Partition table recovery using TestDisk is really easy. TestDisk is powerful FREE data recovery software! It was primarily designed to help recover lost partitions and/or make non-booting disks bootable again when these symptoms are caused by faulty software, certain types of viruses or human error (such as accidentally deleting a Partition Table). In order to solve the USB HDD unrecognized problem I have use the TestDisk utility several times with great results. I have used this procedure several times with successful results to resolve the described problem for my customers.Īttention: Keep in mind that you follow this guide at your own risk and you have to be very careful with the steps on it, to avoid losing your data. In this tutorial you can find clear instructions on how to restore the corrupted partition table on your hard drive (HDD) after unplugging it improperly. Close any programs or windows that might be using the device, and then try again’, then log off and log on your computer again or restart your computer. In the case that you still receive a warning message when Ejecting USB Mass Storage Devices like ‘ This device is currently in use. To avoid losing your data or corrupting the storage drive's partition table, always make sure that you have closed any open files and terminate any actions regarding your USB drive (including Windows Explorer), and always use the Safely Remove option before unplugging your drive.

The above error happens because when you accidentally – force – unplug (disconnect) your external USB drive (USB HDD, USB drives, etc.) without using the Safely Remove Option (“ Safe Remove Hardware”) option, then the USB drive Partition Table becomes corrupted. As a result of that you cannot access your data using Windows or another OS.

Sometimes the following error appears after you have accidentally unplugged your External USB drive without using the Safely Remove option: “ You need to format the disk in drive X before you can use it.

You need to format the disk in drive f