How to return deleted files - an express review of programs for data recovery

Everyone is mistaken. This is a statement of fact. This is human nature. And these mistakes are very unpleasant and menacing, especially for the ignorant in IT. Have you removed the file you need while cleaning your computer? Did the child delete the quarterly report or the customer base? "And how do I get the deleted files back from the computer?" - you ask. Nothing wrong. The Windows operating system provides a protection mechanism - a basket. Just a couple of taps - and your precious files in the same place and do not have to think about how to recover deleted files. But many unintentionally disable this wonderful function, and the problem is much more complicated. Well, I hasten to make you happy. You can restore the information. All information on the storage medium is still stored, only the file name from the main partition table has been deleted, and the structures themselves lie on the hard disk space, waiting for them to be jammed with new information or again denoted by the file name from the spare partition table.

The main thing is not to panic, breaking your head, how to recover deleted files, and do not rush anything to write to the hard drive. The erased file can be "found" independently through specialized program-researchers of the file system. There are programs of this kind, tested for years. In this case, they definitely will not do worse - most importantly, observe the above rule. If the disk where the files were stored is system, then it is desirable to remove it and install it on another PC in order to recover after losing the information. This is due to the fact that Windows continuously writes to the hard disk in the process of its work. An alternative is to boot from an external media (for example, from a USB flash drive or DVD) and restore the information to another partition.

As a rule, all these programs have about the same abilities, but they also have features. Therefore, try to restore the data in turn to each of them. In different situations this or that program can cope much better than the other.

Let's make a brief review of such software.

1. Easy Recovery is probably the most common utility. Recovers information from media on NTFS, FAT, FAT32 file systems . The program has the function of creating bootable media. There is a small hard disk diagnostic module. In the database formats more than 200 all kinds of files, which allows all of them to be restored. In most simple cases, using Easy Recovery is the surest answer to the question of how to recover deleted files.

2. Get data back for NTFS / FAT. Utility of German developers. It comes in two separate versions for FAT and NTFS file systems. The features of the program include the fact that it supports long file names and non-standard character sets. Works with all kinds of flash memory - CF, SD Flash, Smart Media, iPOD-disks. There is an option to restore randomly deleted data, which is not in Easy Revovery.

3. R-studio. This is not a complete recovery program, but a whole set of utilities, so it can be called semi-professional. Preserve the image of the hard drive and then work exclusively with it (especially for "stumbling" hard drives). There is a quality Hex editor. A set of supported file systems includes, in addition to the classic FAT and NTFS (all versions, including those created in Windows), and Ext (from version 2 to 4), UFS1 u UFS2. Recovery from RAID arrays is also provided. The program is aimed at professionals who, from their experience, know how to recover accidentally deleted files, but also for neophytes in this matter, too, will do.

4. Photo Rescue. This is a program designed to save graphic files from "distressed" media. The list of all supported drives is very large, as the developers position their product as professional. This is the perfect solution when you have wondered how to return deleted files like photos from a computer, since the program is very simple and does not require any special knowledge.

5. ZAR. The program is from Russian developers. An intermediate version between Easy Recovery and R-studio. Without purchase, it provides full-fledged photo recovery, "understands" partitions on NTFS and FAT file systems, including 0 and 5 RAID levels. Partitions under ext2-ext4 and XFS are also supported, but the program itself runs under Windows.