How to Recover Data from GPT Protective Partition

The GPT or GUID Partition Table is a standard design of partition tables of computer storage devices such as internal hard disks, external disks, and solid-state drives. They all use unique identification factors or globally unique identifiers (GUIDS).

The GPT is a component of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) model. However, one also uses it in a few BIOS systems because of the several limitations posed by the Master Boot Record (MBR) partition tables. The MBR uses 32-bits for addressing logical block addressing (LBA) for the traditional 512-byte sectors.

Protective MBR and GPT

Like Master Boot Record, GPT utilizes logical block addressing (LBA) rather than the traditional Cylinder Head Sector (CHS) addressing. The protective Master Boot Record is in LBA 0 with the GPT header in LBA 1. The GPT header consists of a pointer to the partition table at LBA 2. According to the UEFI specifications, regardless of the sector size, there must be a minimum of 16,384 bytes for Partition Entry Array, and each entry consists of 128 bytes. Therefore, on a disk with 512-bytes, the 34 sector becomes the first usable sector.

To ensure backward compatibility, reserving space for the legacy MBR in GPT specification is still in practice. However, utilizing is such that it prevents MBR disk utilities from misrecognizing and overwriting GPT disks. Such a step refers to as protective MBR. Operating systems that fail to read GPT disks will identify the drive as unknown partition type and no space. Due to this, there is a reduction in accidental erasures. Likewise, if an OS is capable of reading GPT disks, it possesses the ability to check for protective MBR. If the disk is not EEh type or contains multiple partitions, then the OS refuses to manipulate the partition table.

Recovering Data from GPT Partition

GPT partition recovery is only possible if the operating system allows access to the partition and recognizes it as a part of the hard drive. However, with a few advanced hard drive recovery tools, it is possible to gain access to the protective partition and recover data present in the same. One of the must-have tools for users to recover data from a GPT partition is iBeesoft Data Recovery software. 

The reason iBeesoft Data Recovery tool stands out from the rest of the recovery programs is because of its robust algorithm that restores the GPT table with ease. With the guidance offered by the program, GPT recovery is no longer a tedious process. The software is highly efficient and possesses the ability to recover data from damaged partition. The mechanism of the scan is such that it goes through sector-by-sector of the selected hard drive or a partition of the storage system and displays the recoverable files according to their file types. It, thus, makes things easy for a user to scan and retrieve the needed data using a few simple clicks.

The best hard drive recovery software that helps to recover data from GPT partition has several outstanding features. These make the program an efficient and perfect addition to recovering data.

The specialty of the recovery tool is its ability to identify several file types from different categories such as computers, memory cards, digital cameras, external hard drives, USBs, and other drives.

Step-by-Step Guide to Recover Data from GPT Protective Partition

To GPT partition recovery, please installing iBeesoft Data Recovery software is essential. It is the first pre-requisite. The software is available for the free trial, and users can download it from the official website. Following on the instructions will complete the setup with ease. The following guide helps one to recover the GPT partition table with a few simple clicks:

Step 1: Clicking the icon of the software launches the GPT recovery program. The primary screen displays the file types that the utility can recover with ease. As a default, the program selects all the types automatically. However, according to requirement, users can choose only the needed file type or types and click the "Start" button.

Step 2: The next window shows the partitions of the hard drive. It even shows partitions of any external storage drives connected to the computer. Now, the user should select the GPT partition to recover the data from the same. The window shows the partition along with the partition type. After making the selection, clicking the "Scan" button at the top activates the scanning of the partition.

Step 3: After completing the scan, iBeesoft displays the recoverable data from the selected partition. It shows the files types in a tree directory to the left side of the screen. The center portion consists of the data or the files recoverable from each folder contained in the tree directory. The right side is the place to view the thumbnail of the selected data from the center pane. Users can begin marking the needed files against the checkbox and press the "Recover" button to restore the GPT partition table. The time taken to restore depends on the files selected and the total size. It is advisable to choose an external path other than the hard drive to ensure the security and safety of the retrieved data. The GPT partition recovery also provides a Deep Scan mode, which is helpful for those who think there is more data left in the selected drive. Choosing this will increase the scan time but helps in retrieving more files from GPT partition than the regular scan. It is preferable to use when the drive contains crucial information or files.

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