When you permanently delete important files from hard drive by accident or the hard drive is unconsciously damaged or crashed during computer usage, and this will usually result in data loss. Therefore, how to recover data from hard drive becomes a matter of importance. And you can follow the guide below to recover files from hard drive of a Windows or Mac computer.
Hard drive data can be recovered as the deleted files are not erased permanently and they continue to exist on the hard drive. For example, when you delete a file on Windows, Windows will remove the pointer and mark the sectors containing the file’s data as available. From the file system’s point of view, the file is no longer present on your hard drive and the sectors containing its data are considered free space. So that’s why you can recover data from hard drive even after they have been deleted.
If you’ve accidentally deleted some important files and need to get them back, there are some things you should keep in mind:
You should stop using the hard drive: After you deleted files, stop making any changes to your hard drive immediately. If computer continues to write files to your hard drive, the chance of recovering the deleted files decreases.
You should recover the file as soon as possible: You should recover files from hard drive immediately by using a hard drive recovery program. And don’t install the hard drive data recovery software on the same hard drive where you deleted files.
If you want to recover data from hard drive, it's important to find a safe and reliable hard drive data recovery tool so as to avoid further data loss. So here I will recommend you Recuva for Windows and Cisdem Data Recovery for Mac.
For Mac users to recover files from hard drive, you need Cisdem Data Recovery that allows you to recover photos, videos, documents, emails, archives and more from a full range of hard disk drives including internal and external hard drives like Seagate, Samsung, SanDisk, Toshiba, etc.
Cisdem Data Recovery can get files back under different data loss situations like mistaken deletion, formation, factory reset, virus attack, disk crash, etc. With it, you’ll never worry about hard drive data loss. It also received many good reviews from authority tech websites. It’s free for you to try and lifetime free upgrade is also supported.
Cisdem Data Recovery can be a lifesaver for many of us. Losing important files can be a big problem for us. Fortunately, this software solves this issue. Overall, this is a good data recovery software for Mac. — Shubham@TechGuru
Step to recover data from hard drive on Mac:
1. Download Cisdem Data Recovery for free trial.
2. Run the program.
3. Choose hard drive you want to recover. Cisdem Data Recovery will list all detected hard drives and external storage devices. Choose the hard drive where you want to recover data. Then click “Search for lost files” and this hard drive recovery software start to scan your hard drive.
4. After scanning, you will see all found files listed in the left column. Click each file to preview. Then choose what you need and click "Recover" button to recover data from hard drive. Be aware of not to save data to the hard drive where data loss happens. This may cause data overwritten.
Recuva is a free hard drive recovery tool that allows you to easily recover files from hard drive, external drives and even flash drives. It is easy to use for even the novice PC. It supports Windows 10, 8.1, 7, Vista and XP, including both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Pro edition is also offered when you want to add virtual hard drive support, automatic updates and premium support.
Recuva offers immediate solutions for file recovery and is one of the best choices in this software category. — From Softpedia
Step to recover files from hard drive on Windows:
1. Download Recuva on your PC computer for free.
2. Choose file type to recover. Open Recuva and click “Next” to continue. And you need to select the type of files you want to recover. If you need to recover all files from hard drive, just click “All Files” and hit “Next” to continue.
3. Then this hard drive data recovery tool will ask if you want to create a disk image, choose your desirable option and click “Next”.
4. Choose hard drive to recover data. Then it will show you the file locations to choose, click “Browse…” to select the hard drive, which you want to recover data from. And then follow the onscreen instructions to start scanning.
5. After scanning, it will show all found files with original names. Select the files and click “Recover” to recover data from hard drive.
When you have a failed, formatted or damaged hard drive, Cisdem Data Recovery and Recuva are powerful enough to assist you in your data loss scenario. If you have any questions on how to recover data from hard drive, please leave a comment below.
Jose specializes in reviews, how-to guides, top lists, etc. on PDF, data recovery and multi-media. On his spare time, he likes to travel or challenge some extreme sports.