Ghosting a machine as a Windows installation alternative is a common practice for troubleshooting computer issues. However, occasionally, Ghosting can result in accidentally wiping out valuable data on the drive.
Guide to Recovering Data after a Misguided Ghost Hard Drive Partition
Method 1: Removing the Hard Drive and Connecting It to Another Machine.
This method is applicable specifically to PC systems, as the process is simpler when compared to laptops.
After Ghosting all the data on the machine, leaving only the installed Ghost version, retrieving the data requires removing the hard drive from the current machine and installing it into another. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Basic Preparation
- Prepare a USB drive or Hirens Boot CD version 10 or above.
- Remove this hard drive and connect it to another machine, attaching it via a cable set to Slave mode:
- Configure the Bios settings to recognize the newly connected drive.
Step 2: Data Retrieval
- Boot up the machine with the connected hard drive.
- Verify if the computer recognizes the connected drive by navigating to Computer and selecting Manager.
In the To section, click on Browse, specify the drive to store data, and wait. Then plug that drive into the old machine.
Method 2: Use software installed on another storage device.
For laptops, removing the hard drive seems impractical. In case of Ghost mishaps, use software as follows:
For software, you have various choices such as Active Partition Recovery, DiskGetor Data Recovery, Recover My Files, or DataRecovery. In the following, Mytour will share how to use Active Partition Recovery software.
Get Active Partition Recovery by downloading it.
For software installation, use a USB or external hard drive on the mistakenly Ghosted machine. Install the software on this storage device; avoid installing on the mistakenly Ghosted machine to prevent data loss.
After installation, open the software from the installed storage device, click Open with administrator privileges. Select the drive for data recovery and click SuperScan to initiate scanning.
A notification prompt appears; click Scan to start the scan process:
The recovery time depends on the data volume you want to restore, varying between quick and slow.
After the scan, it lists the mistakenly Ghosted data. Click on the drive or file you want to recover:
Click on the desired item, make your selection, and proceed to save the file.
You can rescue all data; however, for this software, formats like Word, Excel, and images are fully recoverable. Formats like HD videos and .exe files have a slightly lower recovery rate.
- Ghost Win 7 Kit
Download Ghost Win 7 64-bit
Download Ghost Win 7 32-bit
- Ghost Win 8 Kit
Download Ghost Win 8 64-bit
Download Ghost Win 8 32-bit
- Ghost Win XP Kit
Download Ghost Win XP SP3
Wishing you all the best!
