[Solved] WD external hard drive problem

The 32 GB "F" is the Windows installation partition. Windows will take about 5 GB of that, and the rest is your files. Since this partition has a lot of Windows files, you don't want to choose "all files" when you choose what files to search for, or you're going to get a ton of Windows files in the recovery list. Instead, do your first scan for pictures, then save the recovered files, then run a second scan for videos. Remember to choose the deep scan option.

 

Thanks, worked perfectly & recovered many more pics & video. They look OK.

 

Ok good.

When you have all the recovered data in the 2 recovered folders. Copy and paste each folder in the G partition on the external drive. By doing so, you'll have a copy of your stuff on 2 separate drives.

Note- A backup drive should be disconnected from the computer when not in use.

 

Thanks so much Seth. Will do this in the morning.
I did think I would have to do something with the WD external hard drive before copying to it, was it not corrupted in some way?

 

No, you don't have to do anything to it before copying.

 

Ok, thanks Seth. One question before I proceed. Before all this happened I had just a C drive & perhaps a D, cannot remember for sure, plus, when plugged in & the password entered, my WD external which was then F. Now I have C, D, E ( CD drive ( I don't have one ) 0 bytes WD unlocker ), ESD-USB ( F ) ( now with only 31gb, used to be a tb ) and G which is massive.
So what has happened? Which is my external drive? Will it still be password protected? Do I need all these?
I just want to get it tidy again & as close as poss to the way it was.​

 

Remove the WD drive, restart the computer, and post a new disk management screenshot.

Also post the model number of the computer.

 

Here you go...……...

Model is HP ENVY 27 AiO PC - b206na

 

Nice. Those HP AIO computers are awesome and beautiful computers.

It has 2 hard drives built in. The C drive is Disk 1 and it's a solid state drive that contains Windows 10. The D drive is Disk 2 and it's a spin type (mechanical) drive.

Shut down the computer, plug in the WD and post one more disk management screen shot.

 

Have taken two shots incase it helps, first is before password & after is when opened...……..……….

 

That's all fine.

You need to copy and paste your 2 recovered folders into the G drive.

 

OK doing it. Looks like it will take some time, will get back to you later.
Thanks.

 

All done, looks ok.

 

Ok. Any other questions?

 

Just clarification really on the points in my post #66.
You have explained drives C & D, E seems to be just for my WD unlocker, G is now the external drive.
This leaves F ( ESD-USB ( F ) ) What is it? Do I need it? Can I delete it?

 

It's the partition that you accidentally saved the Windows 10 installer to. You can "delete" it if you want. If you do, the parition will still be there (but the data isn't readable via Windows) and show as unallocated space. You could then merge the F and G partitions, but there is no need to, and there is a risk of data a loss in doing so.

Regarding the other questions:

Your computer has 2 physical and separate hard drives (Disks) built in. They are:

1) Disk 0. This is a SSD (Solid State Drive) that contains your Windows installation that runs your computer. Note that it has a C partition and 2 other partitions that are needed for Windows to run correctly. Partitions are "virtual" sections on the Disk, but it is all on the same disk.

2) Disk 1. This is a data drive (D). It's meant for storage of your personal files.

 

Thanks Seth you have been tremendously helpful & I am so grateful.
Will try & leave you in peace now.
All I have to do now is separate about 10,000 pics & videos back into recognisable folders...………..will keep me busy till Christmas !

 

Ya, you'll be busy for a while