on your Windows PC, you can easily use them when data loss occurs.
Windows OS provides a built-in File History backup utility, which when synced with your PC, creates an automatic backup of your files or folders. If you’ve enabled the File History backup utility on your device, follow the below steps to recover deleted photos:
Press the Windows + S keys and type File History in the search box. Click on Restore your files with File History.
Go to the folder where your deleted photos were earlier stored.
Browse through different backup versions of your files and choose the photos you need to restore.
Click the Restore button to recover the photos to their original location.
Method 04: Recover Lost Photos Using Cloud Backups
Along with Windows built-in backup utilities, you can create backups of your important files using cloud backup services such as One Drive, Google Drive, etc. You just need to sync your device with these backup services and then access your backup account on any device to get deleted photos back.
Here’s how to recover photos from a formatted hard drive on Windows PC using Google Drive backups:
Firstly, open any web browser and visit the Google Drive website.
Log in to the account using your credentials.
Click the Trash button from the left pane.
Locate and right-click on the deleted photos, and select Restore.
If the required photos are not in the Trash folder, check the backup items and download them.
What if the Above Photo Recovery Methods Fail?
Chances are quite low but sometimes the above photo recovery methods might fail to recover deleted photos from a formatted hard drive. In such cases, you can use professional data recovery services.
These professionals have advanced tools and expertise to restore files from physically damaged or severely formatted drives. Though these services charge huge fees, they can effectively handle complex issues, such as drives affected by malware or mechanical failure.
Conclusion
Formatting doesn’t mean that your data is lost forever. When you format a hard drive, intentionally or accidentally, you lose all its content, including your precious and memorable photos. Such data loss can be distressful but don’t lose hope, go with the above photo recovery methods one-by-one to retrieve deleted photos. It is important to act immediately to avoid data overwrites.
Moreover, consider preventive measures like maintaining regular backups, using reliable storage devices, etc. to prevent data loss in the future.
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