How to Repair Corrupted External Hard Drive in Windows 7/10

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Quick Navigation:

• Part 1: Causes for Corruption of External hard Drive
• Part 2: How to Recover Data from Corrupted External Hard Drive
• Guide for Recover Files from External Hard Drive after Corrupted/Unreadable
• Part 3: How to Repair Corrupted External Hard Drive
• 1. Restore Corrupted System Files from the External Hard Drive
• 2. Format the Corrupted External Hard Drive
• 3. Repair Corrupted External Hard Drive with Windows Tools
• 4. Run CMD to Repair Corrupted External Hard Drive

To repair a corrupted external hard drive in Windows 7, it's essential to understand why the drive failed to function initially. If the reason is unknown, you can still attempt to repair it and extract all contents. Fortunately, there are various methods to perform a repair on a corrupted external hard drive, which can be applied in both Windows 7 and 10 environments.

Part 1: Causes for Corruption of External hard Drive

Here are the common factors that contribute to the corruption of a hard drive in one paragraph:

• Improper operation
• Malware infection
• Increased bad sectors
• File system errors
• Outdated and corrupted drivers
• Repeated error messages posted by the hard drive

Those who maintain good habits, such as regularly updating software and firmware (if necessary), and properly removing the drive after use, tend to keep their external hard disk performing well.

Part 2: How to Recover Data from Corrupted External Hard Drive

You can attempt to repair a corrupted external hard drive on Windows 10, but the process will likely result in the loss of most of your data. To do so, you'll need to format the disk to remove bad sectors, which will erase the majority of your files. This is a simple process, but it's essential to note that it will result in the permanent deletion of your data.

Recovering data from a corrupted hard drive is not a straightforward process. A better approach is to first attempt data recovery, which requires specialized software that can safely retrieve content while protecting the file system.

Before learning how to fix a corrupted external hard drive Windows 7 and Windows 10, use Deep Data Recovery to retrieve all the disk files. The recovery wizard is an effective medium, as it recognizes all the file formats and helps you scan and recover files in a few simple steps.

The robust algorithm is a comprehensive solution for recovering files from a corrupted hard disk, capable of retrieving data from a crashed external hard drive on both Mac and Windows PCs. This software can recover files that were accidentally deleted or corrupted by a virus attack, providing an easy and effective solution for restoring lost data.

Your Effective External Hard Drive Recovery Software

• Recovering deleted files from lost or hidden partitions in external hard drives involves using specialized software to scan the drive and retrieve the lost files. This process typically starts by connecting the external hard drive to a computer and running a data recovery software, such as Disk Drill or EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.
• Recovering files lost due to various reasons such as a formatted external hard drive, corrupted file systems, virus attacks, Windows reinstallation, or devices showing a RAW file system, is a common challenge. Additionally, issues like cloning partitions or the entire volume of a hard drive can also lead to file loss.
• Recovery from corrupted hard drives, external storage devices, USBs, SD Cards, and flash devices is possible.

• Free Download

Guide for Recover Files from External Hard Drive after Corrupted/Unreadable

Before proceeding with the steps, ensure to install the software, which can be downloaded as a trial version of Deep Data Recovery, allowing you to use all features without limitations. Once installed, connect the external disk that you want to recover files from with your computer.

Step 1: When you start the external hard drive recovery software, the primary screen displays the various file formats it can retrieve, allowing you to choose one or multiple formats based on your needs. Clicking the "Next" button leads you to the next step.

Step 2: Deep Data Recovery will show you different locations for selection, including other partitions of the internal hard disk and connected external hard drives. Choose the external hard drive locations and press the "Scan" button to allow the software to scan for recoverable files.

Step 3: After completing the scan, the software will display all recoverable files from the corrupted external hard drive in an organized manner, allowing you to select and view a folder's contents and preview its files. You can mark the critical files you want to recover and press the "Recover" button, choosing a new folder on the internal hard disk to save the recovered files, and then wait for the software to complete the recovery process.

The Deep Scan mode is recommended for recovering any additional files, but it's time-consuming as it scans sector-by-sector. It should only be selected when you're certain there are other files to be recovered. (Note: I rewrote it in one paragraph shortly)

Part 3: How to Repair Corrupted External Hard Drive

If your external hard drive has become corrupted and unreadable, don't worry - there are additional methods you can try to fix it. You can try running a disk check or disk cleanup on the drive, or using a third-party tool to scan and repair any errors.

1. Restore Corrupted System Files from the External Hard Drive

If you're experiencing file system errors with your external hard drive, you can try correcting them using the following procedure. This process can help resolve the issue, allowing you to access your external hard drive again. To do this, you'll need to follow the steps outlined in the procedure, which involves addressing the file system errors and then attempting to access the external hard drive.

• To open Command Prompt as Administrator, type "Command Prompt" in the search bar, select the option from the search result, right-click on the Command Prompt feature, and click "Run as Administrator".
• To run a System File Checker (SFC) scan on your computer, open the Command Prompt and input the command "sfc /scannow /offbootdir=d:\ /offwindir=d:\windows" (replacing "d" with the drive letter of your external hard disk), then press Enter. This will scan and replace any corrupted system files on your system, using the files stored on your external hard disk.
• 1. After completing the scan, check if the external drive can be accessed.

2. Format the Corrupted External Hard Drive

If you're having trouble accessing your USB external hard drive, you can try formatting it to fix corrupted sectors and gain access to all data. This process involves following a series of steps, including checking the drive for errors, running a disk check, and using a data recovery software to scan and recover lost files. If these steps don't work, you can try formatting the drive to start fresh and potentially recover all data.

• To connect an external hard drive, you'll need to plug it into your computer's USB port. Locate the USB port on your computer, which is usually found on the front or back of the device. Take the external hard drive's USB cable and insert the smaller end into the USB port.
• Open File Explorer, then navigate to the connected external hard drive.
• To format a hard drive, right-click on it and select "Format". This will open a new screen where you can choose the file system (FAT32 or NTFS), enter a name for the volume, and start the format process. Once initiated, wait for the format to complete.
• d. Click "OK" after you see the success message.

3. Repair Corrupted External Hard Drive with Windows Tools

To repair a corrupted and unreadable external hard drive without formatting, use the built-in error-checking tool from Windows. This process searches the disk for bad sectors and helps repair them, allowing you to safely remove, reconnect, and access the contents. Once accessible, copy all the contents to a new folder on the local hard drive. This step-by-step process does not require any third-party software and can help recover your data without losing any information.

• To open the disk management, type "disk management" in the search bar in Windows 10 or right-click on the Windows symbol and select the "Disk Management" option from the menu.
• You will see all the partitions of the internal hard drive and external hard drive in one view.
• To access the properties of the external hard drive, select the partition, right-click, and click "Properties".
• In the "Tools" tab, click the "Check" button in the "Error Checking" feature to have Windows scan for bad sectors and repair them.

4. Run CMD to Repair Corrupted External Hard Drive

The process of checking and fixing errors on an external hard drive in Windows involves using the built-in tool "chkdsk" with various parameters. Without any parameters, it only checks for errors, but with parameters like /f, /r, /x, and /b, it not only checks but also fixes the errors, including bad sectors and file system errors. This allows Windows to scan the external hard drive's metadata for logical and physical errors, making it a useful tool for maintaining the integrity of the drive.

• To open the Command Prompt in Windows, you can click on the Start menu and type "CMD" in the search bar. Once you've typed "CMD", press the "Enter" key to open the Command Prompt window. This will give you access to the Command Prompt, where you can execute commands and perform various system-related tasks.
• From the search results list, select Command Prompt, right-click, and select the "Run as Administrator" option.
• To check the external hard drive for errors, open Command Prompt and type the command "chkdsk E: /f /r /x" (replacing "E" with the external drive's letter), then press Enter. This command will scan the drive for errors, fix them, and attempt to recover any damaged data. After completion, try accessing the external hard drive to see if the issue is resolved.

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