We recover information from an external hard drive (flash drive, local partition) using the Recuva program.
Recovering files from a hard drive is an issue that worries many personal computer owners.
This includes the loss of valuable information and the time required for its successful recovery.
Specialized services charge a lot of money for this, but if the media is in good condition, it makes sense to try to recover the data yourself.
Reasons for losing information
If the storage medium is undamaged, the main reason may be:
- errors that occurred in the partition table or file system devices. Most often this happens due to incorrect shutdown of the personal computer, failures, malfunctions in hardware and software;
- the harmful effects of viruses, as well as user errors, often lead to the loss or corruption of data. With such failures, the information usually remains on the disk, but data about its location is lost. This is expressed in the loss of several disk partitions, displaying the partition as unformatted;
- Inaccurate file system entries can also lead to partial or complete loss of individual files and directories.
The main causes of malfunctions that lead to loss of information
Or maybe files, important data were accidentally deleted or the partition in which they were located was formatted. Information recovery is carried out using certain software in manual or automatic mode.
When using the appropriate programs, all information that exists on the media is scanned. Based on the detected information, a “map” of fragments of recovered data is created. It contains information: which file belongs to which sector, names, sizes and other parameters of the elements of the system being scanned. The selected data is then transferred to another drive.
What to do if data is lost?
If nothing was written to the sectors from which information was deleted, then the data was not physically destroyed, but information about its location was distorted or lost. First of all, it is necessary to determine exactly where the sectors that store the necessary information are located, and also to reproduce it in the correct sequence.
If information was written to the disk from which the files were deleted, for example, formatting and installation of a new operating system, there is a high probability of physical destruction of the data. In these cases, the feasibility of successful information recovery depends on the ratio of lost and recorded data. For example, if you delete 2 gigabytes of databases and write 100 gigabytes of music and movies in their place, the probability of successful recovery approaches zero.
Data recovery mechanism using programs
- media scanning;
- Based on the scanning results, a map of the location of pieces of information is compiled, based on the detected service records, and a directory tree is built;
- the map contains data about which file belongs to which cluster, the name, size and other parameters of the file system elements;
- if the information received is not enough, then certain extrapolation methods are used;
- folders and files that need to be restored are selected in accordance with the compiled map and transferred to another medium.
This article will review a variety of programs, both paid and free, and analyze their strengths and weaknesses so that the reader can quickly choose the most suitable software for his request.
5 Best Data Recovery Software
Recuva
Recuva is one of the most common programs for recovering lost data or formatted disks. The high demand for this program can be explained by its simple and intuitive interface. Recuva does not require experience or special knowledge in the field of data recovery, it is very convenient and easy to use. You can download it from here
The program scans the selected hard drive in detail (various hard drives and flash drives are supported). Information can be recovered even if the drive has suffered any physical damage or was formatted using a standard system command.
It is recommended to perform recovery using the program without changing the standard settings, unless, of course, you are an expert in the field of data recovery. This utility has a simple interface and will provide effective information recovery, even if the user does not have the necessary knowledge.
The program will prompt you to select the type of file to be restored. When searching for a specific file (music, picture, document), it is worth specifying the category to save time necessary for the recovery operation. But, if you do not know the file type or want to find data from different categories, specify “Other” and the program will search for all deleted information.
Choosing WHAT to look for
Next, you need to select the location where the file was located before deletion. You can select not only a separate folder, but also more extensive areas, for example: “My Documents” or “On a memory card”, and the program will check the selected area for the presence of the necessary data. If the exact location is unknown (the file was deleted using special programs or simply disappeared), you should leave “Exactly unknown” by default so that the utility scans the entire surface of the media.
We choose WHERE we will look
A window appears when you are ready to perform the restore operation. It is recommended to conduct an in-depth analysis: it takes longer, but its efficiency will be many times higher.
It is worth waiting a while while the program searches for files. If you did not choose in-depth analysis, the operation will take very little time.
Selecting information to restore
A window will open indicating the deleted data found. From this list, you should select the information that needs to be restored, after which the program will prompt you to select a folder for recovery.
It is important to correctly select the folder where our files will be restored, because this will affect the efficiency of their recovery. Restoration should be carried out to a drive other than the one from which the recovery is being carried out. This is especially true when returning a large number of files. You can connect an additional hard drive or flash drive to return data to them. The space should be slightly larger than the size of the files being restored.
The recovery procedure will not take much time and depends on the number and size of files.
R-Studio
R-Studio is a convenient and functional program for recovering information from various drives that was deleted by mistake. With its help, you can scan various media and recover lost data not only from hard drives, but also from flash drives. You can download the utility from the website http://www.r-studio.com/ru/Data_Recovery_Download
Initially, you should decide on the choice of version: demo or full. If you do not perform data recovery on a regular basis, it is better to choose the demo version. A 20-day period is more than enough to restore all information.
If you are not a pro, it is better to use the demo version
In addition to recovery, the utility can also perform a preliminary scan. This operation will speed up and increase the efficiency of the recovery procedure. It is worth noting that you can scan the device with third-party programs, and upload a file with a report on the work done to R-Studio. The utility always conducts a detailed scan by sector. This may take some time, depending on the size of the partition being scanned.
We scan the selected partition
After the scan is completed, it will be possible to view all the files that it was able to detect and then select those that can be restored. In order to restore a file, you need to right-click on it and select the “Recover” command.
R-Studio is convenient and multifunctional
If you don’t know exactly what was deleted from the device, and you are going to recover all lost files, in this case, right-click on the desired media and select “Recover all files.”
At the end, simply select the partition where to restore
At the end, you will need to select a folder where the seized information will be restored. Important! It is imperative to take into account that the folder should not be located on the hard drive from which the information will be returned, because during the recovery of some files, others may be completely overwritten by them.
After selecting a folder, you need to wait while the program diagnoses the drive and restores lost information.
Easy Recovery
Easy Recovery can safely be called a high-quality program for professionals, which can be mastered by an ordinary user. It has gained popularity due to its excellent efficiency and, at the same time, ease of use in comparison with similar utilities. The advantage of this program is that it can also perform preliminary diagnostics of the media. Download the program
Click on “Disc Diagnostic” and select the required command. If the utility was downloaded in order to recover data, then we conduct a deep scan “SmartTests”. In addition to scanning, the program will perform diagnostics and determine whether the hard drive has problems, for example, unreadable sectors or any others, in order to prevent troubles.
Diagnostic menu
After selecting the command, the type and number of media that are currently running on the device are determined. We choose which one we will work with and where to restore the information.
For the most accurate and complete diagnostics, select “Run extended SMART test”. First of all, you should be patient: the verification will take a lot of time.
Be patient and choose scanning
To restore files, go to the “Data Recovery” section and select the mode that is interesting to us. In this program, modes are selected depending on the specific situation.
For example, if you accidentally formatted your hard drive, select the “Format Recovery” category. Next, select the file system of the drive and the partition that was formatted.
If there is a need to recover deleted files, then select the “Deleted Recovery” function - the disk selection menu opens and the formats of the recovered files are determined.
Recovering lost files
If the data is lost as a result of a software failure or the reason for the loss is unknown, select the “Advanced Recovery” option. After scanning, the program will find information that was deleted within a certain period of time.
We choose what we need to restore. Typically, the diagnostic and recovery procedure does not take much time. This will depend on the amount of data that needs to be returned.
PhotoRescue Pro
PhotoRescue Pro is a utility that will help you recover deleted photos or videos. Today's digital devices provide ample opportunities for recording, dubbing and optimizing media files. If you accidentally deleted the necessary files from a digital gadget, this utility will solve this problem.
With this program you can recover data from any type of flash drive, hard drive or mobile phone. It is possible to recover data even from damaged and formatted media.
Working with PhotoRescue Pro is very convenient and accessible. You can download it from here. The program supports many languages, including Russian. After selecting the language, a window appears in which we click the “Next” button and the registration window appears. If you just want to recover a few photos, there is no point in registering the program, but if you constantly work with your camera and this problem occurs to you quite often, it is worth purchasing the full version.
First, we select the drive from which we will return information. The utility works with several file systems at once, which is very beneficial. Click “Next”.
Analyzing the content
After selecting the drive we need, click “Next”, wait a couple of seconds - the utility will check the partition we have selected. A list of folders is displayed; we need to select the one that interests us. If the location of the file is unknown, click on the checkmark at the very top to highlight all the data found. "Next"
Select the desired folder
We select the formats of the files that interest us. To avoid mistakes, it is better not to uncheck individual formats so that the utility can find as much information as possible. Next, select the required files. Click “Next”.
Select the desired folder
Once you have completed selecting formats, the scanning operation will begin. The verification time will depend on the volume of data and will take from several minutes to a couple of hours.
Scan duration depends on data size
The advantage of the program over analogues is that it simultaneously checks the drive for the presence of unreadable sectors. Thanks to this, you can not only restore lost information, but also carry out diagnostics and troubleshooting.
All that remains is to restore the data
After scanning is completed, a list of files opens. It is possible to search for files by categories (video, photo, audio) and formats, and not by sections and various folders.
The program shows how much data was found and what was deleted. Thanks to this, you will quickly find out which files were found and which were irretrievably lost.
GetDataBack
GetDataBack is one of the most effective and most powerful. With its help, you can recover data in almost any situation. The developer divided the program into two subtypes: the first for the NTFS file system, and the second for FAT. Download it from here: https://www.runtime.org/data-recovery-software.htm
We recover all deleted files for effective results
This utility must be installed on a foreign hard drive. You cannot restore to the media from which files will be restored, since the necessary information will be overwritten.
After opening the program, a menu of four items appears. For maximum efficiency, it is recommended to select the fourth option – “I want to recover deleted files” (I want to recover deleted data).
Select the required section
In the list of local drives that opens, which the utility will find while scanning the hard drive, you need to find the partition where the deleted files were located. The program provides many possibilities in the field of data recovery, but if you just want to return information from the drive and do not know where it was, you should select the “Physical drives” category.
A file system window opens and you need to select the one that is supported by this version of the program (in our case, NTFS). Modern computers use different file systems simultaneously, so check the box next to “Show recommended”.
Select the file system we are interested in
After a detailed scan, the utility will open a folder explorer, simple and easy to understand. The contents of the selected folder will be displayed on the right; if the information was deleted, after recovery GetDataBack will show the files in strikethrough font for ease of classification. Each file is equipped with a special marking, which can be used to determine the type of information found.
Data recovery is easy and convenient
As a result, we select the data we need and start the recovery. Once finished, the recovered file will be available in the editor
Restoring files using this program in the FAT file system is carried out in the same way.
Conclusion
This article discussed, in my opinion, the most popular and effective programs for recovering deleted data from a hard drive and various media. For beginners, the popular Recuva with a simple interface is suitable; if you lose media files, you should choose PhotoRescue Pro, it can recover data from almost any modern gadget; for constant work with returning information, GetDataBack is ideal - it has powerful functionality, is efficient and at the same time has an ergonomic main menu.
If for some reason you were unable to recover your data, but the information is valuable, it makes sense to contact specialists. They have more powerful software and can help where these utilities are powerless.
When an important file is lost, a document you spent a week on is erased, and photos disappear from a suddenly formatted memory card, there is no need to worry ahead of time. When you delete a file from the disk, its description in the system is erased. The set of bytes that made up the file remains in place until something else is written on top of them. So you can try to recover your data using any of these applications.
Be careful if you install applications on a drive where deleted files were located. There is a risk that application files will be overwritten during installation. It is better to select another partition or physical disk for installation.
Platform: Windows.
Price: free, $19.95 for premium version.
Recuva can recover data lost by mistake, for example from an accidentally emptied Recycle Bin. The program can return photos from an accidentally formatted memory card in the camera or music from an empty MP3 player. Any media is supported, even iPod memory.
Platform: Windows, Mac.
Price: free, $89 for premium version.
Disk Drill is a data recovery application for Mac, but there is also a version for Windows. This program supports most types of disks, files and file systems. With its help, you can restore erased files using the Recovery Protection function, as well as find and clean the disk. However, the free version does not allow you to recover files lost before installing Disk Drill.
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, SunOS, DOS.
Price: for free.
A very functional and versatile open source application. It has a text interface, but it is not difficult to understand.
TestDisk supports a huge number of file formats. In addition, the program can be burned onto a LiveCD to recover data from a disk on which the system does not boot. The utility can recover a damaged boot sector or lost data.
TestDisk comes with the PhotoRec program, which recovers erased files, photos, music and videos.
4. R-Undelete
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux.
Price: the free version recovers files up to 256 KB in size; $79.99 for full version.
R-Undelete is part of R-Studio. This is a whole family of powerful data recovery programs. Supported file systems are FAT12/16/32/exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5, HFS/HFS+, UFS1/UFS2 and Ext2/Ext3/Ext4.
R-Studio applications can recover deleted data both on local drives and over the network. In addition to data recovery, the utilities provide tools for advanced partition copying and searching for bad blocks on disks.
Platform: Windows.
Price: free in trial mode with recovery of up to 1 GB of data; $69.95 for full version.
Eassos Recovery recovers deleted files, photos, text documents and more than 550 file formats. The application has a very simple and intuitive interface.
Platform: Windows.
Price: the free version does not save found files; $37.95 for full version.
The Hetman developer provides a set of utilities for recovering various types of data: entire sections or individual photos and documents. The program supports all hard drives, flash cards, SD and microSD.
Platform: Windows.
Price: free, $19.97 included with Glary Utilities.
Glary Undelete can recover any deleted files, including compressed, fragmented or encrypted ones. Filtering of recovered data is supported.
Do you know more convenient and functional data recovery applications? Tell us about them in the comments.
Accidentally pressing the “Delete” button, inattention, program failure, unsuccessful mouse click, virus activity - all this can cause information loss. Files can be easily deleted unintentionally on a hard drive, flash drive, CD and DVD drives, or on any other storage medium. If it is very valuable, then it is worth fighting to restore it. Most often successful.
Start with the trivial - look in the “Basket”. There is a huge chance that you will find accidentally destroyed data there. Without giving in to panic, open the “Trash”. All deleted information is stored in this folder until it is completely cleared. Restoring from it is simple: open the “Recycle Bin”, right-click on the desired file (folder), and select “Restore” from the list of commands. The file will return to its original location where it was deleted.
Always restore files using programs to a different drive than the one where they were previously. The main thing is to act thoughtfully, without panic, but quickly. When working with important information, be careful and attentive, and do not forget to periodically create backup copies of files.
“I deleted an important file!” Stories with this beginning happen to users quite often. It is possible that some of our readers have already encountered a similar problem. Such stories always begin the same, but end differently. In this article I will tell you how to make the ending of this story happy. Or at least do everything to make the likelihood of a happy outcome higher.
1. What to do if an important file or folder is deleted?
Well first of all, don't panic. When you throw out garbage, you don’t immediately send it to a landfill. First a trash can, then a container, and only then a landfill. This happens in Windows too. Using the Del key, you first send the file to the Trash. Then, after emptying the recycle bin, the file can be found on disk in unused clusters for some time (this is analogous to our container from the example). And only after the area on the disk in which there were still traces of the file is occupied by other data, then the file is hopelessly lost (this is already a landfill).
1.1 Search in the Cart
It may sound trivial, but the Recycle Bin is the first means of protecting data from accidental deletion. At the same time, many Windows users automatically clean it immediately after placing files in it. Although, by and large, the Recycle Bin does not need to be emptied at all, because it does it automatically.
Searching for files in it is not at all difficult. Find its icon on your desktop and open it. If the file name is known, then simply write it in the search box. You can also sort files in the Recycle Bin by deletion date and immediately find the file you need that was just deleted.
The next time you think about using some utility that cleans out the Recycle Bin in the background to free up disk space, think carefully about whether you should trust this important process to an automatic machine. It may be easier to do it yourself and at a time when you are sure that there is nothing valuable in it.
1.2 Searching among shadow copies
It is not necessary to use any paid programs for this purpose. The standard backup tool in Windows 7 is quite suitable and this system is turned on automatically when you install the operating system.
If “System Protection” is not disabled manually (which is often recommended by would-be optimizers), then restoring a deleted file from a shadow copy in Windows 7 is quite simple.
- In Explorer, find the folder where the deleted file was (not the Recycle Bin).
- Click on the name of this folder right mouse button and select " Properties»
- Go to the " Previous versions"(see picture below).
It contains information about all versions of files that were in this folder at different times.
We select the closest one by date and try to search for our file in it. If it is not there, we turn to an earlier version. And so on until you find the desired file.
This way, you can not only recover an accidentally deleted file, but also return to one of the previous versions of a document that was changed and saved on disk, and then its previous version was needed.
Shadow copies of user files are created automatically by the operating system during reboots and installation of various programs at system restore points. Therefore, you don’t need to do anything separately to create them. The main thing is not to disable “System Protection,” since some “experts” recommend disabling it to save resources, keeping silent about the fact that the security of the system as a whole will decrease.
2. If standard remedies did not help
2.1 Use a third-party file recovery utility
You can use a specialized data recovery utility, which, after analyzing the disk, will display a list of files and folders that you can try to recover. One of these programs can be kept on disk in case of fire.
The chances that the file will be recovered without loss are not so great, but there can be luck. Here, a very important point that influences the “success of the concession” is the minimum number of disk operations from the moment the file is deleted. Some sources even tell us to urgently turn off the computer and boot from a flash drive or disk. To me, this is pure paranoia. It is much easier to follow the simple rules that I will give below and not needlessly risk your nerves.
I will immediately upset the happy owners of SSD drives - they do not have this chance of salvation! The fact is that the system regularly performs the TRIM function for such disks, which resets sectors with deleted files.
2.2 Don't forget about the professionals
There are people who can help with recovering deleted files on a disk. There is a chance of running into a charlatan or an inexperienced specialist, as in any other type of service. But if the file is really valuable, then it may make sense to pay professionals.
3. What can I do to prevent files from disappearing without a trace?
3.1 Do not disable standard protection measures - they are very effective
The operating system developers have come up with a multi-level protection system against problems associated with accidental data deletion. Do not neglect them and disable them, as well as empty the Recycle Bin every time immediately after deleting a document. Make sure that “System Protection” is activated and that the Recycle Bin is working properly. With these system components, it is possible to lose a file irretrievably unless on purpose. To prevent data loss due to disk failure, use the recommendations in the following paragraphs.
3.2 Use cloud storage
Despite the chance of information disclosure, synchronize your folder of important documents with cloud storage. I have not seen a user whose documents would take up 10 GB, which is how much cloud disks are willing to offer for free. They also offer their own applications that will synchronize your document folder with the cloud. For example, I use . But there are also such products as Google Drive, Yandex.Disk and, of course, the famous .
Yes, it is very important that cloud storages also have their own basket! Don't forget to look there too if your local copy of the file is irretrievably lost.
3.3 Make regular backups
If you have an operating system other than Windows 7, 8 or 10 installed, we advise you to make backup copies using a special utility.
Windows 7
Windows 7 has its own utility for backing up versions of important files, “Backup or Restore,” which is located in the “Control Panel.”
To create backup copies, you will need a separate hard drive (external or internal) that has enough free space to accommodate an image of the entire system disk, as well as to create backup copies of user files.
Windows 8/10
This version of the operating system has a more advanced feature called File History, which is turned off by default. If you have really important documents, take the trouble to enable version control for them. Just type “res” in the control panel search box, as shown in the picture.
Then, in the “File History” window, make the necessary settings. By default, the system suggests storing versions of all documents and drawings. If you have large folders with home photos in your documents, then it is better to make backup copies of them yourself, as I described in. And in “File History” it is better to place these folders in “excluded” folders.
Now you will have copies of the document for each change option. Your dissertation or thesis will be safe. Even if you deleted an entire chapter by mistake and wrote down the document.
File History requires the use of a removable storage device. This is in case the main hard drive fails. So don’t spare money and buy a flash drive for a hundred or two rubles (for example, 8 GB), so that you don’t have to shell out a thousand or two later to restore files bit by bit from the body of a dead hard drive.
Need to recover files from a flash drive? Don’t know how to recover deleted files from your hard drive, from the recycle bin, or return information after formatting? Don't despair - you can restore it!
As soon as valuable information appeared, the question immediately arose: how to save it? How to recover lost data? How to return everything as it was?
One day they brought me a computer on which the system was reinstalled with the disk formatted and repartitioned. Everything is lost! The entire family photo archive is lost! Yes, this is not music and films for you. There’s just a small problem, no one remembers where they were, they gave the computer to the child, and he practiced reinstalling Windows on it. It was necessary to recover photos after formatting the hard drive. Fortunately, if the hard drive is working properly, information can often be recovered using special programs.
Before you start recovering data, remember:
NEVER SAVE OTHER FILES OR FOLDERS TO A DISK THAT REQUIRES DATA RECOVERY!!!
In other words, do not write anything to the hard drive, as this may result in complete data loss.
So, let's begin. My choice is the R-Studio program. I’ll make a reservation right away that it is unrealistic to consider all the capabilities and functions of the program within the framework of these instructions, so I’m describing the main steps of how to recover deleted files.
Recovering files from a hard drive or flash drive.
On the left side of the program there is a list of devices and logical drives. To start recovering files, you need to select the drive on which the deleted files and folders were located. The right window displays information about the logical drive.
How to find deleted files?
After this, you need to click the Scan button on the toolbar to start analyzing the disk.
In the intermediate window you can configure some scanning parameters. For example, if you know the file system or the type of deleted data. In this window you can also select the type of scanning screen. Remember, the detailed view slows down the scanning significantly! Click Scan again.
This is what a detailed data scanning screen looks like. You can brew tea and sit comfortably in a chair, especially if the disk is large - you will have to wait a long time.
During scanning, a certain number of found partitions will be found, they will be displayed in different colors - do not be afraid of the color - this is not an indicator of the possibility of data recovery. This is the content type on the found section.
How to recover deleted files?
And although such found partitions are virtual, you can search and restore files on them just like on regular logical drives. To do this, select a partition and click the button on the Open Drive Files toolbar.
To successfully recover files from a found partition, you must find a partition that corresponds to the actual logical drive on which the files were located. There are no rules for this, but the following must be taken into account:
If you need to recover files from a disk with a damaged file system, then most likely the partition you need will be green.
If you want to recover files from a previously deleted or reformatted partition, then most likely the partition you need will be yellow.
Also be sure to check the file system, the beginning and size of the found partition. They must match the file system, start and size of the actual logical drive or partition. If you are not sure exactly, then try to view a couple of files from the found partition. If the files open and they have the correct content, then this is what you need.
File recovery.
Now all we have to do is view the information in the detected partitions and select the necessary files to restore them by clicking on the corresponding Recover buttons in order to restore selected folders or files or Recover Marked in order to restore marked folders/files.
NEVER SAVE FILES OR FOLDERS TO BE RESTORED TO THE DISK YOU ARE RESTORING!!!
Specify the recovery path to another disk or flash drive. Good luck.