Delete a disk partition accidentally, or partition missing for an unknown reason? Take it easy, follow the two best ways to recover deleted partition in Windows 7.
“One of my hard drive partition ran into problems when I was shrinking one large volume (D:) to merge it into another smaller drive (C:/). Since I’ve defined the much lower capacity than the available size and get the confirmation message too about the successful disk management operation. I’ve not been able to access D drive since then, containing really important files and some pictures. How do I recover lost partition in Windows 7?”
- Question from Reddit
“I have a problem with partition. I had one with name E: and I don't know why it has been lost. (look at the screenshot). I think it is a problem with partition table. Can I recover my partition with files inside? This problem is shown in the picture.”
- Question from Reddit
As you can see from the user case above, partition loss may be due to improper operation, such as shrinking a partition, even for unknown reasons, at least you don't know.
It does not matter, I'll show you all the possible reasons in the next section. The bottom line is that you can perform partition recovery in Windows 7 as long as it is not overwritten. In addition, you need a powerful partition recovery software to help you.
⚠️To avoid further data loss due to overwriting, please stop using your disk immediately. Meanwhile, don't do the following operation.
Don't create a new partition with its unallocated space
Don't attempt to add new files to the partition
Don't rebuild the partition table or MBR before partition recovery
The following common reasons often cause partition loss. It also helps you prevent partitions from lost again. Check if your scenario is being applied.
◈ Mistaken partition deletion: You may delete a partition by inadvertent operation in Disk Management or while reinstalling Windows.
◈ Repartition hard drive: Error operations or sudden interruption during disk resizing would cause partition loss.
◈ Partition table loss or damage: The function of the partition table is to display the partitions. Once it is corrupted or lost, the partition will be lost as well.
◈ Unexpected operating system shutdown: An unexpected operating system shutdown will lead to a computer malfunction or disk error.
◈ Virus attacks: Once viruses and malware attack the hard drive, the partition will be lost easily.
Besides, operating system or file system corruption, bad sectors, drive letter loss, and running CHKDSK after disk defragmentation can also lead to partition loss.
If your Windows 7 partition is lost, all the data and folders contained in the partition will be deleted, and no traces of the hard drive partition in Windows Disk Management will be visible. So, how to restore lost partition on hard drive is urgently needed.
The Partition Recovery wizard, as a specialized feature of AOMEI Partition Assistant, is created to recover lost or deleted partitions in Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11, including FAT, NTFS, Ext2, Ext3, and Ext4. With advanced scanning methods, it can be the most effective way to recover lost or deleted partitions completely.
Step 1. Install and open AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Choose Partition Recovery under the Recover menu and select the disk including the accidentally deleted partition.
Step 2. There are two kinds of search modes. It is recommended to select Fast Search the first time because it saves more time than Full Search.
Step 3. The tool will display all the deleted partitions. You can choose the one you want to recover. Click Proceed.
After the partition recovery process completes, a message “congratulations” shows, and click “Finish” to exit this window. Then you can check if your partition shows up in File Explorer. Your files in the partition will be back as well if they haven’t been covered or overwritten.
If you see the lost partition denoted by an asterisk in Disk Management, you can try to reassign a drive letter in CMD to make your missing partition visible again in Windows File Explorer. It's also a free way to restore lost partition. This method requires you to be familiar with the DiskPart tool.
Step 1. Find the lost partition in Disk Management. Press Win + R and type diskmgmt.msc in the Run window to open Disk Management. The deleted partition will be marked as Unallocated. Remember the partition size.
Step 2. Press Win + R and type CMD to run CMD as administrator.
Step 3. Type diskpart in the CMD window and press Enter.
Step 4. Type list disk and press Enter. All disks on the computer will be on the list.
Step 5. Type select disk # and press Enter (Replace # with the number of the hard disk that contains the lost partition).
Step 6. Type list volume and press Enter. You will see all volumes on the disk.
Step 7. Type select volume # and press Enter (replace # with the number of the lost partition).
Step 8. Type assign letter=# and press Enter (Replace # with an available drive letter, from C to Z).
If some of your files are still missing after partition recovery, try a powerful data recovery software like AOMEI FastRecovery to recover data from deleted partition. It's embedded with advanced algorithms and can scan health, damaged, or formatted disk as well as lost partition for data recovery.
Partition deletion accidentally occurs often in Disk Management. There are two best ways to recover lost or deleted partitions in Windows 7. Select the way you want to restore deleted or lost partitions. It’s recommended to try AOMEI Partition Recovery Wizard for partition recovery due to its easy-to-use interface and powerful functions.
With it, you can rescue both lost partitions and data if you take action as soon as possible. If you don't want to lose them entirely, regular backups for crucial files are encouraged.