[Amy Smith]

Hey guys, I'm in need of help here.
Recently I decided to convert my Fat32 external hard drive into NTFS(for larger files support) using the "convert "" /FS:NTFS" command. However, during this process something went wrong and the process crashed.
Now I'm unable to access my external hard drive.
I get the error message when I try to open the drive, that my drive is corrupted and unreadable. I am aware that I can format into NTFS or Fat32 to make it work again, however I would really hate to lose the data on it.

So I need a way to either copy that data to a folder on my computer, restore my external hard drive back to normal with no data lost or something in between.

[Advertisements]

Don't write anything on the damaged drive.
Recuva is a good free solution.(http://www.piriform.com) It doesn't work in very extreme cases though. If that's the problem there are more serious software solutions for this, like Tenorshare Data Recovery, but they aren't free(cost $20).I think it cost a bit but safer.(http://www.any-data-...oduct/index.htm)
Another possibility is looking for a repair shop that does this kind of thing. Some of them specialize in data recovery and can restore the files in almost any situation(but no guarantee and cost a lot of money,usually cost $1000 more or less).

[HeroLee]

Don't write anything on the damaged drive.
Recuva is a good free solution.(http://www.piriform.com) It doesn't work in very extreme cases though. If that's the problem there are more serious software solutions for this, like Tenorshare Data Recovery, but they aren't free(cost $20).I think it cost a bit but safer.(http://www.any-data-...oduct/index.htm)
Another possibility is looking for a repair shop that does this kind of thing. Some of them specialize in data recovery and can restore the files in almost any situation(but no guarantee and cost a lot of money,usually cost $1000 more or less).

[Amy Smith]

Alright, got Tenorshare Data Recovery now, however I'm unsure whether to use the FAT or the NTFS.
The hard drive was original FAT, however it was converting to NTFS when it crashed. Which should I choose then? (chkdsk says NTFS)

[HeroLee]

NTFS.If it crashed mid conversion, some of the data might still be on the original FAT partition.
Also when you delete files, the data is normally never removed. Just the entry in the FAT or NTFS MFT is removed. So the data still exists, and unless that area gets overwritten, programs like the one you use can get it back. If it gets overwritten, which can happen easily if you just deleted it yourself, and continue to use the drive,it's highly possible that you lose the data.
Anyway,down this program to scan your drive for free to check it out whether the data can be recover.Luck!

[Amy Smith]

Thanks, I'll try that and come back whenever it's done(In like, 15h+ xD, 500gb data ^_^ )

[Amy Smith]

Thanks,Tenorshare Data Recovery worked like a charm.

[AlicePhoebe]

Once finding there is data loss in external hard drive, stop any operation which will cause overwriting. The faster you perform data restore, the more chance get to restore data from external hard drive. Try EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to recover it, if your data no more than 2GB, the free version is enough.

Edited by AlicePhoebe, 18 September 2015 - 10:38 AM.