Losing important data from your hard drive can be a distressful experience. There are several reasons like accidental deletion, formatting, file system corruption, etc. why files usually get deleted from your device’s hard drive. Luckily, there are various free data recovery software and manual workarounds available online that you can try to get your deleted files back.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore various techniques and tools to help you learn how to recover data from a hard drive for free. Just go with these methods one-by-one to recover your data from hard drives without spending money.
What Causes Data Loss from Hard Drive?
Before diving into adequate recovery methods, it’s important to understand the common reasons for data loss, as this helps in choosing the appropriate recovery strategy. Here are some common causes of data loss on your hard drive:
●Accidental Deletion: You may have mistakenly deleted files from the hard drive while performing any task on it.
●Formatting: Formatting the hard drive, either intentionally or accidentally, deletes all files stored on it.
●File System Corruption: If your file system becomes corrupted due to software crashes, hardware failures, or any other reason, it makes your files inaccessible.
●Hard Drive Failure: Physical issues such as bad sectors, mechanical failures, or hardware malfunction, cause corruption or deletion of files on hard drives.
●Virus or Malware Attack: Files are deleted or encrypted by malicious software like viruses or malware. To avoid such a situation, you can install a reliable antivirus tool on your device.
●Power Failures or System Crashes: Sudden system shutdowns can lead to data corruption or even accidental deletion.
Step-by-Step Guide to Recover Data from a Hard Drive for Free
Whatever among the above is the cause for the deletion of files on your hard drive, it is important to stop using the hard drive immediately when you suspect data loss. Continuing to use it increases the risk of overwriting the deleted or lost files, making recovery much more difficult or even impossible.
In this part of the blog, we’ve outlined some common free data recovery workarounds that you can try to restore lost files without any cost:
Method 01: Check Recycle Bin to Recover Lost Files
Every file when deleted on Windows or Mac device goes to the Recycle Bin or Trash folder and remains there until they are permanently deleted. Before you apply any other method to restore lost files on your device, check the Recycle Bin/Trash folder. All you have to do is:
●Click on the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (macOS) icon on your computer.
●Locate and right-click on the deleted file that you need to restore.
●Select the Restore or Put Back option to save the selected file back to your device.
Method 02: Use File History Backups to Recover Data
If your deleted file is not present in the Recycle Bin folder of your Windows PC, then it might have been permanently deleted. In such cases, you can use any previously created backups to restore your lost files. Windows OS provides a built-in File History backup utility that automatically creates backup of all files on your device, if enabled. You can use these backups to restore lost files in case of data loss.
Steps to recover lost data from hard drive using File History Backups:
●Firstly, type "File History" in the search box of your desktop and then select Restore your files with File History.
●Navigate through the folders and files to find the version of the file or folder you want to recover.
●Select the file or folder you need to restore and click the green Restore button to save the selected file to its original location. To save it elsewhere, right-click the Restore button and select Restore to.
Once done, check and ensure the recovered file is in the intended location and working properly.
Method 03: Use Free Data Recovery Software
If the above methods don’t work or if the files are not present in any backup or if the drive is corrupted, free data recovery software can help. There are several free data recovery tools available online which completely scan your hard drive and attempt to retrieve deleted files. Stellar Data Recovery Free is an all-in-one free data recovery software which allows you to restore your files deleted due to accidental deletion, formatting, system errors, etc.
You can use Stellar Data Recovery Free software to recover up to 1 GB of data from any internal and external storage devices, including hard drives, SD cards, USBs, etc. The software even supports the recovery of data from formatted, encrypted, or corrupted drives. It even allows you to preview the recoverable files, so you can select and save only the desired files back to your device.
Quick steps to recover data from the hard drive for free using this amazing tool:
Step 1: Download and install the Stellar Data Recovery Free software on your Windows or Mac device. Launch the software and from the homepage, select the type of file you need to restore and click Next.
Step 2: Now, choose the storage location where your deleted file was earlier stored and click Scan to initiate the scanning process.
Step 3: Once the scan is completed, preview the recoverable files and click the Recover button to save them at the desired location.
Preventing Future Data Loss from Hard Drive
After successfully recovering your data, it's crucial to take steps to prevent future data loss. Some best practices include:
●Regular Backups: Use external drives, cloud services, or NAS (Network Attached Storage) to regularly back up important data. You can also use tools like Windows’ File History or macOS’s Time Machine to create backups of your files.
●Install Antivirus Software: Protect your system from viruses and malware attacks by installing a reliable antivirus software.
●Avoid Power Surges: Use an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) to protect your system from sudden shutdowns.
●SMART Monitoring: Make a habit of using SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) tools to monitor the health of your hard drives.
Conclusion
Recovering data from a hard drive for free can be accomplished using a combination of built-in system tools and free data recovery software. For easy and quick recovery of your data lost due to any reason, you can use professional free data recovery software such as Stellar Data Recovery Free. Moreover, you can consider preventive measures such as maintaining regular backups, installing a reliable antivirus software, etc. to avoid data loss issues on your device.