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Recover HFS+ partition after SSD was APFS-erased?

G

grad

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 2, 2014
408
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I stupidly erased (with Disk Utility) a non-encrypted HFS+ partitioned (Mac OS Extended Journaled, GUID partition map) SATA SSD with lots of data as an APFS (not Encrypted, GUID) disk. Is it possible to recover the old partition and/or the files I had ?

I tried with several recovery tools but they can only find a couple of small FAT partitions and no files. I didn't know that just by APFS formatting you could instantly secure erase disks so that nobody can ever retrieve the old data.
 
grad said:
I tried with several recovery tools but they can only find a couple of small FAT partitions and no files.
Click to expand...
Which recovery tools did you try? Listing these will reduce noise in the replies you get.
 
TestDisk, R-Studio, Disk Drill, DMDE, AOMEI Partition Assistant, EaseUS Partition Master, Lazesoft Data Recovery
 
Getting data back from an erased SSD (as differentiated from a platter-based HDD) is a problem.

If you can't find any 3rd party app that can recover from the APFS volume, I'll offer another. Call it the "Fishrrman off-the-wall™" chance:

Erase the drive again.
THIS TIME, erase it to Mac OS extended, journaling enabled, GUID partition format.

Do not -- repeat, DO NOT -- do a "secure" erase. Just a "quick one".

NOW try running 3rd party data recovery software on it.
Waff's mention of Prosoft (which I presume is for "Data Rescue") might be a good choice.

REASON WHY I made this suggestion:
Because Apple has never released too much about the inner workings of APFS, 3rd party software writers are at something of a loss as to how to handle it.

BUT... most 3rd-party data recovery apps can work well with HFS+ (and platter-based HDDs).

Personal experience offered:
I once had a drive partitioned into several partitions -- one of which I stored a large library of mp3 files.
Then... something went wrong with the partition -- couldn't mount it any more. Data recovery software couldn't "reach it".
How I proceeded:
I used disk utility to re-initialize the ENTIRE drive to a single HFS+ partition.
I DID NOT "secure erase" the drive.
This "wiped clean" the drive directory, but the actual data sectors out on the drive were left UNTOUCHED.
NOW I could use Data Rescue to scan and recover nearly all the lost mp3 files.
Just about all the file folders and file names were lost, however.
REMEMBER... file names and folder hierarchy are a structure of the drive directory, and that was obliterated with the re-initialization.
BUT... I got the DATA (the mp3 files) back.

Then... I found another trick.
I dumped the files into a new iTunes library, and iTunes was able to recover the file names using the file metadata. What luck!
Still, it took me a few YEARS of off-and-on folder "re-construction" to get everything back to where it was supposed to be.
Yes, years.
But... I got it back.

I've since learned to back up even old, seldom-accessed archives as well as my day-to-day data...
 
@Bigwaff, thanks, I also had that in mind, maybe I try it before I go with @Fishrrman's suggestion.

@Fishrrman, yes exactly, I had the same idea in my mind but I wanted to see if others did or thought the same. Every tool I tried only "found" the existing APFS partition and never found any lost partition, no matter if I tried with deep scan analysis or not. I thought that maybe if I reformat as HFS+ the recovery apps will somehow find the old/lost HFS+ partition instead of (just?) the APFS one.

On the other hand, I found this semi-related post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/13814to/how_to_securely_erase_a_ssd_for_resale_using_only
 
"On the other hand, I found this semi-related post:"

No, NO, NO...!
NEVER use "secure" erase.
That will wipe out ALL data on the drive, and make it UNrecoverable !
 
Fishrrman said:
"On the other hand, I found this semi-related post:"

No, NO, NO...!
NEVER use "secure" erase.
That will wipe out ALL data on the drive, and make it UNrecoverable !
Click to expand...
I am NOT going to use secure erase - I never do. But I am afraid that if during APFS-formatting all (now free) space on SSD was trimmed, then memory cells were cleared and old data became unrecoverable.
 
"I am afraid that if during APFS-formatting all (now free) space on SSD was trimmed, then memory cells were cleared and old data became unrecoverable."

Have you TRIED any of the data recovery apps on it yet?
I believe just about ALL of them can be downloaded for free so that you can try them on the problem drive.

If it looks like they CAN "see" and recover the data, THEN you pay a registration fee and get a code to enter.

You MIGHT get lucky.
But... SSDs (I'm thinking) are more problematical than platter-based HDDs.
You have to try and see.

One other thing:
Just about all data recovery apps are going to want you to have "a second drive" ready to RECEIVE the recovered data. It doesn't "go back on" the problem drive. So have that space available and waiting before you make your attempt.
 
@Fishrrman, yes I tried them (both quick and deep scan) they couldn't find something (old/lost HFS+ partition and its files) - and I tried operating on the raw device as well.

I am afraid that HFS+ -> APFS formatting has been the problem. In the past e.g. I remember I was able to recover HFS+ partitions/files after quickly formatting/erasing them to HFS+ again, exFAT, etc.
 
Before you throw in the towel, try what I said earlier:
Do a quick erase, HFS+, no additional partitioning.
(whole drive is now a single partition).

Then...try running the data recovery software on it one last time.
 
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Not having other options I went with @Fishrrman's suggestion (I had the same idea myself anyway). Unfortunately, it didn't work. Again, nothing was found, neither the original HFS+ partition and files, neither the APFS one I stupidly formatted the drive with. I guess HFS+>APFS or/and APFS->HFS+ erases everything on an SSD or NVMe, no need for secure erase or whatsoever. I did manage to find a backup but it was not fresh, lost 2 years of data. This will teach=remind me a couple of lessons:

1) TRIPLE (double is not enough) check when you are about to format a drive
2) ALWAYS keep an up-to-date backup (or two), preferably on a mechanical hard drive
3) NEVER go for your data with a filesystem that is not well supported by salvage/recovery tools, I don't care what Apple says
 
"NEVER go for your data with a filesystem that is not well supported by salvage/recovery tools, I don't care what Apple says"

This is why EVERY drive I have that can be formatted for HFS+ (instead of APFS) is STILL formatted for HFS+.

Third-party software still works on HFS+.
Not so much with APFS.

The only drives/partitions that I format to APFS are those that MUST be APFS -- such as my boot partition and CCC backup drive, etc.

I'm the only Mac user IN THE WORLD who has split the internal SSD on an m4 Mac into 4 partitions, one is APFS, the other three are HFS+. I just like it that way...
 
Hehe, I am like that too. APFS only for the boot drive because Apple decided so, but HFS+ for home folder, data, etc. I am still not on Apple silicon, so I am using separate drives. It was a bad moment, I will learn from it.
 
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