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ColoradoSky's avatar
ColoradoSky
Copper Contributor
Dec 17, 2024

How to recover formatted external hard drive using cmd?

A few days ago, I mistakenly formatted my external hard drive (Seagate 1TB) while trying to clean up the disk on my Windows 10 PC. Unfortunately, I realized shortly after the formatting that I had im...
device management
Ginas's avatar
Ginas
Iron Contributor
Dec 18, 2024

CHKDSK is a built-in Windows utility that checks the file system and file system metadata of a volume for logical and physical errors. While primarily used for repairing disk issues, it can sometimes help recover data from a formatted drive.

Run CHKDSK with Recovery Options: 

chkdsk X: /f /r
  • Replace X: with the drive letter of your external hard drive.
  • /f: Fixes errors on the disk.
  • /r: Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information.

CHKDSK will scan the drive, fix filesystem errors, and attempt to recover readable data. This process can take a considerable amount of time depending on the drive size and condition. The recovered files are typically moved to a folder named FOUND.000 at the root of the drive, with file fragments saved as .CHK files.

Navigate to the FOUND.000 folder to review and attempt to recover formatted external hard drive using cmd.

Caveat: CHKDSK is not a dedicated data recovery tool. Its primary function is to repair disk errors, and while it can recover some data, it's not as effective as specialized recovery tools for comprehensive data restoration.

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