Retrieve deleted files from damaged partition table while two partitions are merged

Usually, Windows users divide their large sized hard disk drives in more than one partition. Every partition either primary or extended is provided with some important entries that are saved in a 64 byte data structure termed as ‘partition table’. The entries saved in this table might be corrupt due to number of reasons such as improper system shutdown while you were partitioning process was going on, malicious virus attack or damage caused to operating system. In such cases, the partitions become unmountable and the data saved in these partitions becomes inaccessible.

To overcome this partition table damage situation and access the hard drive data, a user needs to format the hard disk drive, re-partition that hard disk again and then restore the data from an updated backup copy. However, if there is no valid or updated backup available for the files, then the user needs to search for an effective third party data recovery software to retrieve deleted files from the corrupt or re-partitioned hard disk.

Considering a real time working situation to discuss the above situation easily, suppose you have partitioned your hard disk drive into three partitions namely C, D and E in your Windows XP based computer system. Now you have decided to merge two partitions which are C and D. To do this, you use a third party software. But while the utility was performing the operation, it failed suddenly leaving the process in the middle. The crash could have occurred due to any of the following reasons:

• Bug(s) in the third party application

• Operating system malfunction

Now when you try booting the system, it does not boot. In addition to this, the data saved in all the partitions has become inaccessible. The reason behind this might be corruption in partition table entries. The entries remain partially changed state due to incomplete merging process. In such critical data loss cases, it is suggested that you format the hard drive and recreate all the hard disk drive partitions. After you recreate the partitions, restore the data from an updated valid backup copy. Although the resolution is easy and simple, it fails to resolve the current data loss issue if the user has not kept an updated valid backup copy.

With such situations, you will need to opt for a commercial data recovery software to retrieve deleted files. Such utilities use advanced data recovery algorithms to recover and retrieve deleted files post formatting your hard drive or re partitioning your hard disk drive. These tools are easy to use and intuitive as they even let a non technical or novice user perform recovery. Kernel for FAT and NTFS is a professional and eminent partition recovery tool to retrieve deleted files post partitioning the hard disk.