🕔 8 minutes read
Wondering how to repair your unallocated hard drive? Worried about losing your data from a hard drive that is showing up as unallocated? Don't worry in this article we have explained how you can fix your unallocated hard drive and recover data from it using a reliable data recovery software like Remo Recover.
In a Windows computer, when you open "This PC" or "My Computer," you typically see a list of partitions and drives, providing easy access to your files stored on each of them, including external drives. However, there are instances when a partition or an external drive doesn't appear in the File Explorer under "This PC" or "My Computer." Instead, you may find it listed as an unallocated drive in the Disk Management tool.
So, what does this unallocated hard drive mean, and how can you resolve this issue? Furthermore, what about the data trapped in the unallocated drive—how can you recover it? These questions may be causing some concern, but fret not. We've got the solutions you need to address and recover data from an unallocated hard drive. Continue reading to learn more.
An unallocated drive means a hard drive that is not assigned to any drive letter or a hard drive that does not belong to a partition is called an unallocated hard drive. So, while installing the Operating System on your new computer, you need to partition that unallocated hard drive since you can't use a hard drive without allocating a drive letter and file system.
Attempting to repair unallocated space on a hard drive can be risky as it may unintentionally result in data loss. Fixing an unallocated drive typically involves formatting the drive, which permanently erases all stored data. Therefore, it is very important to prioritize data recovery as the initial step.
You need a professional data recovery tool like Remo Recover to recover data from an unallocated hard drive. This user-friendly tool is proficient in retrieving data from various data loss scenarios. It supports many file systems, including recovery of FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, HFS, HFS+, APFS, and EXT2/3/4. This versatility allows you to recover data from unallocated space on various devices.
Moreover, Remo Recover can recover over 500 file formats, such as images, videos, zip files, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and more. Download this tool for free and follow the simple steps mentioned below.
Time needed: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Here are the steps to Recover Data From an Unallocated Hard Drive
Download and install the Remo Recover tool on your computer. Once installed, launch the tool to begin the recovery process from your unallocated hard drive.
After launching the tool, select the unallocated hard drive from which you want to recover data. If you wish to recover data from your unallocated external hard drive, ensure it is properly connected via a USB cable. If you cannot locate the drive, you can initiate a manual search by clicking on the "Can't find the drive?" option.
Click on the Scan button to initiate the scanning process. This tool will perform a Quick Scan, and after its completion, it will automatically run a Deep Scan. The deep scan will thoroughly examine your drive sector by sector to recover the maximum number of files.
Once the scanning process ends, this tool will list all the recovered files under the lost and found folder or lost partition folder. You can Double-click on any file to Preview and judge the condition of the file for free.
At the end, select the files you want to recover and click the Recover button. Now select a safe location where you want to save the files and click on the OK button to complete the recovery process.
Once you have successfully recovered the data from the unallocated hard drive, you can now begin the repair process. Below, we have provided five proven methods to fix the unallocated hard drive:
Before diving into technical solutions, it is a good idea to eliminate the possibility of a virus or malicious scripts causing the problem. Just install and run reliable antivirus software to clean up any viruses or malicious scripts that may have infected your hard drive.
Outdated or corrupted drivers can often lead to an unallocated hard drive. Drivers play a crucial role in communicating between your storage device and other hardware components. To resolve driver-related issues, follow these steps:
Note: If the unallocated drive issue occurs on a removable device, you can simply disconnect and reconnect the storage device after restarting your computer.
DiskPart is a powerful command-line tool that provides greater flexibility for managing your computer's drives. It allows you to create a new partition to occupy the unallocated space. Follow these steps to create a new partition and format it:
Now, open Disk Management and right-click on your unallocated hard drive. Create a new partition and assign it to a new file system.
Also Read: How To Fix and Recover Data From Corrupted Hard Drive?
If only a portion of your hard drive is unallocated, consider allocating that space to an existing partition for added storage. Here's how:
When a significant portion of your hard drive becomes unallocated, it's practical to turn that space into a new partition. This enables you to format it with a file system and start using it for data storage. Here's how to create a new partition from unallocated space:
By following these methods, you can efficiently resolve unallocated hard drive issues, recover lost storage space, and get back to using your device without any data loss or inconvenience.
Also Read: How to Recover Deleted Files From External Hard Drive?
| Scenario | Description |
| 💽 New Hard Drive Installation | When you install a new hard drive in your computer, it typically comes unallocated and needs to be initialized and partitioned before use. |
| 🧩 Disk Management Utility | Unallocated drives may appear when you open the Disk Management utility in Windows or Disk Utility on macOS if they haven't been set up with partitions. |
| 💾 Formatting or Reformatting a Drive | If you format a drive or perform a full reformat, it can become unallocated as it erases all existing partitions and data on the drive. |
| ⚠️ Disk Failure or Corruption | When a hard drive experiences failure or corruption, it may become unallocated, making it inaccessible until you repair it or initialize it. |
| 🔄 Repurposing an Existing Drive | When repurposing an existing drive for a new use, you might delete existing partitions, leaving the drive unallocated until you create new ones. |
| 🖼️ Cloning or Imaging a Drive | When you clone or create an image of a drive, the target drive may initially be unallocated, requiring you to allocate and format it afterward. |
| 🖥️ Connecting an External Drive | When you connect an external hard drive to a computer, it may show as unallocated if it hasn't been configured with partitions for that particular system. |
| 🔄 Disk Migration or Replacement | During the migration or replacement of a hard drive, the new drive may be unallocated until you set it up with partitions and transfer data to it. |
| 🛠️ Recovery from Data Loss | In some data recovery scenarios, unallocated space may be encountered when trying to recover lost or deleted partitions and data. |
| 🚫 Accidental Deletion of Partitions | Accidentally deleting partitions using disk management tools can lead to unallocated space on a drive. |
With all the above-mentioned methods, you can fix the unallocated hard drive and recover data from the hard drive that says unallocated. Please let us know your thoughts on the above-mentioned solutions to fix the unallocated hard drive issue in the comment section below.
Fixing unallocated space on your SSD involves creating and formatting a new partition. Follow these steps:
a) Open "Disk Management" by right-clicking on the Start menu.
b) Locate the unallocated space, right-click on it, and choose "New Simple Volume."
c) Follow the on-screen instructions to assign a drive letter and format the partition.
Note: Make sure you perform the data recovery from the SSD first before formatting or fixing the unallocated SSD to avoid data loss.
To fix an unallocated external hard drive without losing data, use specialized data recovery software like Remo Recover.
Remo can help you recover data from the unallocated drive before attempting any fixes. After data recovery, you can follow the steps in the article to address the unallocated issue without data loss.
There are several reasons why a hard disk might suddenly show as unallocated, including file system errors, outdated drivers, viruses or malware infection, partition table corruption, accidental deletion of partitions, or disk failure.
Another factor that might harm a storage drive like a hard drive or SSD and cause an unallocated drive volume problem is an abrupt power outage or surge. Most frequently, a critical issue signifies that your drive or volume is damaged, which may result in permanent data loss.
Disk 1 and Disk 0 represent two distinct physical drives, such as a 1 TB HDD and a 120 GB SSD. The methods for resolving unallocated status remain the same for both which are already mentioned in this article:
1) Update or Reinstall the Drive Driver
2) Run the DiskPart Command
3) Expand Existing Partitions
4) Create a New Partition and Format