Recovered data significantly greater in size than original Disc

[Bunny G]

As in the title, I am seeking to recover data from a drive that has been formatted and then a new OS installed.

The size of the drive is 250Gb yet the size of the recovered data is 3.8Tb (circa 12 x larger than the actual drive). Why is this and what should I know, please?

Thank you.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

the size of the recovered data is 3.8Tb

Sez who?

You say "I am seeking to recover" and then say "the recovered data".

Has the data been recovered or not? "Seeking" implies it hasn't happened. "Recovered" implies it has.

I wouldn't assume anything about the size of something yet to be recovered.

The original drive is 250 GB. Do you know the supposed size of the data that was on that original 250 GB drive?

Does the 250 GB refer to an entire drive or to a partition on that drive?

 

[Bunny G]

Thanks for the reply.

The drive is 250Gb (total - it being a 250Gb SATA drive).

I ran EasUS which lists the files that can be recovered as being 3.8Tb in size. So I saved the log, in case I had made a mistake. I then ran On-Track which lists the files (but I did not see the total size anywhere, so started recovering them to an external 1Tb drive). After a few hours I came back and it said it had recovered 2% and had another 5+ days to go. When I looked at how much 2% is, it is 80Gb (which extrapolates to not a million miles away from 3.8 - 4Tb, by my reckoning).

Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot to say...... "Sez me". So, thanks, but if you're either lacking an ability to read between the lines of a question posed in the English language which might contain different nuances/interpretations or if you're unable to offer help (assuming it's within your knowledge to, even) without being a superior prig, I'd rather you didn't bother.

If anyone else has some knowledge of the subject, it would be appreciated.

Thanks, again in advance.

 

[RolandJS]

I hope you get all those files back! I'm wondering if that recovery tool is listing every file ever deleted -- including those you deleted on purpose. That happens to me when I'm doing recovery. I only wanted the last 10-20 accidentally deleted files, and what I get from the recovery tool is a long long list of files deleted since the Mayflower arrived. Among those files recovered so far, have you been able to check a few of them and see if such can be read and used? I'm hoping for the best for you!

 

[Bunny G]

I hope you get all those files back!........ I'm hoping for the best for you!

Thanks, Roland.

I guess that's what is happening and maybe I need to explore the options available within the recovery packages in order to make my search more specific.

One thing that intrigues me though - and please excuse my ignorance but - how does a 250Gb drive, that wasn't even anywhere near full, manage to hold just shy of 4Tb in recovered data (or is the recovery simply showing duplicates [and perhaps multiples of them] of each file that was deleted)? Or, if the recovery software makes multiple search passes, is it repeatedly scavenging the same files, over and over again? Or is it something else, entirely?

Thanks again.

 

[RolandJS]

BunnyG, I have no answer to your recent question! I'm going to listen in and learn alongside you.