It also has better directory structure recovery than TestDisk and is very easy to use. Recuva is great for recovering files when you are working in a Windows environment ( See Part 1 of this series). When to use TestDisk or PhotoRec for Deleted File Recovery It also comes with the program PhotoRec which has some advantages for recovering specific file types like pictures or Outlook mailboxes (currently over 200 file types). TestDisk is a program that does lots of things that we will talk about later in this series but for this post we are looking at its file undelete capabilities. We’ll do this in Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 Simple Recovery with Testdisk and PhotoRec Recovery is often done by looking at the raw data on the disk for unreferenced data, then determine the file type and directory structure, rebuild them and save them elsewhere. If the file wasn’t fragmented and the clusters haven’t been reused, you should have a great chance of getting it back. When a file is deleted, the list of disk clusters occupied by the file is erased, marking those sectors available for use by other files created or modified thereafter. We will be looking at Windows (FAT and NTFS) filesystems.ĭeleted files are not removed from the hard drive until the space that they occupy is needed by a new file. In this series we’ll look at some real world examples of disastrous situations salvaged and made better again. SSD’s provide some new challenges due to techniques they use to extend their life expectancy but for the most part are recoverable in the same manner as platter based drives. Also, the fact that CD’s, DVD’s, flash drives, SD cards and USB keys are made to behave like hard drives makes them candidates for recovery using the same tools. However, the effectiveness and ease of use of free tools has increased greatly. I take no responsibility for anything you do based on my examples or the information that I provide here.ĭata recovery from hard drives has not changed much in decades. If you try them yourself, it might cause damage or irreparable loss. Part 2 Recover Deleted files with Testdisk and PhotoRecĭISCLAIMER: These examples use techniques that I actually employ in the real world to deal with real problems.

Testdisk photo recovery