How to recover deleted files from a hard drive or flash drive. Recovering deleted data from hard drive and external media
Instructions
Connect to the Internet and download Easy Recovery Professional. It is better to use version 6.0 and higher. Install this utility and restart your computer. The installation should be performed on the partition of the disk from which you will not restore files. After the operating system has finished loading, open the EasyRecovery.exe file and wait until the program starts.
If we are talking about deleted files, then open the Data Recovery menu. Find the Deleted Recovery item in the window that appears and open it. On the left side of the new menu there will be a list of local drives. Select the one from which you recently deleted data. If you need to recover files of a certain type, then fill out the File Filter menu. This will significantly reduce the time the program spends searching for files.
Click Next and wait for the analysis of hidden sectors of the selected partition to complete. After a while, a list of files that can be recovered will be displayed on the left side of the new menu. The time it takes the program to prepare files depends on the speed of your computer and the size of the specified local disk.
Select the checkboxes for the required data and click Next. In the window that opens, click the Browse button and specify the folder in which the recovered data will be saved. You must select a currently unused hard drive partition. Click Next and wait for the process to complete.
Close the program by clicking the Done button. Check the recovered data. If some files were not found, then repeat the steps described above, activating the Complete Scan function before starting a hard drive scan. The program used allows you to recover data even after formatting certain disk partitions.
Video on the topic
Please note
Accidentally deleted files, an emptied Windows Recycle Bin, a formatted flash drive, or a damaged hard drive are just some of the situations that can cause data loss. Fortunately, in many cases the information can be returned. New generation programs analyze any storage media and can restore all deleted files. If you don't know how to recover deleted files, Magic Uneraser will help you.
Useful advice
How to recover deleted files from your computer. Inaccurate users often delete files, sometimes without even noticing it, and this becomes clear only after accessing the desired file. The process of recovering deleted files is not as complicated as many people think. The likelihood of returning the necessary information depends on how quickly you detect its loss. After deleting a file, it does not disappear forever, but only visible information about its presence on the computer is erased.
Unpleasant moments happen in the life of every personal computer user: situations such as accidentally deleting necessary files by pressing the Shift+Del keys, that is, bypassing the recycle bin. In fact, deleting files from a hard drive means erasing the record of their location on the disk. It turns out that files are not removed and are in the same place where they were before. But in the process of work these files may be overwritten by other files. Therefore, if you discover a file is missing, you must act immediately.
You will need
- Handy Recovery Software.
Instructions
The deletion of the file could have occurred not only due to our oversight or carelessness. Sometimes the hard drive malfunctions. All data about erased files is located in the file system table. Accordingly, the sooner the user realizes it, the greater the likelihood of a successful situation. To recover lost hard drives, specialized programs are used that can analyze the drive and identify files and them upon request.
Among the large number of such programs, one can highlight the useful Handy Recovery utility. It has a simple and user-friendly interface. Working in this program, even with an English-language interface, will not be difficult for both experienced and experienced people. A special feature of this program is the fast analysis of the file system table. The time spent on data is not calculated in hours. The program interface is made like Windows - the directory tree will seem familiar to you.
After starting the program, the main program window will appear in front of you. In order to begin the hard drive data recovery procedure, start the analysis by clicking on the appropriate button.
Video on the topic
In most cases, files accidentally deleted from your computer can be restored. To do this, you must follow a certain procedure and use special software.
Instructions
Eliminate any writing of data to a disk on which information has been lost. This will increase the likelihood of data recovery, since when files are deleted, the files are not physically erased, but only their headers disappear, making it possible to write new files on top of them. Having ensured this, download any utility designed for file recovery. For non-commercial use, a free application called Recuva is quite suitable. After downloading the executable file, install the program on your computer.
Start the file recovery procedure. To do this, in the main program window, select the memory area intended for analysis (hard drive, flash card, other removable media or separate folder) and click on the “Scan” button. At the end of the scan, the utility will display a list of files that can be recovered (as well as information about the likelihood of recovery of each specific file). In addition, the program will determine the file name, its size, location before deletion and the date of last modification. Depending on the settings, the program displays hidden, as well as deleted system and zero-size files. In this list, find the data that needs to be restored, select it and click the “Restore” button.
Use paid software or contact a data recovery company if the files you want to recover were deleted long ago or are on faulty media. In the latter case, special equipment is used for this procedure.
Are you looking for how to recover files deleted from your hard drive or flash drive? Deleted an important MS Office document, DVD video, mp3 file or photo? Don’t know how to recover deleted files after formatting a hard drive, external drive, flash drive or logical partitions NTFS, FAT? Do you want to recover files deleted from the Recycle Bin or using the "Shift" + "Del" keys?
Recovering erased files
program:
Starus File Recovery
Recovering deleted files is a process accessible to everyone! And your personal assistant in this important matter will be the Starus File Recovery application. Featuring an efficient disk analysis algorithm, Starus File Recovery is the fastest data recovery tool on the entire market.
The process of scanning the disk and building a list of deleted files and folders will take seconds. After this, you will immediately see your files. The user-friendly interface and rich functionality of the product meet the needs of data recovery professionals from various companies. Starus File Recovery - recovery of deleted data available to everyone!
Installing the program
The program uses a convenient wizard that will help you quickly and easily install the product on your computer. When installing the program, consider which disk you are going to restore files from - you cannot install the program on a disk or partition that contained the information to be recovered.
Recovering files with preview
After installation, in the main program window, select the drive from which you want to recover files. Starus File Recovery will begin to analyze the selected disk and display its contents. After analysis, on the left side the program will display a list of folders located on the selected disk. By selecting the required folder on the left, you can view its contents in the main part of the program. You can use the Search option to find the required file.
For convenience, use the “Filter” option (“View” – “Filter”) to see only deleted files and hide existing ones. Use the main panel to view, highlight and restore the files and folders you need. If the “Preview” option is active, then by selecting a file, you can immediately view its contents in the upper right part of the program. In the central part, select the files and folders that you want to restore, and click the “Recover” button in the panel. The Save Files Wizard will open.
File recovery in step-by-step mode
A convenient step-by-step recovery wizard for analyzing, searching and saving deleted files can be used from the very beginning. To launch the wizard, select the “Wizard” option from the “File” menu. In the window that opens, you just need to follow the detailed instructions of the wizard. Next, the wizard will offer you a list of disks located on your computer and devices connected to it.
Having selected a disk or device, the wizard will prompt you to select the required type of analysis (“Normal scanning” or “Deep analysis”). A normal scan will allow you to find deleted files based on the available information in the file system. Using this option you can recover all information about your files (file name, date, attributes...). Using deep analysis, the program will search for deleted files by signatures (search by file contents). In this case, you will not be able to recover information about files (file name, date, attributes...)
Next, you will be asked to indicate the types of files needed for recovery. Additional options will allow you to select the necessary criteria for searching files. You can search for all or only deleted files, and you can include or exclude hidden and system files from the search. You can also search for files of a specific date or size. During the deep analysis process, found files will be automatically added to the list of files. You can change the display type and file sorting method. You also have the option to view or change file properties.
After completing the analysis, select the files needed for recovery and click “Next” to save them.
How to save files
Carefully follow the wizard's instructions to successfully save the recovered files. You can select the desired file saving method and other necessary options (save to hard drive, burn to CD/DVD, create virtual ISO image, save online via FTP server).
Saving to hard drive
The program allows you to save recovered files to your hard drive, USB drive or any other physical or removable drive. It is strictly recommended not to save files on the same disk from which the recovery takes place! Select a folder to save the recovered files.
To recover only deleted files and skip existing ones, select the “Recover only deleted files” option. (This option is only available if you are saving files directly from the program and not from the recovery wizard.)
If you want to restore the directory structure in which deleted files are located, select the “Restore folder structure” option. If the option is selected, all subdirectories will be restored and all files will be saved in the same folders they were in before deletion. Otherwise, all files will be saved to one selected folder. (This option is only available if you are saving files directly from the program and not from the recovery wizard.)
Along with the main file data, you can restore alternative data streams (only supported on NTFS file systems). To do this, select the “Recover alternative data streams” option.
When restoring some files, the first letter of their names is lost and replaced with a “?”. There are files in which other parts of the name are lost. In order to automatically replace all unknown characters when saving files, select the “Replace all unknown characters with” option; if this option is disabled, then you will be prompted to replace characters during the recovery process.
Burn to CD/DVD
The program allows you to save recovered files to CD or DVD media. You can also clean up the rewritable disc here. First, you need to select the recording media from the list of CD/DVD drives installed on your computer and optionally empty the rewritable disc.
The next window allows you to select the necessary options for writing files to disk: specify the name of the disk, select the disk writing speed and file system. To create or continue a multi-session, select the “Multi-session disc” option. If a multi-session disc is inserted into the drive, you will be prompted to start a new session or select a track to continue an existing one.
In the next window, select the files needed for recovery and click “Burn” to start burning them to disk.
Creating an ISO image
By selecting the Create virtual ISO image option, you can save all recovered files into one ISO file - a virtual data image of a CD or DVD disc. Here you can specify the disk name and file system. In the next window, select the files required for recovery and click “Create” to begin creating the virtual image.
Saving to a remote server
An integrated FTP client will allow you to upload recovered files to the server. Specify the required options for saving files. In the next window, select the files needed for recovery and click “Next” to continue. Specify your FTP server settings. You can enter the path to the required remote directory on the server so that when you connect, the program will automatically open this directory.
Hello friends! Today we had a small incident, because of which I urgently had to use free program to recover deleted files called R.saver, naturally I’m telling you all the details, so the information may be useful to some of the readers.
I decided a long time ago to do a review on our site. all free programs for recovering deleted files I was planning such an article, but here came the ideal opportunity to test another similar R.saver program in combat conditions.
The R.saver program is created on the basis of professional versions of very serious data recovery products UFS Explorer, website http://www.sysdevlabs.com/. The program can reconstruct damaged file systems and restore deleted files even after full formatting. Searching and recovering deleted files can be done even if the desired partition of the hard drive is completely deleted and consists of unallocated space.
Free program to recover deleted files
An acquaintance of mine has been collecting a “personal archive” for several years, consisting of his favorite films, photographs, music and e-books. All these files were located on his additional partition (F:) of the laptop; photographs of friends, an archive of the operating system, work documents, and so on were also located on this partition.My friend knew that it was unreliable to store what he had collected over the years only on a laptop and specially bought a portable USB hard drive for his collection, connecting it to the laptop, he was going to copy the entire collection onto a portable screw, went to the drive (F:), and selected with the mouse all the ones needed for copying folders and accidentally clicked “Cut” instead of “Copy”!
My friend didn’t know what to do next, since he had never used this “Cut” function in his life, he called me and in a panic, said that all his files, collected through long and back-breaking labor, had become translucent. I answered - you need to enter the portable USB hard drive, right-click on an empty space and select the “Paste” function from the menu. My friend couldn’t remember exactly what happened next, except for the fact that during the process of transferring files, for some reason he turned off the computer and decided to wait for me.
Arriving at his place in the evening, I turned on my laptop. Even if you turn off the computer during such a transfer, some of the cut files should remain where they were, and the other part should be transferred to another specified location, but the result was completely different.
The laptop was missing almost all the files my friend needed, which is about 100 GB! Most importantly, the folder called “Personal Archive” with all the archived files disappeared, only the “Home Video” folder remained. I was able to find only 5 GB of video files on a portable USB hard drive.
So, let’s get to work and save the collection with the free program for recovering deleted files R.saver. Let's go to official website of the R.saver program and download it.
Note: Friends, if you want to temporarily retrain as a data recovery specialist from various media, you must follow security rules. What are the rules?
The first rule is not to restore deleted files to the same hard drive where they were located. In our case, you can connect a portable USB hard drive to your laptop and restore files there. Or you can connect a simple hard drive to your laptop using . Or, if the case is very serious, you can remove the laptop’s hard drive and connect it to a simple computer and recover deleted files with a special program, but this method, of course, is primarily for repair specialists. Let's launch our program R.saver.
The program is simple and we will figure it out as we work. In the main window you need to select from the list of partitions the one on which the files were deleted. You may ask the question: - And if suddenly hard disk partitions are completely deleted, what should you choose then and how to restore deleted information. We will also discuss this case at the end of the article. I will delete all existing partitions from the hard drive and try to recover deleted files located on them.
But first of all, we will select for recovery the partition (F:) of the laptop from which my friend’s files disappeared. “Disk management of our laptop”, here is our section (F:),
On which there is only one folder "Home Video" remaining from the entire collection.
In the main window of the R.saver program, right-click on the F: drive and select “Search for lost data.” Attentive users may notice that there is also the “Recover after formatting” option, later (in the appropriate situation) we will use it.
We answer “Yes” because we want to perform a full scan of the partition (F:) for the presence of deleted files.
In progress file system reconstruction based on signatures using the IntelliRAW algorithm.
We wait for a little over an hour and see that the program did not restore all the files, but oh well, more than half of the necessary files were restored, most importantly, the very necessary “Personal Archive” folder was restored. I didn’t understand one thing in the program, why the size of all files is 0 KB.
So, we restore the found folders with files. I wonder whether the files will be readable; it happens that the information recovery program will restore the files, but they will not work.
We right-click on the folder we need to restore and select (you can click “View” before restoring and see all the files located in the folder to be restored). Select "Copy to..."
Explorer opens, select the folder into which we want to copy the files applying for recovery, then click “Select”
The file recovery process begins.
In the main window, right-click on the formatted partition and select "Recover after formatting"
The file system is reconstructed for an hour, then a search (lasting 20 minutes) for file systems on a formatted partition (volume 50 GB) occurs.
In the window that appears with a list of found file systems, we need to select the file system of the type we need with the minimum positive offset, in our case it means the first one.
This hard drive belongs to another friend of mine who accidentally formatted his hard drive. So, the R.saver program found a bunch of hundred-year-old files on it and only two necessary folders.
Restoration occurs in exactly the same way as in the previous case, select “Copy to...”, Explorer opens, select the folder into which we want to copy the files applying for recovery and click “Select”, the file recovery process begins.
Recovering files from a hard drive on which all partitions have been completely deleted
Now, friends, let’s completely delete all partitions from the Samsung 120 GB hard drive (which we have already mocked in our articles) and see if we can recover deleted files in this case. We delete all partitions from our hard drive and run the R.saver program.
In the main window of the program you can see that our entire Samsung 120 GB hard drive is an “Unknown Partition”. Right-click on it and select “Find lost partition”
Click on the "Find Now" button
The program scanned our 120 GB hard drive for 40 minutes. Save your search results just in case. Among the partitions found, there are two partitions that match the size of those that previously existed on this hard drive, this is the drive (C:) with a capacity of 55, 24 GB and the drive (G:) with a capacity of 56, 43 GB; we mark them with checkboxes and click on the “Use selected” button.
The main program window opens,
We right-click on the found first partition 55, 24GB and select “Browse file system” (if you select “Search for lost data”, the search will be repeated, but personally this did not give me anything and there were no more found files).
In the window that appears, we see all the files located in the root of the disk (C:), let's try to go to the desktop C:\Users\users\Desktop and restore the files located there.
Please, all deleted files on your desktop are available for recovery. Right-click on the desired folder and select "Copy to...,
In the explorer that appears, select a location on your hard drive and click “Select”
Files are being restored.
With the disk (G:), things didn’t work out so smoothly; the program couldn’t find the deleted files I needed.
But as I already said, overall it worked well for a free program.
Friends, while working with the R.saver program I might have missed something, I will be grateful for any help in the comments.
Often, novice users delete data from their laptop or accidentally lose it without knowing whether it is possible to recover deleted files, including those on the desktop, and how to do it. There may be quite simple situations here, when lost documents are literally a couple of clicks away, but there may also be more serious problems, for which you have to use special applications.
Recovering from the Recycle Bin
All files after deletion while maintaining the standard computer settings fall into the so-called. Recycle Bin is a special folder on the desktop, by opening which you can easily restore any deleted information by highlighting the desired object and selecting the appropriate item in the menu. But files can be deleted permanently without being placed in the trash.
Inexperienced users often accidentally delete application shortcuts and documents from the desktop, believing that if they are gone, then the rest of the program has also been deleted entirely. In this case, many people do not know how to recover deleted files. This is very easy to do, even if the basket is empty. There are two options:
- Roll back the system to the nearest restore point;
- Find the program in the main menu of the Start button and drag the desired shortcuts to the desktop.
The second option is preferable, but if lost programs and documents have disappeared from the list of the main menu on the computer and you do not remember the directory in which they were installed, you will have to use the first.
If you are deciding how to recover a deleted folder from your desktop, and the erroneous action was performed recently, then you probably won’t even have to go to the Recycle Bin. Deletion can be canceled by simultaneously pressing hot Ctrl and Z.
Using a restore point
It is important to understand that rolling back to a previous restore point will not return the program, documents and files if they were deleted. In this way, only erased shortcuts on the desktop can be returned to their place. Here's how it's done using Windows 8 as an example:
A window will open in which, by default, you will be asked to restore to the most recent checkpoint. If necessary, you can specify any other existing restore point.
We use third-party applications
If data and documents from the laptop’s hard drive are completely deleted and cannot be returned using standard OS tools, you will have to use special utilities to recover deleted files. It is important to remember the main rule that increases the chances of successful data recovery - do not write anything to the disk partition that you will be working with later.
Recuva is a simple free utility
The most famous and simple application with which you can recover deleted files is . When installing, select the partition of the disk on which there is no data to be recovered. The principle of operation of Recuva and other similar utilities is approximately the same:
After the scan is completed, the recovery wizard will display on your desktop a list of all the lost documents that it was able to detect. Those that are marked with a green circle can be restored by the utility without any loss.. If the icon color is red, then this file most likely cannot be returned - a recording has already been made over it and most of the data and information about the file are completely lost.
All that remains is to select the files (you can use the corresponding function to search for specific photos and documents), select the directory to save and click “Recover”.
PhotoRec is another functional free utility
The name of the program should not be misleading. The utility recovers not only photos, but also most other types of files. Its advantage is that there is no need for installation - it can be downloaded from the office. site in the form of an archive, unpacked, after which you can work with it. This is an important property for such applications - the program can be immediately downloaded to a flash drive and worked with it.
The scheme for returning long-lost information is as follows:
- After launching PhotoRec, the main window immediately opens, in which the drive is selected in the top drop-down menu - you will have to work with it during data recovery. The program also works with img format images created in other applications.
- Below in the window there is a list in which you can select a full disk scan or individual sections.
- Below, you can set the file type to scan by clicking File Format. If you skip this step, the program will try to recover all accidentally deleted data that it can detect.
- You can specify a folder to save the recovered information by clicking the Browse button. In addition, in the File System type menu you will need to select a file system. If you are working in a Windows environment, check the second box. Ext 2-4 system is the standard for Linux.
Let's compare the considered applications
For novice users, the PhotoRec program is no less suitable than the above-described Recuva. It is more powerful - it often extracts data from the computer better, but it still has one unpleasant feature. Free PhotoRec does not allow you to view the found files after scanning and select something specific from them. This must be taken into account when working with large hard drives - if you do not specify in advance which files are to be restored, everything will be saved.
Above we discussed the simplest free applications for retrieving accidentally deleted information on the desktop or lost documents after formatting flash drives, hard drives and other media.
It is important that PhotoRec, unlike Recuva, is also a cross-platform utility, i.e., it can work in any operating environment.
Losing data from a hard drive is, unfortunately, a common occurrence. If this happened due to its malfunction, then to restore data you need to contact service centers that are engaged in retrieving data from damaged storage media.
However, if the hard drive is working properly, then in most cases you can recover deleted data yourself using specialized software, which will be discussed below.
Reasons for lost files
The reasons for losing data from a hard drive can be different. They are divided into two categories: mechanical and software.
Mechanical reasons include:
- blows;
- shaking;
- overheat;
- failure of the hard drive controller.
Photo: recovering information from hard drives
The second reason includes software glitches and user errors:
- computer viruses;
- sudden power outage;
- errors;
- formatting;
- accidental deletion.
Deleted files disappear completely
If data was lost due to errors, formatting or accidental deletion, it can be completely restored. For example, when formatting, the data itself is not deleted; only the header is erased, which contains information about its location on the hard drive.
The same applies to accidental deletion. The operating system marks the sectors that store data as write-ready and displays them as free space. At the same time, the files themselves remain on the HDD up to their sectors with new information.
In some cases, even in the event of mechanical damage, for example, due to shock, it is possible to recover data from the hard drive, but this is only done by service centers.
Video: Data Recovery
What to do if important information is deleted
The most important thing is not to panic. The likelihood of recovering a newly deleted file is very high. In this case, users have a completely reasonable question: how to recover data? Special programs will come to the rescue that will scan specified areas of the hard drive and help perform recovery even after a full format.
To reduce the risk of complete loss of information, you should adhere to the following tips:
Overview and operating principles of utilities
Recovery utilities provide the user with various tools that, when used in a timely manner, give almost 100% results.
In their work they use the following recovery methods:
- reconstruction of the file system (FS) structure. Used in case of quick formatting or deleting a logical volume. In this case, the directory structure is not disrupted, which makes it possible to restore entire directories and subdirectories while preserving the paths.
- file recovery. This method involves reading FS service records from which the software determines the location and attributes. This method works if there has been no data replacement.
- ability to restore information using signatures. Performed by sector-by-sector scanning for the presence of known signatures. In this case, their paths and names are not saved, and the result is sorted by their type. The method is used if the FS is damaged and its reconstruction is impossible.
Modern programs use all three methods. This approach ensures maximum and efficient results from the required software. The article presents the most popular and powerful programs. Many of them are free, but there are also paid versions.
PC Inspector File Recovery
A simple but powerful application that allows you to recover not only data, but also deleted partitions. Detects HDD even if there is no boot sector. Supports work with network media and FAT file system. PC Inspector File Recovery can be installed both in Windows OS and can create a boot floppy disk, which allows you to run it even in the absence of an OS or in case of damage to the FS.
PC Inspector File Recovery is free and supports the Russian language, but the quality does not always correspond to what is stated. In this case, developers offer to use paid services. Overall, the app is great for most users due to its ease of use.
Working with the program
The interface is convenient and most importantly simple. The work is performed step by step.
When starting, you will be asked to choose one of three operating options:
- search for deleted files. Used for accidentally deleted information;
- search for lost data. The option will help restore data in the event of a system failure or quick formatting;
- searching for a lost volume. If the drive is inaccessible or has a missing drive letter, this option will fix the problem.
After selecting the mode, PC Inspector File Recovery will start scanning and display information about available volumes.
Then the desired section opens, where the user selects the search area, noting the start and end sectors of the scan. The application will find all the lost data in the specified range and display it in a window from where you can save it.
Similar actions are performed for the other two modes. Despite its simplicity, the utility effectively searches and saves deleted data.
Recovering data from a hard drive using the R-Studio utility
R-Studio is considered one of the best programs among its analogues. If the loss is not related to physical damage to the media, then in most cases R-Studio is highly likely to save the deleted data.
Initially it was intended for restoration specialists, but over time its capabilities expanded and R-Studio became available to ordinary users.
Photo: R-Studio Data Recovery program
Key features of the program include:
- Supports all major file systems on Windows, Linux and Macintosh;
- extraction from damaged, formatted and reformatted media;
- the ability to view content of any type and assess the chances of its successful return;
- processing of bad sectors;
- presence of a hexadecimal editor;
- A professional RAID reconstruction module that is comparable to specialized software packages.
R-Studio can be used on almost all operating systems of the Windows, Linux and Macintosh family. It is also possible to create bootable media.
The application has an intuitive interface. When launched, it displays available media (including removable media).
To start scanning, you need to select the volume from which you want to recover data and click the “Scan” button. After this, the search process will begin.
Easily able to recover lost data, even in the most difficult cases.
Recovers data that was lost as a result of:
- virus attacks;
- system failure;
- improper shutdown of the computer;
- FS damage;
- formatting (including full);
- errors when creating volumes.
There are cases when the operating system does not start due to the loss of system files, in this case you can create a boot floppy disk and save them.
Thanks to a powerful algorithm, Ontrack Easy Recovery is able to restore damaged ZIP archives, as well as text documents created in the MS Office software package. The unique Ontrack Data Advisor module can diagnose the general condition of disks and identify bad sectors.
Ontrack Easy Recovery interface
Perfect for anyone, from home users to specialists in service centers. A discreet but simple interface allows you to quickly understand the controls and get to work immediately.
In the main program window, you only need to select the media type and click the “Continue” button, then a window will appear with a list of partitions, in which the user selects the drive with which to work.
After this, access to the tools opens:
- view logical volume;
- return after formatting the partition and deleting it;
- drive diagnostics;
- disk tools.
The last paragraph includes the following operations with the partition:
- creating an image;
- deploying a volume from an image;
- copying;
- viewing;
- update.
Depending on how the files were deleted, the appropriate tool is selected and the scan of the marked area begins. Compared to other software packages, this process is quite fast. Upon completion, the viewing window will display the information found, which can be saved.
The program supports the Russian language, but is paid.
Bootable floppy disk with Windows Easy Recovery
Windows Easy Recovery will help save data in case the FS is damaged or the operating system is unable to start. It saves all data to a working HDD, partition or removable media. The application is loaded into RAM and runs from it. This is convenient if the media has a damaged file system.
Its interface is no different from any other software running in the Windows environment. Unless all names will be shortened to 8 characters. To create a floppy disk, you need to download a special installer and go to the “Make Emergency Boot Diskette” item.
Windows Easy Recovery is free, but unpopular, even though it works well.
Power Quest Lost & Found
An effective utility for recovering deleted data. Works only from bootable media. It differs in the need to have an additional storage device with you for saving (flash drive or second hard drive), since Power Quest Lost & Found does not save to the restored partition in order to avoid overwriting them.
The program installer serves only to create a boot floppy disk with the DOS operating system and the necessary tools for work. After this, the computer boots from the floppy disk, and Power Quest Lost & Found is ready to use. Its recovery reliability is very high. The application itself runs from the computer's RAM.
Recovery process
Power Quest Lost & Found works in a step-by-step mode; after launch, it immediately begins scanning the surface of the media for the presence of bad sectors, which you will be asked to skip. Upon completion of the scan, the user can select the partition to be restored and the media on which the data will be saved.
After the scan is completed, the utility will display a tree structure of all directories, and also indicate the likelihood of their recovery:
- green and yellow – high;
- red – low;
- gray – impossible.
To save, you need to select the necessary files, then click “Start Recovery”. Depending on their size and number, the process can take up to several hours.
Note: Since control is only carried out using the keyboard, you will need to become familiar with the required key combinations. To do this, call up the help menu using the F1 key.
Restorer 2000
Another interesting application that can be called an analogue of R-Studio, but with poorer functionality. Despite this, Restorer 2000 performs its assigned tasks efficiently. Works with FAT and NTFS file systems, and also supports the creation of backup images.
The interface is similar to the R-Studio shell. To start scanning, you need to select an object and press the scan button. The detected data will appear in the right window, where you can view its contents.
In general, Restorer 2000 fully copes with its tasks, but purchasing a paid version is not advisable, since there are analogues with more functions and tools.
GetDataBack
A powerful tool for recovering lost information. Distributed separately for NTFS and FAT file systems. The latter is suitable for removable media (memory cards, flash drives). Regardless of the type of deletion, GetDataBack will most likely return them completely intact, but only if no write operations were performed on the drive.
Its distinctive feature is the ability to recover both after a full format and from media with physical damage, however, here the developers do not provide a 100% guarantee, but the possibility itself is a huge advantage.
In addition, GetDataBack includes the following features:
- search for lost items based on service records;
- the ability to restore files using signatures;
- reconstruction of the FS;
- work via the network;
- flexibility of settings.
These features allow the program to occupy a leading position among both professionals and ordinary users.
Stages of work
Initially, the software package is supplied in German, but you can download the localization language separately. The interface is the same as its counterparts - step-by-step. The first step is to select a work scenario that will configure it for the appropriate mode.
There are several modes:
- I don't know and will use the software settings (default settings);
- quick scan (used when a volume is lost or accidentally deleted);
- loss of FS, for example, after formatting or markup;
- significant losses of FS, for example, after installing a new operating system;
- recovering deleted files.
After selecting the script, GetDataBack will open a window where you need to mark the disk or partition to be restored. After this, the application will start scanning and open a tree structure of files and directories in a new window. Viewing and saving are also performed there.
Overall, GetDataBack is very good and does the job well in most cases.
Acronis Recovery Expert - recovering data from a hard drive
Last on the list, but a well-known program, characterized by flexible functionality and high quality search for lost information. However, Acronis Recovery Expert's specialty is the reconstruction of partitions that were lost for one reason or another. If there are no accidentally deleted volumes on your computer, the program will not be able to scan.
The main features of the program include:
- the ability to recover disappeared partitions with any file system and any size;
- the ability to work from a boot disk or floppy disk;
- support for almost all types of hard drives with IDE and SCSI interfaces.
Operating principle
Unlike other programs, Acronis Recovery Expert tries to recover the entire partition with all data, reading information about it from the MBR and MFT. However, despite the popularity of the program and the manufacturer, it has its pitfalls.
Acronis Recovery Expert works efficiently when the disk space is partially full. If most of the space was occupied, then there is a high probability that the utility will not only not recover, but will also corrupt the data, since it writes information to the same section, thereby increasing the risk of overwriting information.
Interface
A feature of all Acronis products is a clear and intuitive interface. The work can be done automatically or manually. The first one is suitable for beginners. Manual mode provides the user with information about the structure of volumes, as well as the ability to select a search location. After this, the process will begin, which may take several hours.
Recuva includes the following features:
- search for data deleted from the recycle bin, player or flash drive;
- support for all file types;
- support for almost all types of removable media;
- multilingual interface.
For “everyday” data recovery from a hard drive, recuva is ideal.
Losing important files is not a new phenomenon, so it is always recommended to make backup copies of them, as well as keep one, or better yet, several utilities on hand that will help you recover data even if the operating system crashes. It is important to remember that after losing files, you cannot write any information to the disk. The ideal option would be to launch using bootable media.
Here are some tips to help minimize the risk of data loss due to a software glitch:
- Always keep the disc clean. Don't clutter it with useless data;
- Clean up temporary files regularly;
- Defragment and check for errors regularly;
- There should always be at least 10-15% free space on the media.
Important! After the file is deleted, defragmentation and error checking are strictly prohibited! This may result in complete data loss and impossibility of recovery.