Overview
Data recovery works because deleting a file removes the reference to it rather than the contents, and formatting a volume rewrites the index rather than the data. Until something else is written over the same sectors, the material is still there and can be found. This program does the finding, across deleted files, emptied recycle bins, formatted volumes, partitions that have gone missing from the table and drives that report themselves as unformatted.
The archive includes both the installable program and a bootable environment image, which is the part that matters most. If the failure is on the system drive, installing recovery software onto that same drive risks overwriting the very sectors you are trying to read. Booting the recovery environment from separate media avoids that entirely. The licensing is settled ahead of time, so the scan results are fully recoverable rather than preview only.
How the scan works
A quick scan reads the filesystem structures for entries marked as deleted and returns those with their original names and folder positions intact. It finishes in minutes and handles the most common case, which is a file removed by accident.
The deep scan reads the volume sector by sector and identifies files by their internal signatures rather than by any index. It takes hours on a large drive and it returns files without their original names, grouped by type instead. That is the pass that recovers material from a formatted or corrupted volume, and it is worth letting it run to completion rather than stopping at the first useful result, since the results list continues to grow throughout.
Reviewing and recovering
Results can be filtered by file type, size and modification time, and searched by name where names survived. The preview pane renders documents, images, audio and video before recovery, which is how you distinguish an intact file from one that was partially overwritten. A file that previews correctly will almost always recover correctly.
The recovery target must be a different drive from the one being scanned. The program enforces this and it is not being cautious for the sake of it: writing recovered files back onto the source volume can overwrite other files that have not yet been recovered. A scan session can also be saved and reloaded, so a long deep scan does not have to be repeated across sittings.
The bootable environment
The included image builds a small self contained Windows environment on a USB drive or disc, with the recovery program and basic storage drivers already in it. It boots without touching the machine's own drives, which makes it the correct tool for a system that will not start, a drive that Windows refuses to mount, or any situation where the source volume must stay completely untouched.
Additional storage drivers can be injected into the image before writing it, which is occasionally necessary for a machine with an unusual controller. The readme covers the procedure. Once booted, the interface and the scanning behaviour are identical to the installed version.
What you get
- Quick scan recovering deleted files with names and folder structure intact
- Deep scan identifying files by internal signature on formatted or damaged volumes
- Lost and deleted partition recovery
- Preview of documents, images, audio and video before recovering
- Filtering by type, size and modification time, with name search
- Scan sessions saved and reloaded so long scans need not repeat
- Bootable recovery environment included on the archive
- Storage driver injection into the bootable image
- Recovery to a separate drive enforced to protect the source
Inside the archive
- Data Recovery Wizard installer
- Bootable WinPE recovery environment image
- Media writing tool for USB and disc
- Readme covering driver injection and scan strategy
- Language packs for the interface list shown above
System requirements
| Operating system | Windows 7 or newer for the installed version |
|---|---|
| Processor | 1 GHz x64 processor or faster |
| Memory | 2 GB minimum, 4 GB for the bootable environment |
| Storage | A second drive with capacity for the recovered files |
| Media | 8 GB or larger USB drive for the bootable environment |
| Display | 1024 by 768 minimum |
Installing it
- Stop using the affected drive immediately. Every write reduces what can be recovered.
- If the affected drive is the system drive, write the bootable image to a USB drive from another machine and boot from that instead of installing anything.
- Otherwise, install the program onto a different drive from the one you intend to scan.
- Run the quick scan first. If what you need is not there, run the deep scan and let it finish completely.
- Preview before recovering, and always recover to a different drive from the one being scanned.
Mirrors
| Route | Region | Note | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct, primary | Europe | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Direct, secondary | North America | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Torrent magnet | Global | Recommended above 1 GB | Online |
Release history
- Signature set extended for additional raw camera and project file formats
- Bootable environment updated with newer storage controller drivers
- Fixed the scan session save failing on very large result sets
- Deep scan speed improved on drives above 8 terabytes
- Preview pane added for additional video formats
- Lost partition detection reworked for drives with damaged tables
- Media writing tool added to the archive
Questions about this release
Can it recover from a drive that Windows will not mount?
Often, yes. Use the bootable environment for that case rather than the installed version, since it reads the volume directly.
Why can it not recover to the same drive?
Because writing recovered files onto the source can overwrite other files that have not been recovered yet. The program blocks it deliberately.
Why do the deep scan results have no filenames?
Because that pass identifies files by their contents rather than by an index. The index is what held the names, and on a formatted volume it is gone.
Does it work on a physically failing drive?
It can read what is still readable, but a drive with mechanical failure should be imaged sector by sector first and the image scanned instead.
Comments
Deep scan took nine hours on a 4 TB drive but it found the project files. Let it finish, the list keeps growing.
Preview before recovering is the important bit. Half of what it found was already overwritten and the preview showed it.
Comments are read before they appear. If a build stops working, say so here and it gets rebuilt rather than quietly left up.
Booted from the USB image because the machine would not start. Got the whole documents folder back off the system drive.