Problem
Files such as Word Documents, Excel Workbooks, Powerpoint Presentations, Videos, Photos, and other Programs were accidentally deleted in your PC. Most likely due to virus, or an authorized used (carelessness).There are several file recovery tools that can be used for free.
Based on the excel presentation I made, Recuva is the most common file recovery tool, followed by TestDisk and PhotoRec. I formulated this technique to help you decide faster as there are too many free downloadable tools around to recover your files for free.
3 Best File Recovery Tools
Based on the technique I used, there are 3 most mentioned tools for file recovery ready to help you.- Recuva
- TestDisk
- PhotoRec
Recuva according to CNET:
CNET Editor's Review:Recuva is a free file recovery program that makes it extremely easy to locate files that were once thought to be lost forever. The wizard-like approach and intuitive user interface will appeal to all user levels.Recuva User's Review:
It was a dark and stormy night when the blood sucking vampires grabbed my computer network. Zap ssssllluuuurrrrrrrppppp - hacked. My recovery took days and most files were deleted by the recovery operations. This program worked like a charm - better than the others I was using. It helped with the music in 1/2 time the others were taking. (mtdragon)
Free. No need to spend single cent.
Please remember that your file names may be change. Please don't cry, ask God to help to locate the different file name which contains your data. (Justin_Gupta)
TestDisk and PhotoRec according to CNET:
CNET Editor's Review:TestDisk is a powerful data recovery utility. It was primarily designed to help recover lost partitions and/or make non-booting disks bootable again when these symptoms are caused by faulty software, certain types of viruses or human error (such as accidentally erasing your Partition Table).
PhotoRec is file data recovery software designed to recover lost pictures or lost files from digital camera memory (CompactFlash, Memory Stick, SecureDigital, SmartMedia, Microdrive, MMC, USB Memory Drives), even Hard Disks and CDRom.User's Review:
Pros:
TestDisk and Photo Recovery recovered all of my 1000-odd accidentally deleted photos, each over 5MB in size.
Cons"
I was awfully nervous when confronted with a DOS-like window and almost went crazy trying to find out WHERE the tool saved the recovered photos (finally found them in the same folder as the application). (
Use it. It is extremely stable. i was able to recover stuff that nothing else could. Learn the interface and it will become a breeze. Just don't do stuff you do not understand.. search for documentation first! This is extremely powerful software that does not require a degree. Just some patience, and common sense. If your partition / files/ pictures are there, this WILL recover it, if you use it right. (Catcome)
Personal Experience:
I was terrified when I lost all my important files, but thanks to Pandora Recovery! In the presentation above, Pandora Recovery is listed at No. 3 in PC Support About.com, if you want to give this a try too, you can download and read more reviews at CNET.Pandora helped me recover all my MS Word Documents, all my JPEG files, and some of my MS Excel Workbooks. Unfortunately, few other Excel documents were totally corrupted.
Resources:
- lifehacker
- gizmo's freeware - I Recommend Reading this one for a useful guide when you found out you lost your files :)
- About.com PC Support
- Geeky Projects
Disclaimer:
Am not affiliated with CNET. It is just happened that I trusted CNET because it gives me safe downloads ever-since :)
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