Need Help with Data Recovery from an External Drive

Hello everyone,

I recently encountered an issue with my external hard drive (8TB WD Black Game drive) that was previously used as a game drive for my PS5. I've now connected it to my PC, but I'm unable to format it or access any of the data stored on it. It seems like there might be a problem with the partition or file system.

Does anyone have experience with data recovery tools or methods that could help me retrieve important files from this drive before attempting to format it? I've tried using Disk Management, but it doesn't provide an option to format the drive.

 

If your external drive won’t format and you don’t want to lose data, the first thing to do is to stop using the drive for writing new data. The more you write to it, the higher the chance that old files will be overwritten, reducing the likelihood of recovery. So, the first step is to stop all write operations to the drive.

Try checking the drive using Diskpart, a built-in Windows utility for managing partitions. Open the Command Prompt with administrative rights and enter the following commands:

1. Type diskpart and press Enter.
2. Type list disk to display all connected drives. Pay attention to the drive sizes to identify the correct one.
3. Type select disk X, where X is the number of your drive.
4. Then type list partition to view all partitions on the selected drive.

If you see only one partition without a file system or the drive shows up as RAW, it indicates that the partition structure is damaged. If the partitions appear normal (with a file system and correct sizes), the issue might lie with the file system rather than the partitions.

Important: If the drive was used with a PS5, its file system might be proprietary and unsupported by Windows. In this case, standard Windows tools may not work, and you should move directly to using TestDisk or other recovery tools.

You can try fixing file system errors using the chkdsk command. Here’s how:

1. Check the drive letter (e.g., D using File Explorer or the Diskpart command list volume.
2. Type the command chkdsk X: /f, where X is the letter of your drive. This command will attempt to repair file system errors and restore access to the data.

However, be cautious: if the file system is severely damaged, running chkdsk without creating a backup first might worsen the situation. It’s strongly recommended to create an image of the drive first (details below).

If chkdsk doesn’t resolve the issue or if the data remains inaccessible, consider using third-party software like EaseUS Partition Master or MiniTool Partition Wizard. These programs allow you to work with corrupted partitions and recover data. For example, if the drive is not visible in Windows or the partition structure is damaged, they can help restore partition tables or repair metadata.

To recover files, use tools like TestDisk or PhotoRec. TestDisk helps recover damaged partitions, while PhotoRec can retrieve files even if the partition structure is missing. Recuva is another good option for simpler cases, like recovering accidentally deleted or corrupted files.

Before using any recovery program, it’s crucial to create an image of the drive. This minimizes the risk of further damage to your data during recovery attempts. Use tools like dd (on Linux or Mac) or Win32DiskImager (on Windows) to create a complete copy of your drive. By working on the image instead of the original drive, you protect the data from further corruption.

Keep in mind that recovered files may be partially damaged, have altered names, or lose their original structure. Save all recovered data to a different drive to avoid losing them permanently.

If software methods fail and the data is critically important, consider reaching out to professional data recovery services. These specialists can recover data even from heavily damaged drives using advanced equipment. Keep in mind that such services are usually expensive.