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Unformat WD External HD
Do you have any idea how to solve unformatted external hard disk problem? You have to format the disk in drive R before you can use it. Do you want to format it now? Information above is the common prompt of external hard disk drive not being formatted. Are you familiar with it? Do you choose to format it or not as general when encounter it? Actually, the best way is not to format it right now, but to get back files inaccessible then from the unformatted and format the external hard disk drive after all needed have been restored.
Case of external hard disk needing to be formatted
I have a WD external hard disk and I like to save information previous and vital on it. So it is kindly the most important storage device of mine. But it gets in trouble now. System prompt it is unformatted all the time today when I plug it into the computer and try to open it. I have not formatted it till now though all information saved on it is inaccessible, as I know I will lose all data once the external hard disk is formatted. Is there any way to get back all my files when external hard disk needs formatting? -Hulas from Canada
How to restore lost information from unformatted external hard disk drive with data recovery software
There is a way to fix the unformatted external hard disk drive but not format it at once. Data recovery tool could get back lost information on the external hard disk not formatted within a short time. You can format the questionable external hard disk after all wanted files have been retrieved. The following steps will show you how it works:
Recover data from WD external hdd
Preparation: Download and install data recovery software on your computer. Then, plug the WD external hard disk to the computer and run the software. Finally, you can select a proper recovery module.
Reasons that cause the external hard disk become not formatted
External hard disk drive will not become unformatted without any reason. It means that there are some reasons that cause the external hard disk need to be formatted before people can use it. We can avoid such external hard disk unformatted problem if we know the reasons. Actually, there are some different cases that will bring about the unformatted external hard disk. Here are some of them as follows:
1. The external hard disk drive infected by virus. Virus attacks is one of the common reason to an unformatted external hard disk. What’s more, the consequences of virus and worms infection are various, such as data saved on the external hard disk is lost; those files turn to messy code. The external hard disk become unformat is one of them. As general, virus is hidden in the software or files stored on the external hard disk itself, so we should try to avoid save the harmful information on it.
2. The external hard disk turns to raw file system. We also can not open the external hard disk to access its files if the external hard disk becomes raw. As a matter of fact, raw means unformatted original, so we need to format the external hard disk before we can use it. We can check the file properties to see whether the file system is raw or not. The reasons that cause the external hard disk turn to raw is also various. For example, unformatted, cancel the formatting during the process of formatting, virus infection. And so on.
3. System error. We also can not open the external hard disk and view its data if the operating system goes wrong. We can plug the problematic external hard disk into other computer to see whether it works or not. Then we may make it clear what the reason is. If the external hard disk do not need to be formatted before normal using on other computers, so we can make sure the problem is the previously operating system. It could be reinstalled.
4. Other matters that may lead to the unformatted external hard disk.
Tips to protect files on external hard disk drive from being lost
Files on the external hard disk can not be viewed before being formatted; what if you do not know the data recovery program could retrieve them? You may lose them forever. Apart from unformatted external hard disk error, there are massive other data loss situations happen to external hard disk, such as deletion, formatting, virus attacks, and so forth. Fortunately, there is precaution to avoid data loss disaster.
Back up the useful and important files regularly. It is a good habit to back up information needed on computer or other storage devices and media. No matter how and when those data is lost, you can get them back from the backup quickly.
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