Please Help! Lost data after re-install

[shnib]

Hi. I have two Seagate 3tb XT internal drives and a Hitachi drive used as my boot drive. The two xt drives were partitioned due to the 2.1tb limit using Seagate drive wizard and have been working fine. I decided to clean up my PC and re-install Windows 7. I re-installed to the Hitachi drive which went fine but now both xt drives are only showing the larger partitions and the smaller partitions are showing as unallocated in drive wizard and disc management. I cannot add a drive letter or revive the partitions without losing the data as the only options available are to format or wipe the partitions. Am i missing something obvious here? I can't see how both drives could have become damaged in the space of an hour and i definitely did not format or change anything except to the Hitachi drive. I'm not really familiar with partitioning drives but i really can't see what i'm doing wrong, i just expected to see all four drive letters as they were before the re-install.

 

Would really appreciate some help with this as its an awful lot of data i've lost. Thanks in advance

[Plastic Nev]

Hi and welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help.

I assume that because there is now no drive letter allocated to the smaller partitions, you cannot now access the data on them, is that correct?

Someone else may have a better idea, but my thoughts are to remove the drives, use a USB adapter to plug them in via USB, retrieve the data and store it somewhere else. Then of course it will be safe to recreate the partitions.

Do wait though in case there is a better idea available.

Nev.

[shnib]

Yes that's correct. Thanks for the suggestion, can i ask what is different about connecting via usb that would make the data accessible as i would happily buy an adaptor if it means i can get my data back. Thanks

[Plastic Nev]

This is why I am a little unsure, I am hoping that another computer may automatically assign a drive letter to the partitions with data on them while connected via USB, However it may not, so please hang on till someone else sees your problem and may have better advice.

The only other way I can see would be to use one of the free data recovery programs available, installed on the host PC, to scan the un-named parts of the drive and rescue the data that way.

It is something I have not seen before is this problem, and is very unusual.

 

Nev.

[KenB]

Hi and welcome from me.

 

This is shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted ...........but for others reading this if you have additional internal / external drives it is important that you remove them ( or at least the cables to them ) before you re-install Windows on the primary drive.

 

shnib - the data should still be recoverable from the unallocated space ( with a bit of luck ).

 

The software that is recommended a lot ( because it is free ) is Recuva.

http://www.piriform.com/recuva/download

 

I also found this thread:

http://www.pchelpforum.com/hard-drives/91010-please-help-media-drive-now-unallocated-2.html

 

I have not come across easeus software before.

 

This guy says he used the paid for version.

He could be posting just to sell the software ( cynical I know :) )

 

There is a "free" version - I suspect you will be limited to the amount you can recover or number of times you can attempt to use it.

 

Give Recuva a go.