{"id":1923,"date":"2019-02-06T07:00:31","date_gmt":"2019-02-06T12:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=1923"},"modified":"2019-02-05T17:23:33","modified_gmt":"2019-02-05T22:23:33","slug":"a-reader-asks-is-there-any-way-to-recover-data-from-a-computer-that-has-been-factory-reset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/06\/a-reader-asks-is-there-any-way-to-recover-data-from-a-computer-that-has-been-factory-reset\/","title":{"rendered":"A reader asks: “Is there any way to recover data from a computer that has been factory reset?”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reader Troy Marcotte* asks: “Is there any way to recover data from a computer that has been factory reset?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the device was simply reset using an ordinary factory recovery DVD\/flash drive, or the like, then yes, some data may still be available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a standard factory reset, the drive usually gets reformatted, and fresh copies of the operating system files are written to the drive. Other parts of the drive may be left nearly untouched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’re not likely to be able to recover old data from any areas of the disk that are overwritten. But any parts of the hard drive that were not yet overwritten — such as areas that may previously have contained user files — may still contain recoverable data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an easy, but long-shot first step, try a standard undelete or unerase tool (examples<\/a>), and see what it turns up. (Probably nothing much, if the drive was reformatted, but it won’t hurt to look.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If that doesn’t work, try an unformat\/unpartition tool (examples<\/a>); it may<\/u><\/em> be able to undo the factory reset — at least somewhat — and restore some of the previous files to normal access. (You’ll want to have a boot disc\/drive on hand, as this may render the system temporarily unbootable from its hard drive.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\/when you can get at the old files, copy them to a safe location off the hard drive that you’re working on. Once the files are copied and safe, re-do the factory restore to get everything working again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But all that assumes a minimal factory reset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the PC’s drive was “wiped” prior to the reset (wiped = all previous data erased and overwritten with new, random data); then no, you’re unlikely to be able to recover any old data from the system without exotic and very expensive tools and technology, anyway; and even then, you probably won’t get much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would this be a good time to mention how having good backups lets you avoid problems like this? \ud83d\ude42 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If those old, now-deleted files still existed somewhere in safe backups, all of this would be moot: You’d just restore the files from backup, and that’d be that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Permalink: <\/em><\/strong>https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=1923<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

* Want to ask Fred a question? Have a comment? Click here!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want free notification of new content like this? Click here<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reader Troy Marcotte* asks: “Is there any way to recover data from a computer that has been factory reset?” If the device was simply reset using an ordinary factory recovery DVD\/flash drive, or the like, then yes, some data may still be available. With a standard factory reset, the drive usually gets reformatted, and fresh…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,10,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-reader-asks","category-science-and-tech","category-windows"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paaiox-v1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":911,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/11\/02\/a-reader-asks-how-can-i-reset-my-smartphone-without-losing-data-it-keeps-restarting\/","url_meta":{"origin":1923,"position":0},"title":"A reader asks: How can I reset my smartphone without losing data? It keeps restarting.","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-11-02","format":false,"excerpt":"Reader Aaron used the Contact link to ask: \"How can I reset my smartphone without losing data? It keeps restarting.\" You\u2019ll have to temporarily move the data to another device (eg your PC; or a cloud-based file storage service like Drive, OneDrive, DropBox; etc.) How you do this depends on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1485,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/26\/a-reader-asks-how-can-i-recover-android-data-after-a-factory-reset-if-it-wasnt-backed-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":1923,"position":1},"title":"A reader asks: “How can I recover Android data after a factory reset if it wasn’t backed up?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-12-26","format":false,"excerpt":"That's a terrible feeling, isn't it, when your data's gone --- maybe forever! Ugh. But it may not be gone, or at least, not all of it. Google, or your phone maker, may have provided at least some automatic backup services for you. Some third-party apps may have likewise saved\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/smartphone-backups.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1772,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/30\/a-reader-asks-is-it-true-that-none-of-your-data-gets-permanently-deleted-from-your-hard-drive\/","url_meta":{"origin":1923,"position":2},"title":"A reader asks: “Is it true that none of your data gets permanently deleted from your hard drive?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-01-30","format":false,"excerpt":"(Question asked by reader Tevin Gotti*.) No, it's not true. Lots of data gets permanently deleted all the time. Data that\u2019s been fully and completely overwritten is beyond recovery. But it takes extra steps to \"fully and completely\" overwrite data. When that's not done, all bets are off: It might\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":212,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/29\/a-reader-asks-how-do-i-recover-save-my-phones-internal-storage-before-doing-reset\/","url_meta":{"origin":1923,"position":3},"title":"A reader asks: How do I recover\/save my phone’s internal storage before doing Reset?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-08-29","format":false,"excerpt":"Q:\u00a0How do I recover\/save my phone's internal storage before doing Reset?\u00a0 (via Quora) A: It depends on where\u2019s the data stored --- but should always be relatively easy to do. 1) If the data is on a plug-in\/add-on memory card, recovery is trivially simple: Turn off the phone, remove the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4850,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/28\/can-you-factory-reset-a-computer-from-bios\/","url_meta":{"origin":1923,"position":4},"title":"“Can you factory reset a computer from BIOS?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-04-28","format":false,"excerpt":"(Answer requested by Ram Binay Yadav) In a word, no. Even for systems using UEFI instead of a BIOS --- and that's almost all current PCs (see below) --- the answer's still no. BIOS: Old-school PCs used a BIOS (Basic Input\/Output System) to handle the power-on startup sequence of a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/bios-chip-rf-e1587748394415.jpg?fit=350%2C233&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4020,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/01\/07\/why-do-laptops-take-so-long-to-reset-to-factory-settings-compared-to-smartphones\/","url_meta":{"origin":1923,"position":5},"title":"“Why do laptops take so long to reset to factory settings, compared to smartphones?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-01-07","format":false,"excerpt":"(Answer requested by Trevor Noble) Why does it take so long to paint a house compared to a garden shed? :) Laptops are typically much more capacious than phones, and carry far more software and files. EG: My phone (an S10) has 128GB of internal drive storage, with 75GB currently\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1923"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1944,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923\/revisions\/1944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}