Can you help me? Had an issue with external HD

I recently ran into a bit of a nightmare with my external hard drive, and I was wondering if any of you have faced a similar situation or could offer some advice.

As a UX designer, my computer is filled with working documents ranging from Sketch (.sketch) and Photoshop (.PSD) files to Adobe XD (.xd), Axure RP (.rp), PDFs, Excel, Word, and various image formats like PNG and JPEG. Usually, when work spills over, I save everything on my 500GB mobile hard drive and continue at home.

However, the other day, my computer threw me a curveball with a prompt that read, "You need to format the disk in drive F: before you can use it. Do you want to format it?" Panic mode, right? I always make sure to click "Safely Remove" before disconnecting the external HD, so I'm not sure what went wrong there. Anyway, I did some Googling and discovered that Disk Management might have some answers.

Lo and behold, when I opened Disk Management, I found out that the entire hard drive's file format had changed to RAW, and it only had one partition. Not cool.Yesterday, I attempted to use the free PhotoRec for data recovery, but the command-line interface and the multi-step recovery process left me scratching my head. I had to give up halfway through.

Today, I'm thinking of giving iBoysoft Data Recovery another shot. Have any of you used it before, and if so, how was your experience? Also, what other tools do you rely on for recovering lost files? I'd really appreciate any insights or recommendations you can share.

Thanks in advance, and fingers crossed for a smooth recovery process! 🤞

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Just got back my lost work files with iBoysoft Data Recovery

It sounds like you're dealing with a classic case of data corruption or file system errors on your external hard drive. The change to a RAW file system usually indicates that your computer can no longer read the file system of the drive, which could be due to various reasons such as improper ejection, bad sectors, or even hardware failures.
Using a data recovery software like iBoysoft Data Recovery is a good step. Many users have found it user-friendly and effective for recovering data from RAW, formatted, or inaccessible drives. It's known for its ability to recover various file types, which seems crucial given the range of file formats you work with.
Other recommended tools include:

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard: It's highly regarded for its powerful recovery capabilities and simple interface. It can recover data lost due to deletion, formatting, partition loss, and even virus attacks.
Recuva: A more budget-friendly option, known for being straightforward and efficient, though it might not be as comprehensive as others.
Stellar Data Recovery: This is another reliable choice, particularly for its deep scan feature that can recover data from severely corrupted drives.

Remember, it's crucial to avoid writing any new data to the affected drive as it can overwrite the files you're trying to recover. Also, consider backing up your data regularly in the future, perhaps using cloud storage or another external hard drive, to prevent similar situations. After recovering your files, it might be wise to check the health of your hard drive with a tool like CrystalDiskInfo.

I hope one of these solutions works for you, and you're able to recover your important UX design files! Good luck!

Disk Management can be a lifesaver in these situations, but when things go RAW, it's a whole different ball game. Props for giving PhotoRec a shot, but yeah, the command-line interface can be a real head-scratcher. As for iBoysoft Data Recovery, I haven't personally used it, but I've heard some decent things about it. Might be worth giving it another shot if you're still in a jam. Oh, and speaking of digital woes, did you know you can actually compress JPEG files to save space without losing quality? It's a handy trick for managing your files, especially when things go haywire like this.

Originally Posted by Gatesby.T

Just got back my lost work files with iBoysoft Data Recovery

Glad that you found the solution! Thanks for sharing with us! It is always great to find out new good tools.

HD is no doubt a great choice for data backup but users can still lose their stored files due to various reasons. I personally faced the problem of external hard drive failure. I worried a lot as I had many important files there. Fortunately, I found good data recovery services who helped me recover all my data.
It is great that you also solved your problem!

external HD is the best way for the data security and portability.