Lost a Partition? Here Is How You Get the Files Back
You open Explorer and a whole drive letter is gone. Or you formatted the wrong partition, or a boot sector virus left the disk unreadable. Backups are the best fix, but if you don't have one, you need recovery software that can find the missing partition and pull the files out. HDD Partition Recovery is built for exactly this job.
Quick facts
- Platforms: Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8.x, 10) and Mac OS X
- File systems: FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, NTFS5 and exFAT
- Recovers from: deleted, lost, corrupted, formatted and reformatted partitions
Key features
Find files on deleted or lost partitions
The program uses its own algorithms to look for missing or deleted partitions and extract the data from them. It covers FAT, NTFS and exFAT layouts.
Get data back after formatting or reformatting
The main screen offers three options. Under Recover Partitions/Drives you choose either Partition Recovery or Formatted/Reformatted Recovery, depending on what happened to the drive.
Recover when the drive won't boot
It can restore data even when a hard drive fails to boot. That helps after MBR corruption or a failed file system conversion, such as FAT16 to FAT32.
Preview and sort before you restore
You can preview recovered data before saving it. Results are sorted by file attributes, so you can check the files and then choose what to restore. It recognizes audio, video, documents and images.
Works with common drive brands
Supported brands include Seagate, Samsung, Western Digital, Hitachi, Toshiba, Buffalo, Maxtor and Sony. It also handles Compaq systems and USB hard drives.
Who it's for
It suits you if you deleted or formatted the wrong partition, hit partition table or MBR problems, or have an external drive that stopped showing its volumes. It is a recovery tool and not a backup tool, so it only helps after the loss has happened.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Covers FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, NTFS5 and exFAT
- Handles deleted, lost, formatted and reformatted partitions
- Preview lets you check files before restoring
- Works with both Windows and Mac OS X
Cons
- You should not install it on, or save recovered files to, the affected drive, so a second drive is needed
- It cannot help if the data has been overwritten after the loss
Tips for better recovery results
- Stop using the drive as soon as the problem appears.
- Don't copy or save anything to the damaged partition.
- Don't re-partition or re-format the drive again.
- Save recovered files to a different drive.
FAQs
Can it recover data after I formatted a partition?
Yes. It has a dedicated Formatted/Reformatted Recovery option.
Which file systems does it support?
FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, NTFS5 and exFAT.
Does it work on external drives?
Yes. It lists external and USB hard drives from brands such as Western Digital, Seagate and Toshiba.
Can I see files before I restore them?
Yes. A preview option shows the recovered data first.
Does it run on a Mac?
Yes. There is a Mac version for OS X, including Lion, Leopard, Yosemite, Mavericks, El Capitan and Sierra.
System requirements
- Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8.x and 10
- Mac OS X, from Leopard to Sierra