I'm assuming the partition software you have will work better if it is a FAT32 partition than an exFAT partition. Of course, if this is done, then you still need to partition the FAT32 drive and then re-format the partition you want as exFAT and move back the data. It explains that the only way to convert exFAT to FAT32 is to re-format - which means moving the data even though you wanted to avoid that (and you need to be careful about file sizes as well as FAT32 won't handle anything over 4GB). If that doesn't work and no partition software will partition an exFAT drive, check out the following article: exFAT conversion issue and exFAT vs FAT32 vs NTFS - DATA RECOVERY SALON. If you can partition the exFAT drive, then you should be able to format the new partition without the data as FAT32 and you're good to go. From what he says, it should work with all these different types including exFAT. If that doesn't work, try the partitioning software recommended below by Lottiemansion and see if that does the job. This is by no means a guarantee (and almost just a guess), but it's worth a try as it's simple to do (if it can be done) and an easy answer (if it actually works). That may allow the partition software you have to work properly. Please right click on the partition and see if you can uncheck the box making it active.
The main issue with those options is that I'm not 100% certain we can restore the drive to the status you want (pretty sure - almost sure - but not completely sure). The remaining options are somewhat more risky and you will need to move the data. The next option is also safe and I'd try that first as it's easy and quick to verify (it either will or won't work).
If you are willing to pay the price, this is possibly the safest option. It will probably do the trick clean and easy. Partition Recovery works on each of the partitions, including external hard disks, without affecting the file system “in reality”, but rebuilding it only for deep data scanning.Unfortunately, I followed that link to everyplace it led and ultimately it is not free - the price I saw was $159 (though I'm suspect you can possibly do better if you shop for it - it is shareware, not freeware - the download is free but if you want to use and keep the product you have to pay for it). You can restore photos, video files, documents, audio and any other kind of files without capacity limits. Why this software? Because this program is an all-in-one solution.
There is a chance to get the files back using professional software - DiskInternals Partition Recovery. You are very lucky if your computer detects an external hard drive even if it seems that all the files are gone.
Select an external disk among the volumes, then right-click on it and select “Mark partition as active”.Īll these methods can be useful if your external hard drive is not detected by the computer.īut what if it is detected by the PC, but there are no files or they all are corrupted? How do you fix a corrupted external hard drive without formatting? Let’s look at some recovery methods! How to fix corrupted files on external hard drive
On the desktop, right-click on This PC (My Computer) -> Management -> Disk Management.
First, you need to check the external hard drive itself perhaps it is not damaged at all. In a situation where you cannot access your external hard drive, do not rush to take it to the service center. Is Your External Hard Drive Corrupted or Not? Some Helpful Tips