Can I Unformat Hard Drive And Recover My Data?

What is format and unformat?

Formatting is the process of deleting all data from a partition and establishing a file system for the drive to prepare it for data storage. In certain circumstances, such as when your hard drive has a RAW file system, Windows reports "disk not formatted," or your hard drive is infected by a virus, it will be necessary to format the hard drive.

In addition to these scenarios, it is not uncommon for users to inadvertently format their hard drives or external storage devices.

Unformatting is the process of retrieving data from a formatted storage device, such as a hard drive, USB flash drive, or SD card. Unformatting a hard drive is necessary for users to retrieve data that has been deleted as a result of the format. This can only be accomplished through manual data recovery services or third-party software.

Is it possible to unformat a hard drive?

The theory of unformatting a hard drive will be illustrated in this section. There are two categories of formats for all storage devices: quick format and full format. A quick format deletes all files from the device and writes only the blocks that comprise the file system structure, whereas a full format writes zeroes to all data sectors.

The data remains on the hard drive following a brief format; however, you are unable to access it. The formatted files can be accessed and recovered by reconstructing the volume.

Nevertheless, as previously stated, data that has been overwritten is irretrievable, which means that the data that was lost following a full format cannot be retrieved. Fortunately, the default format option in Windows is a fast format.

Quickly unformat hard drive with data recovery software

In other words, users must retrieve all data that was erased from the hard drive to unformat it. As previously stated, it is necessary to select a data recovery service to initiate the recovery process. We suggest that you utilize AOMEI FastRecovery in this instance. It may be of assistance in the process of unformatting the hard drive and straightforwardly retrieving your files.

AOMEI FastRecovery is capable of performing additional functions in addition to data recovery from formatted hard drives:

1. Retrieve All Types of Lost Data. It is also capable of recovering deleted files or data that has been lost as a result of a software malfunction, partition loss, virus infection, boot-up problem, or other circumstances.

2. Retrieve Data from a Variety of Devices. Additionally, it is capable of recovering data from USB flash drives, memory cards, digital cameras, and other conventional storage devices.

3. Preview Prior to Recovery. It allows you to observe lost files before the actual recovery to ensure that the contents are satisfactory.

Warning: To prevent the possibility of data overwriting, refrain from transferring files to your hard drive following the format. Although data overwriting is not a guaranteed consequence of storing data on the disk, once data has been overwritten, it is impossible to retrieve it.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI FastRecovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data lost and click Scan.

Step 2. Then, the recovery tool start to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first for finding your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.

Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".

Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.

Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovering ends.

Alternative solutions to unformat hard drive and restore lost data

We can demonstrate how to unformat your hard disk on Windows without the use of AOMEI FastRecovery if you are interested in other methods of doing so.

Way 1. Unformat Your Hard Disk From Windows File History

Not many individuals are aware that Windows computers have a backup utility known as File History. You should configure this feature to ensure that automatic saves occur. File History should be capable of assisting you in the restoration of your Windows hard drive to a previous version unless you have terminated it directly.

Step 1. Go to Settings > Update & Security. Choose the Backup option.

Step 2. Click on More Options, right underneath the Back Up Using the File History.

Step 3. Click on Restore files from the current backup.

Step 4. If you’re looking for specific files, you can search for them and preview various versions.

Step 5. Click on Restore > Restore To to choose a new location to save restored files.

Way 2. Recover files from formatted hard drive via Previous Versions

Restoring from Previous Versions is a free way to get back things that you deleted by accident on Windows. You can easily get back to older versions of files if you've set up restore points or turned on File History ahead of time. This process takes regular snapshots of your system's settings so that if you change a file, you can find an older version in these places or File History backups.

Step 1. Find the file or folder you want to recover in File Explorer. Right-click and choose "Restore Previous Versions". Then pick the right version from the list under "Previous Versions".

Step 2. Click "Restore" to recover it to its original location.

Conclusion

There is a reasonable likelihood that you will be able to unformat a hard drive unless you have conducted a full format or downloaded a significant number of new files to your formatted hard drive. Do not be concerned if you inadvertently formatted a hard drive, USB flash drive, memory card, or other storage device.

Apply AOMEI FastRecovery to unformat your hard drive and cease using your device. Then, you will receive all of your files restored. AOMEI Partition Assistant is a tool that can assist in resolving Windows errors and disk issues in the event of a system malfunction or PC freezing and disk format.