External hard drive: save and restore data - so it'll work

If you accidentally deleted important files from your external hard drive, it is not difficult to save this data. It looks different with a hardware defect. You can find out what you should do in these cases in our practical tip.

Data accidentally deleted - this is how you should react

• If you have accidentally deleted data from your external hard drive, you should immediately cancel all data transfers to the hard drive and eject it. This reduces the likelihood that the removed data will be overwritten.
• Deleted data are not overwritten immediately, but the storage space is marked as free. It is only when new data is written to the hard disk that the deleted files are overwritten and therefore cannot be restored.

Recover deleted or lost data with Recuva

If you have lost data due to accidental deletion or a system crash, the relatively simple program Recuva can help you. It searches for files that are marked as deleted but have not yet been overwritten.

• Install the Recuva program on your computer and connect the affected hard drive.
• Open Recuva and select the affected drive. The program now searches for recoverable files.
• Now click on the files to restore them.

Recuva alternative: Disk Drill

The Disk Drill tool restores data that was accidentally deleted on Windows or Mac.

• Disk Drill can handle a large number of file systems. In addition, you can not only save data from hard drives, but also from SD cards, USB sticks and the like.
• To do this, open the program and select the drive and scan type. The "Quick Scan" works quickly, but may not find everything, while the "Deep Scan" takes longer, but also works more thoroughly.
• During the scan, Disk Drill lists all files found. When the data you are looking for has been found, you can abort the scan and restore it by clicking on the checkbox.
• The only disadvantage of the free version: it can only save files of up to one gigabyte. For larger files you need the paid pro version.

Hard drive physically damaged - you can do that

• If your hard drive makes scraping or clacking noises when starting up, you should unplug it immediately to prevent greater damage. In this case, the reading arm scratches on the hard disk and causes permanent damage.
• In such cases, if there is important data on the hard drive, you should hire a data recovery service.

The next practical tip will tell you what you can do if your external hard drive is not recognized by Windows.