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2 March 2024  John Weaver  Senior Program Developer
 

Summary
Discover practical methods to restore lost partitions and recover crucial data with our comprehensive guide. Find out the most effective strategies to reconstruct your partition and safeguard your valuable information.



Table of contents

table iconI. What is the partition? Common Causes of Partition Loss
table iconII. How to recover lost/deleted partitions and the data in them?
how to recover lost partition

I. What is the partition? Common Causes of Partition Loss

A partition is a container for storing files. Without a partition, data cannot be saved on the hard disk, and users cannot access it in the file explorer. With MBR partition style, up to 4 primary partitions can be created; with GPT, unlimited primary partitions are possible. The C drive and D drive are examples of partitions on a hard disk.
If a hard disk partition disappears from the list in File Explorer, it may be due to the following reasons:
● When cleaning a specific partition, other partitions are deleted by mistake.
● A power failure may render the partition inaccessible.
● Use some diskpart command , causing all partitions and volumes to be erased.
● The partition table is damaged due to data corruption on the hard disk, resulting in the disappearance of partitions.
● If there are bad sectors in the hard disk partition, the system may not be able to recognize the hard disk partition. You can try using chkdsk command repair hard disk .

II. How to recover lost/deleted partitions and the data in them?

Avoid unnecessary read and write operations on the lost partition to prevent data overwriting. Use data recovery software like Renee Undeleter for successful recovery.

1. Use Renee Undeleter to restore partition data

Renee Undeleter is a software designed to restore various data files. It covers four functional modules: file recovery, format recovery, partition recovery, and image creation, providing a comprehensive solution for all data loss issues.
Renee Undeleter - Powerful Data Recovery SoftwareRenee Undeleter data Recovery software

Easy to use Only simple steps to recover data from storage devices.

Multiple scan modes Fast partition scan, whole partition scan and whole disk scan for different recovery needs.

File types Support to recover pictures, videos, audios, documents, mails, etc.

Supported storage devices Recover data from recycle bin, SD card, external disk, etc.

Supported systems Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, 2000 and Mac OS X10.6, 10.7, 10.8.

Easy to use Only simple steps to recover data from storage devices.

Multiple scan modes - 3 scan modes for different recovery needs.

Supported storage devices Recover data from recycle bin, SD card, external disk, etc.

Free TrialFree TrialFree Trial

3000 users have downloaded Renee Undeleter and found data back!

Step 1: Download, install and run Renee Undeleter on the computer, and select the (Whole Disk Scan) option on the main interface.
Notice : Do not install Renee Undeleter in the disk where data is lost to avoid data overwriting.
select whole disk scan to scan disk in renee undeleter
Data recovery function introduction:

Fast Partition Scan: Quickly retrieve files lost due to accidental deletion or emptying the recycle bin.

Whole Partition Scan: Quickly recover files lost due to inaccessible or formatted partitions.

Whole Disk Scan: Partition information can be analyzed and obtained, and the entire partition can be fully scanned.

Image Creation: A mirror can be created for a partition to back up the current partition state.

Step 2: Next, you can select the corresponding disk (that is, the disk where the lost partition is located) according to the disk capacity. After the selection is complete, click (Next).
select a disk to recover in renee undeleter
Step 3: Please wait patiently for the scan to find all existing partitions on the disk. Select the lost partition to scan, or all partitions will be scanned for more data.
recover partition on SD card with Renee Undeleter
Step 4: Preview files during scanning, select target file, and click Recover button to restore data to other computer disks.
preview before recovery
undeleter preview docx
Renee Undeleter - Powerful Data Recovery SoftwareRenee Undeleter data Recovery software

Easy to use Only simple steps to recover data from storage devices.

Multiple scan modes Fast partition scan, whole partition scan and whole disk scan for different recovery needs.

File types Support to recover pictures, videos, audios, documents, mails, etc.

Supported storage devices Recover data from recycle bin, SD card, external disk, etc.

Supported systems Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, 2000 and Mac OS X10.6, 10.7, 10.8.

Easy to use Only simple steps to recover data from storage devices.

Multiple scan modes - 3 scan modes for different recovery needs.

Supported storage devices Recover data from recycle bin, SD card, external disk, etc.

Free TrialFree TrialFree Trial

3000 users have downloaded Renee Undeleter and found data back!

2. Restore the partition in Disk Management

When a partition is lost and appears as “unallocated” in black color in disk management, you can restore it by creating a simple volume after recovering important data.
Step 1: Press the (Windows+X) keys on the keyboard at the same time. Then in the pop-up list, select the (Disk Management) option.
windows disk management right click start
Step 2: Then right-click on the unallocated space on the disk and select the (New Simple Volume) option.
create new volume
Step 3: Customize the partition size, drive letter, file system, and other parameters. Refer to: Features and differences of NTFS, exFAT, FAT32 to choose the appropriate file system. Click the (Finish) button to complete the creation of the partition. Access the partition in the file explorer and migrate back the previously restored original partition data.
format the volume with the settings

3. Recover the partition by adding a drive letter to the partition

If the drive letter of the partition is incompatible or the system does not assign a drive letter to the partition, it cannot appear in the file explorer. You can add a drive letter to the partition through the following two methods.
①Add a drive letter through Disk Management
Disk Management can not only create a new simple volume, but also assign a drive letter. If you find that the disk partition does not have a drive letter in Disk Management, you can follow the steps below.
windows disk management right click start
Step 1: Press the Windows icon + X key at the same time, select (Disk Management) in the menu, right-click the partition without a drive letter, and select (Change drive letter and path).
disk Management Change Driver Letter
Step 2: Click (Add), assign a drive letter to the partition/volume, and click (OK).
add new drive letter
Step 3: Then open “My Computer/This Computer” on the desktop, and you can see the hard disk partition that had disappeared, which means that the partition has been restored to normal.
File Explorer showing partitions
② use cmd add drive letter
cmd.exe is the command prompt, through which we can add a drive letter to the partition.
Step 1: Start the computer, enter (cmd) in the search box, right-click (Command Prompt), and select (Run as Administrator).
run as administrator
Step 2: Please enter the following commands in sequence, and press the (Enter) key once for each line of command input:

diskpart

list volume

 (will list all volumes/partitions in the computer)

select volume 7

 (7 means the partition number that needs to add a drive letter, which can be judged according to the capacity and modified accordingly)

assign letter=M

 (add drive letter M, M can be replaced by other unused English letters)

exit

Diskpart assigns a drive letter