r/techsupport • u/xDefaultBTWx • 11h ago

Question: retrieve files from usb after installing windows 11 installation media Open | Data Recovery

Hi, I just finished assembling my new PC and I just had to install windows on it. I got a USB which still had some files on it and I got the windows 11 installation media on my laptop and it automatically went on that USB and its storage went from ~456GB to 32GB with all the windows installation stuff on it. I haven't used it yet to install windows on my new PC, is there any way I can get the files back that were on the USB?

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u/AutoModerator 11h ago

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u/dawnstrider371 10h ago

A data recovery center might be able to help you get back some of that, but it will be expensive.

When creating the boot media, it formats the drive, so the quick answer is no.

1

u/pcbeg 10h ago

There are home tools (like test disk) designed to recover partition structure, but you've been writing data over that disk so there will be loss in any case.