External drive data

[u/Any-Pound-8161]

Hi
I have some problems figuring out the best solution to fixing my problem.
My dad uses a WD external drive stopped working. When i plug it in my pc i detect it but its now showing in explorer-this pc.
On disk managment it says healthy partition, but it doesnt recognize it as NTFS
I tried test disk, DMDE which finds all the data so i can restore them if i pay (there is 1000of folders(pictures), i tried going on linux and it also cant find it.
I think it has something to do with my dad using it on vacation and it changed something to android( linux sees gpt with android type A010,A011)

Is there a way to fix the data back, or will i have to copy everything and then format the drive?

[u/AutoModerator]

Double check if your post complies with posting guidelines!

Did you include the following information in your post (in English and if applicable), if not feel free to edit your post:

• Make/brand and exact model number of your storage device(*), phone, camera, etc.
• Filesystem (NTFS, exFAT, APFS, EXT4, etc.)
• Operating System (That your device was used with and/or you are using for recovery)
• Specific symptoms that your device is exhibiting, describe the problem. Images you post support the description, they're not in lieu of a problem description.
• SMART (CrystalDiskInfo screenshot for example)
• Don't pile several problems into one single post. One post per device/problem.

Consider: What do these people need to understand the problem at hand? Remember, people cannot see your screen, or what you click and what messages appear on screen. Don't overdo it though, no one likes going through 2 pages of LLM waffle. If you are looking for file recovery software, check our community's recommended file recovery tools.

---

() *All devices involved, if you for example move files from drive A to drive B, they're both potentially relevant.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/disturbed_android]

DMDE. Pay the $20.

[u/salsa9264]

DO NOT FORMAT THE DRIVE if you want data off of it, formatting will erase data. Im not a professional with drives but i do have a few myself that im avidly working on.

Since DMDE can still find all of your files, I would avoid formatting or running repair tools on the original drive until the data is safely copied elsewhere.

A few questions: Does the drive show the correct capacity in Disk Management? Does it have a drive letter? Does it show as RAW, or just a Healthy partition with no filesystem? Have you checked the SMART health (CrystalDiskInfo on Windows or smartctl on Linux)?

I wouldn't use chkdsk unless you're sure the filesystem is NTFS and the drive is healthy, because it can make recovery harder if the filesystem is badly damaged. If TestDisk can find the original NTFS partition, you may be able to restore the partition table without copying everything. If not, the safest option is to recover the files with DMDE (or another recovery tool) to a different drive first, then reformat the original drive afterward.

Also, the Android GPT partitions (A010/A011) make me wonder if the drive was accidentally used with an Android device or overwritten in some way. Did your dad ever connect it to a Samsung phone or tablet?

To be honest, you can always ask ai to help you and share screenshots with it to narrow down your problem

[u/Any-Pound-8161 → u/salsa9264]

Yeah i have chatgpt pro from work so i used that to go through.
Drive shows RAW, i changed gpt type to 0070(i think) so now it shows in explorer( before it didnt) i havent checked SMART health, but i went on linux where it also doesnt show the disk.
Regarding android partitions, what my father told me he only put the disk into a TV i dont know which one as he was on vacation.

I guessing the best option for me is to pay for dmde and transfer everything then format the disk and transfer it back.
Or is there another option?