Cause of loss · wiped or formatted
Nearly every format done by mistake is a quick one — a blank new index laid over data that is still there, which makes it among the easiest losses to reverse. A full format taken to completion is another matter, and you deserve to hear that up front rather than after the diagnosis.
Speak to an engineer about it
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| On screen | What that tells you | First step |
|---|---|---|
| Do you want to format it? — and Yes was clicked | A quick format laid a blank file system on top of the previous one | Halt now — your data lies underneath |
| The disk now reports an empty volume with all space free | Only the previous index went; whatever it referenced remains in place | Nothing further written to it |
| A full format that ran to the end | From Windows Vista onwards a full format zero-fills every sector, so the contents really have been destroyed | Honestly: beyond recovery |
| A full format halted part-way | Anything the zeroing never reached may still be intact | Abort and switch it off |
| diskpart clean | That wipes the partition map alone; the volumes underneath are untouched | Highly recoverable |
| diskpart clean all | Zeros over every sector, as a finished full format does | Honestly: beyond recovery |
| A quick format on solid-state | That set TRIM off, so the drive is quietly clearing cells right now | Disconnect the power at once |
As soon as it lands with us, your device gets its own case number. An engineer works out the fault, says what can genuinely be pulled off, then puts one fixed price in writing — no charge for diagnosis, no obligation, and no chargeable work until you approve it.
Was it quick or full, clean or clean all, stopped short or finished? That history sets the approach, so we pin it down before promising anything.
On the copy, the earlier file system is found under the new one and reassembled; wherever that old index holds up, names, folders and dates come back.
If those structures have not survived, each format is lifted off the surface by its signature — contents whole, filenames rebuilt where that is possible.
You sign off a complete list of the recovered files first; only then does the recovery fee fall due. Everything returns on fresh media, postage paid, and the job stays open until you confirm the files open at your end.
We put this in writing so nobody has to find out the hard way: a quick format on a hard disk leaves strong odds; a full format that finished, or diskpart clean all, leaves nothing — since Windows Vista every sector is deliberately zero-filled. Anyone offering recovery from a finished full format on an HDD should be asked how.
One tower, two matching 2TB disks; the installer formatted the wrong one — the disk carrying the family archive. Nothing further was written to it, so the previous file table came back intact and every folder returned under its proper name.
Usually it is — a quick format on a hard drive swaps out the index while the data itself stays put. Provided nothing was written since, whole folder trees come back as a matter of course.
A full format that finishes does — since Windows Vista it zeroes every sector. A quick format doesn't. Most of this page turns on that one difference.
Stop, switch it off, and have an image taken. Every write after the mistake costs you data you could have had.
A quick format usually triggers TRIM as well, and the drive begins wiping itself straight away. Cut the power and call quickly — this is the format case counted in minutes.
Powering a damaged device up again costs you data. Start a case first; diagnosis is free whatever you decide.