Which is the Best Recovery Software For Windows?

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For Windows users, the ideal recovery software should be straightforward to use and provide a good chance of data retrieval. Furthermore, it should be affordable and packed with useful features.

The software must be capable of recovering deleted files from various storage devices and file systems, such as hard disks, SD cards, USB flash drives and more. Furthermore, it should have the capacity to quickly scan large hard drives with minimal delay.

Puran File Recovery

If you have accidentally deleted or lost an essential file due to a hard drive crash, data recovery tools like Puran File Recovery can help. This software scans different storage devices and recovers files.

Free and offering several features, this program can also help restore formatted disks and partitions if required. Downloading it is a no-cost decision with plenty of benefits available.

The program features an easy-to-use interface and powerful recovery engine that can rapidly and accurately search a variety of storage media, such as hard drives, USB drives, memory cards, CDs and DVDs. It supports multiple file formats including FAT12/16/32, NTFS and exFAT.

In addition to recovering files, this program also scans for deleted or lost partitions and helps recover files from formatted disks. It is compatible with Windows XP, 2003, Vista and 2008/7/8/10; however it was last updated in 2013.

You have two options for scanning a drive: quick scan (which lists all deleted files with one click in under two seconds) and deep scan (which scans a drive byte by byte for more accurate results).

It can recover more than 50 file types, such as videos, pictures, music, documents and compressed ones. Plus it filters results based on specific criteria like date or size so you can find your files more quickly.

This software can be downloaded free and is available in multiple languages, including English, French, Spanish and German. It’s part of Puran Utilities which also includes Disk Check, Duplicate File Finder and Delete Empty Folder.

Though this free tool offers many features, there are also some drawbacks. Firstly, its interface lacks modern looks and may not appeal to users as much as other file recovery tools. Furthermore, it runs slowly and doesn’t let you preview lost files before recovery.

The software offers several other advantages, such as a full-text search function to locate files based on keywords. It can also display the full path of an altered or deleted file, making it simpler to locate what you need. Furthermore, it helps recover recovered files with their URLs or paths intact if needed.

PC Inspector File Recovery

PC Inspector File Recovery is a free program that assists users in recovering files on their computers that have been mistakenly deleted or corrupted. It also enables them to preview the recovered data before saving it.

This program can recover files from various disk formats, including FAT 12/16/32 and NTFS. Its key capabilities include the ability to automatically locate and identify partitions on FAT systems even when their headers have been lost. Furthermore, it supports recovering files saved on network drives as well as external hard drives and USB sticks.

PC Inspector File Recovery not only recovers files, but it can also repair corrupted videos. It supports over 1000 different file types like photos, documents, videos, music files and archives as well.

Another advantage of this program is its compatibility with both Windows and Mac computers. It features an attractive user interface and is straightforward to use. Furthermore, it has the capacity to search for and recover files on various drives such as hard drives, external hard drives, memory cards, cameras, phones and SSDs.

This program can recover files that have been accidentally deleted or lost due to formatting errors, system crashes and more. It also works well to recover items in the recycle bin as well as digital camera memory cards and MP3 players that were accidentally removed by mistake.

However, using this program has its drawbacks; it requires a large amount of system resources to run properly and can be difficult for new users to navigate – particularly those without technical knowledge.

Furthermore, the program may not run as efficiently on older operating systems as other programs. Furthermore, it could freeze during installation.

PC Inspector File Recovery is an invaluable tool for those needing to recover deleted or lost files on their computers. It is free and works across most devices, as well as being able to detect and recover deleted files from SD cards and other storage media. Despite these drawbacks, this software remains popular among computer users.

PhotoRec

PhotoRec is a free data recovery utility that can be used to retrieve deleted files and images from your computer. It also works with other devices like SD cards and USB drives for additional retrieval options.

OpenOffice Recovery Toolbox (ORT) is an open-source program capable of recovering various file types, such as ordinary image files (PNG and JPG), OpenOffice file formats, TXT documents, Microsoft Office documents and PDFs. ORT also works on various file systems like NTFS, FAT ext2, ext3, exFAT and HFS+.

PhotoRec attempts to recover a deleted file by first checking its previous data blocks to see if there is an existing signature for that particular file. If not, it attempts again to read the block or cluster where the file was stored in order to attempt retrieval of the desired document.

Once a block or cluster has been identified, it is then verified against an extensive signature database. This registry has grown rapidly over recent years and now supports over 440 file types.

However, one downside of PhotoRec is its incapability to recover all file formats and often struggles with detecting some. Thus, using it in combination with another data recovery program may be beneficial.

By doing this, you can reduce the number of file formats it recovers and expedite analysis. Furthermore, you have the option to disable individual file types if only restoring one type is required.

PhotoRec is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers, enabling you to get started quickly. Simply install the software and run it as an administrator to begin using it.

Once selected, select the drive where you wish to scan for lost files and photos. This will bring up a window allowing you to specify the partition, file system, and whether or not only free space on the disk should be scanned.

Once you’ve selected the appropriate options, click Search to begin the data recovery process. From there, you’ll have four choices: File Opt, Search, Option and Quit.

Once PhotoRec has successfully scanned for and recovered your lost data, it will display it in a recup_dir subfolder. From there, you have the option to save the restored files to another directory.

TestDisk

TestDisk is a data recovery program designed to scan, recover and repair corrupted partitions. It also repairs boot sectors and reconstructs damaged file systems.

Christophe Grenier, a French software developer, created this open-source application to recover files of various types – photos, videos and music included – as well as restore deleted or lost partitions and file systems. Furthermore, it can fix the Master File Table (MFT) if needed.

TestDisk stands out among other tools by its ability to recover deleted or lost partitions without creating a backup, an invaluable feature for disaster recovery tools. This is especially beneficial if the file system is FAT, NTFS or exFAT and you cannot backup the entire disk.

This program can reconstruct missing or corrupted boot sectors, which can be especially helpful when your hard drive has stopped working. It also repairs and replaces damaged directories, working on both raw and dismounted disks.

Before using TestDisk, you must first install the program on your computer. This can usually be done through the Windows installer but you may also directly download it from its official website.

Once installed, connect your hard drive or media device to which you wish to recover files. After connecting, run the program.

Once you have selected your storage device, use the arrow keys to navigate through the list and select it for scanning. When done selecting, press Enter.

Once your disk scan has been successful, you should be able to view a list of deleted or lost files on your screen. With the arrow keys, you can navigate this list using the arrow keys.

Select your files and folders, then press C to copy them to your destination directory. If the copying process takes too long or appears stuck, press Q to exit out of it and return to your workspace.

TestDisk is an advanced and versatile tool designed to recover files from hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards and more storage media. With an impressive success rate, it has the capacity to recover lost or deleted data on a variety of devices such as PCs, laptops, Macs, smartphones, tablets and media players. Though its user-friendly interface may seem intimidating at first glance, with practice you will get familiar with its functions and capabilities.

Vlad Tabaranu
Vlad Tabaranu
Vlad Tabaranu is a highly experienced computer and laptop repair engineer with over 20 years of expertise in the IT industry. Vlad's dedication to top-quality IT services has earned him significant recognition. He has been ranked among the top 3 computer repair services in Birmingham since 2018. He's also been awarded the Corporate LiveWire's Birmingham Prestige Awards 2019 for Best in Independent Computer Repair Services and the Central England Prestige Awards 2021/2022 for Computer Repair Service of the Year.
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