How to recover files after formatting a hard drive. Why is it still possible to recover data after formatting? Hard drive data recovery program Handy Recovery
Hello.
Not long ago I had to recover several photos from a flash drive that was accidentally formatted. This is not an easy matter, and while we were able to recover most of the files, we had to get acquainted with almost all popular programs for data recovery.
In this article I would like to provide a list of these programs (by the way, all of them can be classified as universal, since they can recover files both from hard drives and from other media, for example, from an SD memory card or flash drive USB).
The result was a rather small list of 22 programs ( further in the article, all programs are sorted alphabetically).
Website: http://7datarecovery.com/
OS: Windows: XP, 2003, 7, Vista, 8
Description:
Firstly, this utility immediately pleases you with the presence of the Russian language. Secondly, it is quite multifunctional; after launch, it offers you 5 recovery options:
Recovering files from damaged and formatted hard drive partitions;
Recovering accidentally deleted files;
Recovering files deleted from flash drives and memory cards;
Recovering disk partitions (when the MBR is damaged, the disk is formatted, etc.);
Recover files from Android phones and tablets.
Screenshot:
Website: http://www.file-recovery.net/
OS: Windows: Vista, 7, 8
Description:
A program for recovering accidentally deleted data or data from damaged disks. Supports working with multiple file systems: FAT (12, 16, 32), NTFS (5, + EFS).
In addition, it can work directly with a hard drive when its logical structure is damaged. In addition, the program supports:
All types of hard drives: IDE, ATA, SCSI;
Memory cards: SunDisk, MemoryStick, CompactFlash;
USB devices (flash drives, external hard drives).
Screenshot:
3. Active Partition Recovery
OS: Windows 7, 8
Description:
One of the important features of this program is that it can be run under both DOS and Windows. This is possible due to the fact that it can be written to a bootable CD (or flash drive).
This utility is usually used to recover entire hard drive partitions, rather than individual files. By the way, the program allows you to make an archive (copy) of MBR tables and hard disk sectors ( boot data).
Screenshot:
4. Active UNDELETE
Website: http://www.active-undelete.com/
OS: Windows 7/2000/2003/2008/XP
Description:
Let me tell you that this is one of the most versatile data recovery programs. The main thing is that it supports:
1. all the most popular file systems: NTFS, FAT32, FAT16, NTFS5, NTFS+EFS;
2. works in all Windows OS;
3. Supports a large number of media: SD, CF, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, ZIP, USB flash drives, external USB hard drives, etc.
Interesting features of the full version:
Support for hard drives larger than 500 GB;
Support for hardware and software RAID arrays;
Creating emergency boot disks (about emergency disks);
The ability to search for deleted files using a variety of attributes (especially important when there are a lot of files, the hard drive is capacious, and you definitely don’t remember the file name or its extension).
Screenshot:
Website: http://www.aidfile.com/
OS: Windows 2000/2003/2008/2012, XP, 7, 8 (32-bit and 64-bit)
Description:
At first glance, it is not a very big utility, and also without the Russian language (but this is only at first glance). This program is capable of recovering data in a variety of situations: software error, accidental formatting, deletion, virus attacks, etc.
By the way, as the developers themselves state, the percentage of file recovery with this utility is higher than many of its competitors. Therefore, if other programs cannot restore your lost data, it makes sense to take the risk of checking the disk with this utility.
Some interesting features:
1. Recovers Word, Excel, Power Pont, etc. files.
2. Can restore files when reinstalling Windows OS;
3. A fairly “strong” option for restoring various photographs and pictures (and on different types of media).
Screenshot:
Website: http://www.byclouder.com/
OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8 (x86, x64)
Description:
What pleases us about this program is its simplicity. After launch, it immediately (and on the great and mighty one) prompts you to scan the disks...
The utility is capable of searching for a wide variety of file types: archives, audio and video, documents. You can scan different types of media (albeit with varying degrees of success): CDs, flash drives, hard drives, etc. It’s quite easy to learn.
Screenshot:
7. Disk Digger
Website: http://diskdigger.org/
OS: Windows 7, Vista, XP
Description:
A fairly simple and convenient program (does not require installation, by the way), which will help you easily and quickly recover deleted files: music, movies, pictures, photos, documents. The media can be different: from a hard drive to flash drives and memory cards.
Supported file systems: FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT and NTFS.
To summarize: a utility with fairly average capabilities will help mainly in the “simplest” cases.
Screenshot:
Website: http://www.easeus.com/datarecoverywizard/free-data-recovery-software.htm
OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8/Windows Server 2012/2008/2003 (x86, x64)
Description:
Excellent file recovery program! It will help in a variety of troubles: accidental deletion of files, unsuccessful formatting, partition damage, power failure, etc.
It is possible to recover even encrypted and compressed data! The utility supports all the most popular file systems: VFAT, FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS/NTFS5 EXT2, EXT3.
Sees and allows you to scan a wide variety of media: IDE/ATA, SATA, SCSI, USB, external hard drives, Fire wire (IEEE1394), flash drives, digital cameras, floppy disks, audio players and many other devices.
Screenshot:
Website: http://www.krollontrack.com/data-recovery/recovery-software/
OS: Windows 95/98 Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista/7
Description:
One of the best programs for data recovery, which will help in case of a simple error during deletion, and in cases when you no longer have to rely on other utilities.
Separately, it is worth saying that the program allows you to successfully find 255 different types of files (audio, video, documents, archives, etc.), supports FAT and NTFS systems, hard drives (IDE/ATA/EIDE, SCSI), floppy disks (Zip and Jazz).
Among other things, EasyRecovery has a built-in function that will help you check and evaluate the condition of the disk (by the way, in one of the articles we previously discussed the issue).
The EasyRecovery utility helps to recover data in the following cases:
Accidental deletion (for example, when using the Shift button);
- Viral infection;
- Damage due to power outage;
- Problems creating partitions when installing Windows;
- Damage to the file system structure;
- Formatting the media or using the FDISK program.
Screenshot:
10. GetData Recovery My Files Professional
Website: http://www.recovermyfiles.com/
OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7
Description:
Recover My Files is a pretty good program for recovering various types of data: graphics, documents, music and video archives.
In addition, it supports all the most popular file systems: FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS and NTFS5.
Some features:
Supports more than 300 data types;
Can recover files from HDD, flash cards, USB devices, floppy disks;
A special function for recovering Zip archives, PDF files, autoCad drawings (if your file fits this type, I definitely recommend trying this program).
Screenshot:
Website: http://www.handyrecovery.ru/
OS: Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7
Description:
A fairly simple program, with a Russian interface, designed to recover deleted files. Can be used in a variety of cases: virus attack, software failures, accidental deletion of files from the recycle bin, formatting a hard drive, etc.
After scanning and analysis, Handy Recovery will give you the opportunity to view the disk (or other media, for example, a memory card) just like in a regular Explorer, only along with “normal files” you will see files that have been deleted.
Screenshot:
Website: http://www.icare-recovery.com/
OS: Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000 pro, Server 2008, 2003, 2000
Description:
A very powerful program for recovering deleted and formatted files from various types of media: USB flash cards, SD memory cards, hard drives. The utility can help recover a file from an unreadable disk partition (Raw) if the MBR boot record is damaged.
Unfortunately, there is no support for the Russian language. After launch, you will have the opportunity to choose from 4 masters:
1. Partition Recovery - a wizard that will help you recover deleted hard drive partitions;
2. Deleted File Recovery - this wizard is used to recover deleted file(s);
3. Deep Scan Recovery - scanning the disk for existing files and files that can be recovered;
4. Format Recovery - a wizard that will help you recover files after formatting.
Screenshot:
13. MiniTool Power Data
Website: http://www.powerdatarecovery.com/
OS: Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7 / Windows 8
Description:
Quite a good file recovery program. Supports several types of media: SD, Smartmedia, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, HDD. It is used in a variety of cases of information loss: be it a virus attack or erroneous formatting.
The good news is that the program has a Russian interface and you can easily figure everything out. After launching the utility, you are offered several wizards to choose from:
1. Recovering files after accidental deletion;
2. Restoring damaged hard drive partitions, for example, an unreadable Raw partition;
3. Recovering lost partitions (when you don’t see that there are partitions on your hard drive at all);
4. Recovery of CD/DVD discs. By the way, it’s a very useful thing, because... Not every program has this option.
Screenshot:
14. O&O Disk Recovery
Website: http://www.oo-software.com/
OS: Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP
Description:
O&O DiskRecovery is a very powerful utility for recovering information from many types of media. Most deleted files (if you did not write other information to the disk) can be recovered using the utility. Data can be reconstructed even if the hard drive has been formatted!
The program is very easy to use (besides, there is a Russian language). After launch, the utility will prompt you to select the media to scan. The interface is designed in such a style that even an unprepared user will feel quite confident; the wizard will guide him step by step and help recover lost information.
Screenshot:
Website: http://rlab.ru/tools/rsaver.html
OS: Windows 2000/ 2003/XP/ Vista/Windows 7
Description:
Firstly, this is a free program (considering that there are too many free programs for data recovery, this is a compelling argument).
Secondly, full support for the Russian language.
Thirdly, it shows very good results. The program supports FAT and NTFS file systems. Can recover documents after formatting or accidental deletion. The interface is designed in a minimalist style. Scanning is started with just one button (the program will select the algorithms and settings independently).
Screenshot:
Website: http://www.piriform.com/recuva
OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8
Description:
A very simple program (and also free), designed for an untrained user. Using it, step by step, you can recover many types of files from various media.
Recuva scans the disk (or flash drive) quite quickly, and then displays a list of files that can be recovered. By the way, files are marked with markers (well-readable, which means it’s easy to recover; medium-readable - the chances are small, but there are; poorly readable - there’s little chance, but you can try).
Screenshot:
Website: http://www.reneelab.com/
OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8
Description:
A very simple program for data recovery. Mainly intended for the recovery of photographs, pictures, and some types of documents. At least, it shows itself better than many other programs of this kind.
This utility also has one interesting feature - creating a disk image. It can be very useful, backup has not yet been canceled!
Screenshot:
18. Restorer Ultimate Pro Network
Website: http://www.restorer-ultimate.com/
OS: Windows: 2000/XP/ 2003/Vista/2008/ 7/8
Description:
This program dates back to the 2000s. At that time, the Restorer 2000 utility was popular, and by the way, it was not bad at all. It was replaced by the Restorer Ultimate program. In my humble opinion, the program is one of the best for recovering lost information (plus Russian language support).
The professional version of the program supports recovery and reconstruction of RAID data (regardless of the complexity level); It is possible to restore partitions that the system marks as Raw (unreadable).
By the way, using this program you can connect to the desktop of another computer and try to restore files on it!
Screenshot:
Website: http://www.r-tt.com/
OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8
Description:
R-Studio is probably the most famous program for recovering deleted information from disk/flash drives/memory cards and other media. The program works simply amazing; it is possible to recover even those files that I did not “dream of” before launching the program.
Possibilities:
1. Supports all Windows operating systems (except: Macintosh, Linux and UNIX);
2. It is possible to restore data via the Internet;
3. Support for just a huge number of file systems: FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5 (created or modified in Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/Win7), HFS/HFS (Macintosh), Little and Big Endian variants of UFS1/UFS2 (FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD/Solaris) and Ext2/Ext3/Ext4 FS (Linux);
4. Possibility of restoring RAID disk arrays;
5. Creating disk images. Such an image, by the way, can be compressed and written to a flash drive or other hard drive.
Screenshot:
Website: http://www.ufsexplorer.com/download_pro.php
OS: Windows XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, Windows 7, Windows 8 (full support for 32 and 64-bit OS).
Description:
A professional program designed for data recovery. Includes a huge set of wizards that will help in most cases:
Undelete - search and restore deleted files;
Raw recovery - search for lost hard drive partitions;
Restoring RAID arrays;
Functions for recovering files during a virus attack, formatting, repartitioning the hard drive, etc.
Screenshot:
Website: http://www.wondershare.com/
OS: Windows 8, 7
Description:
Wondershare Data Recovery is a very powerful program that will help you recover deleted, formatted files from your computer, external hard drive, mobile phone, camera, and other devices.
It’s nice to have the Russian language and handy instructors who will guide you step by step. After starting the program, you are given 4 wizards to choose from:
1. File recovery;
2. Raw recovery;
3. Recovering hard drive partitions;
4. Resumption.
See screenshot below.
Screenshot:
22. Zero Assumption Recovery
Website: http://www.z-a-recovery.com/
OS: Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7
Description:
This program differs from many others in that it supports long Russian file names. This is very convenient when restoring (in other programs you will see “kryakozabry” instead of Russian characters, as in this one).
The program supports file systems: FAT16/32 and NTFS (including NTFS5). Also noteworthy is support for long file names, support for multiple languages, and the ability to restore RAID arrays.
A very interesting digital photo search mode. If you are restoring graphic files, be sure to try this program, its algorithms are simply amazing!
The program can work in case of virus attacks, incorrect formatting, erroneous deletion of files, etc. Recommended to have on hand for those who rarely (or don't) back up files.
Screenshot:
That's all. In one of the following articles I will supplement the article with the results of practical tests, which programs were able to recover information. Have a great weekend and don't forget to back up so you don't have to restore anything...
Hetman Partition Recovery is the flagship product from the line of programs for recovering deleted documents. Thanks to its advanced data recovery algorithm, Hetman Partition Recovery reliably retrieves both digital documents and other types of files from formatted hard drives, memory cards and USB flash drives. Supporting NTFS and FAT file systems, the program is a universal solution for all occasions.
- Price: RUB 2,999
NTFS Recovery™ 2.8
If your documents were located on a formatted or deleted NTFS partition, use Hetman NTFS Recovery. You'll save big by getting essentially the same functionality as Hetman Partition Recovery, with the exception of FAT support. With Hetman NTFS Recovery you can recover documents from damaged, inaccessible or unreadable drives with a 30% discount on the Hetman Partition Recovery price.
- Price: RUB 1,999
FAT Recovery™ 2.8
If you need to recover documents from formatted, damaged or inaccessible USB drives, memory cards, then use Hetman FAT Recovery. The tool is identical to Hetman Partition Recovery and offers the same features except support for NTFS partitions. The FAT file system is widely used on built-in and external storage media, which makes the program an ideal tool for recovering documents from various devices.
- Price: RUB 1,999
Office Recovery™ 2.6
Designed specifically for recovering deleted documents and spreadsheets created in Microsoft Office, Open Office and Adobe Acrobat, the program is by far the best choice for working with large volumes of documents. Supporting DOC, DOCX, RTF, XLS, XLSX, PDF, ODT file formats, Hetman Office Recovery quickly recovers documents deleted with "Shift" + "Delete" or deleted from the "Trash". Thanks to built-in document integrity checking, Hetman Office Recovery recovers 100% working files.
In one terrible moment after Windows stops loading, you format the system partition, reinstall Windows, and are horrified to discover that you have lost photos and documents, music and access files, or any other valuable information that was stored on your desktop. This is shocking. In fact, many people store important information on their desktop - on the system drive, which can lead to the loss of this information. And the question immediately arises: is it possible to recover lost data after formatting the disk?
Recovering data after formatting a disk
I note that the expected data recovery after formatting the HDD does not always bring the expected results. With SSD drives the situation is even worse. One of the reasons for unsuccessful data recovery is that information is re-written to the disk after formatting. So, to increase the chances of getting your information, after formatting you should not write anything to the disk where this information was located, connect this disk as a second or third one to another computer, and then carry out manipulations to restore the data.
Why is it still possible to recover data after formatting?
If you experience loss of information after formatting a disk partition, you should remember that quick formatting does not delete data, but clears the table where the location of the data is recorded. With full formatting, the data is physically overwritten, but there remains a small chance of successfully recovering it. Any writes to the media overwrite old data in the file allocation table, reducing the likelihood of successfully restoring old data. When a hard drive (hard drive, HDD) “crumbles” - physically loses its functionality, you most likely permanently lose the information that was recorded on it.
How to recover data on a disk
There are now quite a lot of utilities that can search and recover data on hard drives and solid-state drives, namely:
- Recovering deleted partitions.
- Recovering data that was “sent to the trash and the trash was emptied.”
- Recovering data after formatting.
Most programs are understandable even to an inexperienced user, but to maintain the likelihood of returning the necessary data, you should entrust such work to a more experienced person who understands what needs to be done. There are specialized companies that recover data from damaged media, but the cost of these operations is simply enormous for the average person. Next, I will consider programs that can be useful for recovering data after formatting a disk.
Programs for data recovery after formatting
Popular data recovery utilities can work with different types of media. But most often, utilities are released for working with HDDs. There are special programs for USB flash drives, but they are not as effective.
Supports NTFS, FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 file systems, and works successfully with media larger than 8 GB. Supports data recovery on memory cards of MultiMedia Card, Sony Memory Sticks, CompactFlash, Secure Digital formats.
Recovering data from a flash drive
You need to start scanning a formatted flash drive by running the “SuperScan” command. After the scan is completed, you will see the SuperScan folder in which the detected files will be placed. Select the necessary files and folders, the path to save and click “Recover”.
A simple free utility. The work in it is clear even to the most ordinary user. The Settings Wizard will help you select the primary search parameters. You need to specify the type of files to search, their location and some other parameters. After scanning, a window will appear with the disks, the files found on them, and a description of the quality of the files found. You have the opportunity to preview the contents of the document being restored to understand whether it is necessary to restore the file in this form or not.
Pandora Recovery
A powerful functional data recovery program after formatting. The program has quite a few options, and searching for deleted files is quite slow.
Used to recover data on partitions with the FAT and NTFS file systems. To search and restore information, you must select the “Data Recovery” menu item, then “Format Recovery”, specify the drive and its file system. After scanning, select the files you want to recover.
In addition to the above programs, there are other popular utilities that allow you to recover data - files and folders after deletion or after formatting a disk partition or flash drive.
- Undelete Plus
- PC Inspector File Recovery
- FreeUndelete
- R-Studio
- R.Saver
Everyone chooses for themselves which program suits them best and what is more convenient to work with. I wish you success in recovering your data. I wish that such a need did not arise at all, since it is very unpleasant to be left without memorable photographs or design developments.
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In the modern world, almost every person in the house has a computer and, of course, problems can arise with it. Often, buying a new thing is an additional headache. It is difficult to handle a new device, so beginners often have problems.
Situations often occur when a user accidentally deletes data from a hard drive and cannot be restored. In these cases, people are faced with the questions “what is formatting?” and “how to recover information after it?”
How to recover data?
In total, we can note a couple of main ways to recover information - these are traditional and unconventional ways. The first case implies recovering a file from the recycle bin, but such an opportunity is provided extremely rarely. Therefore, other methods should be considered that offer greater hope of successful recovery.
The data return process itself is quite labor-intensive - you shouldn’t hope for a quick result. But if the size of the recovered file is small, then you don’t have to spend a long time choosing a program or looking for another solution. This article describes methods that will help you return files of any size. The date of deletion also does not matter. Each of the methods below has already been tested by several users and recommended by professionals.
Is it possible to recover data?
Most users may accidentally delete some files that they actually need. Important information that a person has collected over time will never become unnecessary. Of course, it is possible to restore data after formatting. There are several methods, but not everyone will have normal effectiveness.
It should be taken into account here size of lost files, as well as some computer features. Experienced users (hackers) will be able to carry out any operation without much effort using their programming knowledge. But ordinary users cannot always figure out the problem that has arisen. Therefore, especially for such people, possible options for information recovery are presented below.
Low-level formatting
Just a few years ago, due to low-level formatting, users irretrievably lost all the information that was really important to them. Now experienced programmers have already developed several methods that help many people. If information is accidentally deleted from your hard drive or due to an attack by malicious viruses, you can recover data even after low-level formatting.
You can try to restore all information in the same way as with quick formatting. In some cases, users were able to achieve the desired result, but a fallback option should also be considered. The most popular and current data recovery programs are described below.
Quick formatting
Don't worry about quick formatting. After all, in fact, formatting a hard drive does not mean destroying all the files present on it. After the formatting operation has occurred, new address pages are created on the hard drive. Every user should know that there are special utilities that help recover data.
In order to return information, you just need to install the simplest program on your computer or find it in the list of standard ones - Data Recovery Wizard. It will automatically display a list of files that can be recovered. You just need to click on any of them once and the file will appear in the place from which it was deleted through formatting.
Recovery programs
Various computer programs helped users get rid of any problems at any time and made their work much easier. And in the case of formatting a hard drive, programmers have also developed specialized programs. Often, users who have already encountered this more than once use only paid versions programs. After all, the percentage of successful recovery with their help is much higher. You can try to return other information that is not particularly important for a person using free software.
Among the most popular and active programs includes:
- FreeUndelete(after a recent update, it now supports NTFS systems and works on operating systems such as Windows XP, 2003 Server, and Vista. The only drawback is that deleted files are damaged when installing the program itself);
- PC Inspector Smart Recovery(recovers all files on the first try. Supports FAT and NTFS systems, works great on all Windows operating systems);
- SoftPerfect File Recovery(has many positive reviews from users who have been using it for a long time. And the main advantage is that the program does not require installation. It also supports FAT and NTFS systems);
- Pandora Recovery(included in the list of the best programs used in several countries. Thanks to it, you can view and recover all the necessary deleted files from NTFS and FAT);
- Undelete Plus(has a fairly clear interface, which makes the user’s work easier. There is no support for the Russian language, but the program itself is supported on all operating systems).
All these programs differ from each other in their capabilities, as well as in size and professional elaboration. By installing any of the above programs on your computer or laptop, you can already be confident that at least half of the data will be recovered. Each user chooses software based on several criteria, so to determine the most suitable option, you should try several. Two or three installed programs will not make things worse, but the effect will be much better.
Asking questions
Comments on the site
2. The first “FormatRecovery” screen will give you a list of partitions that the program was able to find on the disks on your system. If a partition is not listed, it is a sign of more serious damage. Perhaps the Advanced Recovery data recovery tool will help you. If you are trying to recover data from removable media, you need to insert it before you select “FormatRecovery”.
3. If you accidentally reformatted a partition, you may have changed the partition type. Radio button "Previous File System" will allow you to select the previous file system type for the partition.
4. To begin restoring a reformatted partition, select the partition and click the “Next” button to start scanning the files. Data Recovery Wizard analyzes disk and file system structure data, attributes and displays the directory tree.
5.When the scanning of the lost partition is finished, you will see a tree of files/folders.
6. Select the file or directory you want to restore and click the button "Next".
7.Select a directory and click the button "Next" to save the data.
Note: If your disk has been repartitioned and the partition sizes have been changed or the partition has been moved, you must use "AdvancedRecovery".
Attention: Saving the file(s) to the partition or drive from which you are recovering data may cause the data to be overwritten and will also result in permanent data loss!
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