Guide: How to Recover Data from an Internal Hard Drive

Can internal hard disk data be recovered?

A hard drive is a tool used to store computer data, and it is used very frequently. When using it, problems such as data loss and accidental deletion will inevitably occur. when these circumstances happen, most people will be overwhelmed. You may already know how to recover data from external hard drive but how to recover data from an internal hard drive especially when it won’t boot? Don’t worry, the next part will be illiterate on how to recover data from an internal hard drive under different cases.

How to recover data from internal hard drive after deletion

Retrieving deleted internal hard drive data is not a hard task. This part introduces 3 methods. If you delete files by tapping Ctrl+D, you can retrieve it from the Recycle Bin. But if you emptied the Recycle Bin or deleted it by pressing Shift＋D, you should turn to use File History or Backup and Restore.

Method 1. Check your Recycle Bin to retrieve deleted hard drive data

The Recycle Bin is a folder that temporarily places deleted files. After deleting files, you can check your Recycle Bin and retrieve data.

Step 1. Open your Recycle Bin on the desktop, and find your target file.

Step 2. Right-click the target file and click Restore.

Method 2. Recover deleted hard drive data from File History

File History, a built-in function in Windows, can automatically back up your files. When you permanently deleted your data, you can regain your files from it.

Note: You need to make sure you have enabled this feature before you lose files.

Step 1. Launch the Control Panel, and click the System and Security.

Step 2. Click File History, and tap Restore your files with File History.

Step 3. Find and right-click the Restore personal files on the left list.

Step 4. The deleted file will appear on your interface and then click the Restore.

Method 3. Restore hard drive data from Backup

Permanently deleted internal hard drive files can also be restored from Backup and Restore, another built-in feature in Windows. 

Step 1. Launch the Windows menu and choose Control Panel > Click System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Click on the Restore my files button on this page.

3 steps to recover a crashed internal hard drive data

If your files are not deleted but are lost caused of the hard drive crashing, I suggest you use professional software to solve how to recover files from the internal hard drive. MyRecover is such professional software. It can not only retrieve data from internal hard disk but also recover data from the formatted hard drive.

This software supports Windows 7 or later and combines two scanning modes that can scan out all lost files. Its other significant highlights are listed below.

Graphical interface: It provides users with a graphical interface, so they can complete the operation with a few mouse clicks.

High-speed: It can recover a number of files in a short time. 

Widely use: This tool can restore data from SSD/HDD, and also supports FAT32, NTFS, exFAT, and ReFS in Windows.

 Various files recovery: It can restore kinds of files, like PPT, Word, Excel, Photos, Videos, Audios, Zip files and etc.

The steps are given, and you can follow them to figure out how to retrieve data from an internal hard disk.

Step 1. Open MyRecover on your PC. Hover the mouse over the drive saved deleted files before, and click Scan.

Step 2. All the deleted files and other lost files will be detected. You can locate your needed files by  Name, Date, Type, Size, or Path. 

Step 3. Choose a path to store the files, and then click Recover x files.

How to recover data when internal hard drive won’t boot

The basis for recovering internal hard drive data with software and built-in tools is that the hard disk can be booted. If the internal hard drive can’t boot, you can switch to using a hard drive enclosure which is a box to put the hard drive into a working computer.  It needs to connect to the computer with USB, FireWire, and eSATA ports.

Step 1. Buy an enclosure that fits your internal hard drive.

Step 2. Connect it to your computer, and the computer will detect it as a normal external storage device.

Step 3. Copy the internal hard drive data to the computer, and select a path to store them.

Sometimes, after you connect the unbootable internal hard drive to the computer and you find it can’t be detected on the computer in Windows Explorer. This issue occurs might the drive letter of the hard drive partition is lost. You can make it shows again by following these steps:

Step 1. Tap Windows + R, and then type diskmgmt.msc in the search bar and click Enter.

Step 2. Find the partition that lost the drive letter, and select Change drive letter and path....

Step 3.  Click Add and assign a drive letter, and then the lost partition will appear again.

Further reading: a professional backup tool to protect our data

If you back up your data frequently, getting back lost files is not a hassle. I strongly recommend you to use AOMEI Backupper. It has good compatibility because it supports all editions of Windows 11/10/8/XP/Visa. When using it, you can also set the time to back up your data regularly. It is also very simple to operate, and you can follow the steps below to complete the backup.

Step 1. Download and install AOMEI Backupper. Launch it, click Backup and select File Backup.

 Step 2. Click Add File or Add Folder to select the files/folders you want to backup.

Step 3. Choose a storage path to save the files, and click Start Backup.

Conclusion

The post mainly displays how to recover data from an internal hard drive when you deleted files from the internal disk, find data missing from a corrupted internal hard drive and retrieve data even when the internal drive is unbootable.

In the final, what you can’t miss is the professional and overall backup software to protect your hard drive and system comprehensively.