How to Fix Windows Corrupted Drive and Recover Data from it

The blog illustrates different approaches to repair the corrupt hard drive and how to recover files from it using a reliable windows drive data recovery software.

Are you unable to access your hard drive? The problem could be that it is corrupt or has some issues. The reason could be that either it has been affected by virus or with time has accumulated bad sectors. Whatever be the reason, your concern is to fix the corrupt hard drive; nonetheless, your prime concern is to recover your data from it. The problem can be solved either manually or through a windows drive data recovery software. For instance, if the problem occurs due to software glitches or incompatibility issues, then manual steps may prove beneficial. In case, the hard drive is at fault or is severely corrupt, then the perfect way to recover data from the corrupt drive is via a reliable windows drive data recovery software. You can also recover encrypted files from NTFS partition easily.

Symptoms of a Corrupt Hard Drive

• Windows is unable to detect the external hard drive upon connecting it
• Getting ‘The File or directory is corrupt and unreadable’ error message
• The disk size shows 0 bytes even when the hard drive is not empty
• Hard drive becomes RAW and prompts you to format it
• Unable to access content even when it is recognized by the Operating System
• Hard drives also get affected if exposed to static electricity

To fix Corrupt Hard Drive, you can Follow These Workarounds:

In order to repair corrupt hard drive, we should, first, start with the basic workaround i.e. connect the external hard drive to another computer to check whether it is working fine or not. If you are able to access the files stored on it, then Presto!

There might be some issues with the drivers installed on your computer; hence, reinstall the drivers. Go to Device Manager, do right-click on the connected hard drive and click ‘Uninstall’. Restart your computer, connect the hard drive and check whether the issue still persists or not.

Figure 1: Illustrates to uninstall driver

If the problem persists, proceed with the following steps:

Check your Hard Drive for Errors

Using Windows in-built utility you can check your internal or external hard drive for errors. When the corrupt hard drive is connected to your computer, Windows automatically prompts for drive scanning. In case, this does not happen, follow these steps:

1. Go to This PC, select the drive, right-click on it and select ‘Properties’.

Figure 2: Illustrates Check for errors process

2. Under Properties, select Tools tab and click on ‘Check’ under Error checking
3. Once the scan is complete, click ‘Repair This Drive.’ On the other hand, if there is no issue with the drive, ‘You Don’t Need to Scan This Drive’ message is displayed

     

Figure 3: Illustrates repairing process

Repair the Corrupt Hard Drive with CHKDSK Command

The Check Disk Utility can be used to repair corrupt storage devices. To repair the corrupt external hard drive, follow these steps:

1. Open Command Prompt in Admin mode
2. Type in ‘chkdsk D: /F’ command (‘D’ is the drive letter) to initiate the error checking process

     

Figure 4: Illustrates chkdsk command

3. You can add more options to the command, for example ‘chkdsk C: /F/X/R’, wherein X forces the volume to dismount before scanning

R locates bad sectors

F fixes error

4. After specifying the command, press Enter and wait till disk utility repairs the hard drive

Recover your Data using a Windows Drive Data Recovery Software

The mentioned workarounds may repair your hard drive but there is a possibility that your data may get deleted. Further, if Windows Utilities are unable to recover your data from the corrupt hard drive, then windows drive data recovery software is your last resort.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery – Home software is one of the reliable tools that you can rely upon to recover your data with ease. Equipped with robust modules and interactive interface, you can recover a myriad of data files from multimedia files to important documents. Follow these steps to recover your data:

1. Connect your external hard drive to your computer then download and run Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery – Home

2. On ‘Select What to Recover’ screen, select file types from that you wish to recover. For instance, if you want to recover office documents, then under Documents, Folder & Emails, select ‘Office Documents’ and click ‘Next’

                

Figure 5: Illustrates ‘Select What to Recover’ screen

3. From ‘Select Location’ screen, select your hard drive and hit ‘Scan’

                                                 Figure 6: Illustrates ‘Select Location’ screen

4. The scanning process starts and once it is complete, software lists all the recoverable files

         

Figure 7: Illustrates preview of recoverable files

5. Select the files from the list and click on ‘Recover’ to save them at the desired location

           

                                                  Figure 8: Illustrates the process of saving files

Conclusion: All these workarounds may repair your corrupt hard drive but before starting the process, make sure that you have a backup of data stored on it. Further, there is a possibility that you may lose your data during the process; therefore, always opt for a professional windows drive data recovery software to recover your data with ease.