i need technical support

Question

I have a 3.2 TB external SSD that previously contained important files (photos, documents, backups).

Recently, I downloaded Windows 10 using the Media Creation Tool, and I accidentally created a bootable USB on this external SSD. After doing this:

• The SSD now shows only ~31 GB in Windows Explorer as a partition called ESD-USB.

The remaining ~3 TB of space is unallocated or missing.

Windows repair or initializing the disk would overwrite the remaining data, which I want to recover.

The SSD is physically detected in Windows and BIOS.

I have not written anything else to the SSD since this happened.

I want to:

Recover the files from the 3 TB that were hidden or lost.

Delete the 31 GB Windows installation partition safely afterwards.

Avoid any further data loss.

Please advise step-by-step instructions to recover my files safely and restore the SSD.

Additional info:

Windows version: Windows 11 (on my PC)

SSD brand/model: SanDisk

Recovery software I have access to: DiskGenius, EaseUSknow Data Recovery

No other external storage available to temporarily move the full 3 TB

Thank you for your help.

Answer 1

Dear @HD DGB,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

We apologize for any inconvenience you may encounter when using our services/ products. Based on your description:

Please try copying (cloning) the same data to an alternative destination, either a cloud storage service (for example, OneDrive/SharePoint) or a different USB drive, and confirm whether the operation completes successfully.

I sincerely hope you understand that the initial steps I suggested may not have completely fixed the issue, as there may still be underlying causes that have not yet been identified. I am here to work closely with you, troubleshoot effectively, and explore every possible solution to ensure the best possible outcome.