Windows 10: Installation Media erased my external hard drive?

I was attempting to reset my Windows 10, and needed to create Installation Media in order to do so. The only thing I had on my was my 2TB External Hard Drive, so I used that. It now appears that all the files I had previously on this hard drive are now erased and only has Installation media files on it, saying it is 32GB of space.


Are all my files really gone for good? I recall no warning in the installation process that it would essentially reformat my hard drive. I'm thinking maybe I can reformat it again and my use some recovery tool to retrieve my old files, but now in reformatting process it says the hard drive has 32GB of space.

:)

 

External Hard Drive

Hi John,

We suggest that you try the troubleshooting steps below:

• Open your External Hard Drive file in File Explorer.
• Type the name of the file you want to search on the search box and click Enter.

The file will show up in Search Results and you will be able to move it to the correct folder.

Let us know if you need further help.

 

media drive uk

a media drive is an external hdd that has software on it enabling you to just plug it into your tv and watch videos/play music etc

i would suggest ebay for that sort of money tbh

 

Can't install update on external hard drive?

Thank you for that information Laura.

Since the Update Assistant is still not offering the option to install updates in external drive, I suggest that you create a bootable media using a USB flash drive and another one where we will install the updates. See

Create Windows 10 installation media and follow the steps under "Using the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file)" to learn how.

Afterwards, follow the steps below on how to install updates :

• Connect both the USB flash drive with Windows 10 installation files
  and the other empty USB flash drive.
• Double-click the Setup.exe file to launch the Windows 10 installation from the USB flash drive.
• Select the Keep personal files and apps option to update your computer.
  
• If you get the "Windows needs more space" option, click the
  Choose another drive or attach an external drive with 10GB available link.
• Click Install
• Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process as necessary.

We appreciate your patience Laura. Don't hesitate to post back if you need more help.