Iomega external hard drives are widely used for personal and business data storage, providing a convenient way to store important documents, photos, and backups. However, when an external drive appears in Disk Management but not in File Explorer, it often indicates logical corruption, unallocated space, or partition table damage, preventing access to stored files.
This case study details how we successfully recovered critical data from an Iomega external hard drive, after partition corruption made the drive unreadable.
As Guildford Data Recovery, Surrey’s oldest and best data recovery company, we have 25 years of experience using partition repair, file system reconstruction, and deep forensic data extraction techniques to restore lost files.
Iomega External Drive Not Showing in File Explorer
A client in Guildford contacted us after their Iomega external hard drive stopped working, with the following issues:
- The drive was visible in Windows Disk Management but not in File Explorer.
- The drive showed as “Unallocated Space” in Disk Management.
- Attempts to assign a drive letter or repair using Windows tools failed.
- The drive contained irreplaceable work documents, family photos, and archived emails.
Since attempting DIY recovery could overwrite recoverable data, an immediate professional recovery solution was required.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
When the Iomega external hard drive arrived at our secure cleanroom facility, we conducted a full partition and file system diagnostic. Our findings:
- Partition table corruption (MBR/GPT damage) – Preventing the OS from recognizing the drive.
- File system corruption (NTFS/FAT32) – Making stored data inaccessible.
- No mechanical failure detected, meaning logical recovery was possible through partition repair and raw data extraction.
Since unallocated space does not immediately erase data, we prioritized rebuilding the partition table and repairing the file system.
The Recovery Process
1. Cloning & Imaging the Hard Drive to Prevent Further Data Loss
To preserve recoverable data, we:
- Created a sector-by-sector forensic clone of the Iomega hard drive.
- Used specialized recovery tools to extract readable sectors while avoiding further corruption.
2. Rebuilding the Partition Table & Repairing the File System
Since the partition table was missing or corrupted, we:
- Rebuilt the MBR/GPT structure to restore lost file directories.
- Repaired the NTFS/FAT32 file system to regain access to stored data.
3. Extracting & Verifying Recovered Files
Once data extraction was complete, we:
- Recovered all work documents, PDFs, and spreadsheets.
- Restored family photos, videos, and archived email files.
- Transferred the fully restored data to a secure external backup device.
The Results: 100% Data Recovery Success
Thanks to our partition table repair and deep sector-level recovery techniques, we successfully recovered 100% of the client’s lost files, including:
✅ Business documents, financial spreadsheets, and reports
✅ Family photos, videos, and digital archives
✅ Organized file structures restored for easy access
The client was able to retrieve all essential files, preventing professional and personal data loss.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful external hard drive recoveries, we are England’s leading data recovery specialists. Our expertise includes:
✔ Partition table repair & MBR/GPT reconstruction
✔ RAW drive recovery & NTFS/FAT32 file system repair
✔ Document, photo, and video retrieval from unallocated drives
✔ Secure & confidential data recovery services
If your Iomega external hard drive is showing in Disk Management but not in File Explorer, has lost partitions, or is preventing access to important files, stop using it immediately and contact us for expert data recovery.