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External hard drive overwritten by Windows Media Creation Tool - how to recover deleted partition

Ali Omrani 0 Reputation points
2025-12-04T13:20:41.4766667+00:00

Dear Microsoft Support Team,

I hope you are doing well.

I am writing because I have encountered a very serious issue after using the Windows Media Creation Tool on my computer.

I accidentally selected my external hard drive (2TB) as the installation USB device during the creation of the Windows installation media. The tool automatically formatted the entire drive, changed its name to “ESD-USB,” and now it only shows around 32GB of capacity.

Unfortunately, this external hard drive contained all of my important documents, personal files, certificates, and many other essential items. None of these files are visible anymore, and the rest of the drive appears as unallocated space.

I am very worried because these files are extremely important for my work and personal life.

I would like to kindly ask if there is any way to recover the lost data, or if Microsoft has any recommended solutions or tools for such a situation.

I would greatly appreciate any guidance, technical instructions, or recommendations you can provide.

Thank you in advance for your help and understanding.

I look forward to your response.

Kind regards,

Ali Darvishiomrani

Moved from: Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams Free | Chats

Windows for home | Other | Recovery and backup
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  1. David-M 98,580 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-12-04T14:04:18.1+00:00

    Hi. I'm David, and I'm happy to help you.

    Yes, recovery is possible, but it requires specialized data recovery software. Microsoft does not provide an official tool for this type of situation. However, third‑party solutions can often restore lost partitions and files, as long as the disk has not been extensively overwritten.

    Important: Stop using the drive immediately. Any further writing may overwrite recoverable data and reduce the chances of successful recovery.

    Recommended Free Tools:

    MiniTool Partition Wizard: Offers a free version with limited features, but it is useful for partition recovery.

    Recuva: Simple and lightweight; less effective for very large drives, but can still help in recovering deleted files.

    Most other tools are paid, and their effectiveness can vary depending on the extent of the damage. If your files are extremely critical, you may also want to consider a professional data recovery service.

    Good luck.

    Feel free to ask back any questions.

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