You will need

- damaged hard drive; - Personal Computer; - special utilities; - Internet; - computer skills.

Instructions

First of all, carefully remove the hard drive from the system unit. Do not throw it into the trash bin if it is physically damaged, as even in this state of the disk, lost files can be restored. Connect the removed drive to another computer, or insert it into an external USB enclosure.

Next, use special utilities that can be free or shareware. Utilities such as O&O UnErasc, PC Inspector File Recovery 4.1 and Zero Assumption Recovery (or simply ZAR.) Have proven themselves well. Using the O&O UnErasc and PC Inspector File Recovery 4.1 utilities, scan the disk and select the necessary files from the list of lost data. Files, when using these utilities, can be completely recovered if, when they were deleted, no information was written to the hard disk. With the Zero Assumption Recovery utility, you can recover files even on a formatted hard drive.

Lost files are often caused by corrupted sector tables in the Master Bool Record. master boot record. To restore them, download free simple programs from the Internet that effectively reconstruct MBR using file structures. Programs such as: Active Partition Recovery or MBRlool 2.3.1 easily damaged sectors.

To avoid permanent loss of files, create an exact copy of your hard drive. To do this, purchase a special program, for example, HDClone 3.2., Which will copy the hard drive sector by sector.

note

Be careful when purchasing any software, especially on the Internet, as some of them can pose a real threat to your computer.

Helpful advice

Some utilities (shareware) recover files in several passes, therefore, for a quick recovery, purchase a license key for a fee.

Sources:

Active Partition Recovery
how to recover files from a damaged hard drive

Boot partition sectors are complex and time-consuming, but doable. It should only be borne in mind that performing the recovery operation for damaged sectors of the boot partition requires a sufficient level of understanding of the operation of system services.

Instructions

Download the Diskedit.exe utility from the package from the MS-DOS boot volume.

Select the "Configuration" command from the "Tools" menu of the application window.

Uncheck the Read Only checkbox and confirm your selection by clicking OK.

Select "Disk" from the "Object" menu of the application window and go to "Physical Disk".

Specify the required Hard Disk and click OK to scan the selected disk and generate report data for cylinder 0, side 0, sector 1.

Select the "Partition Table" item in the "View" menu of the application window and save (write down) information about the starting and ending cylinders, sectors and sides of the damaged partition.

Select "Physical Sector" from the "Object" menu of the application window and enter the values \u200b\u200bof the start cylinder, side and sector in the corresponding fields of the section.

Specify the desired value for "Maximum Number of Partitions" and click OK to confirm the command.

Remember that the main loading cylinder is one side up. That is, if you are looking at cylinder 0, side 0, sector 1, go to cylinder 0, side 1, sector 1. The offset (leftmost column) should be 00000000.

Remember the location of the original boot sector and search for the backup boot sector.

Divide the total number of cylinders by two and subtract five from the resulting number to give the cylinder used (for Windows NT version 3.x).

Return to the "Physical sector" item of the "Object" menu and enter the resulting cylinder number, side 0, sector 1, maximum sector value and click OK (for Windows NT version 3.x).

Select the Find command from the Tools menu and enter the hexadecimal string 4E 54 46 53 20 in the search bar (for Windows NT version 3.x).

Make a note of the cylinder, side and sector number found and make sure that this position matches the beginning of the sector (for Windows NT version 3.x).

Copy the found sector (for Windows NT version 3.x).

Go back to the Physical Sector item in the Tools menu and enter the cylinder, side, and sector for the backup boot sector (for Windows NT version 3.x).

Make sure only one sector is selected and click OK (for Windows NT version 3.x).

Go back to Physical Sector in the Object menu and enter the target cylinder, side, and sector values \u200b\u200byou saved in step 6 (for Windows NT version 4.0).

Make sure only one sector is selected and click OK (for Windows NT version 4.0).

Specify the "Select" command in the "Edit" menu and select the entire sector using the arrow keys.

Choose the Write To command from the Edit menu and locate the original boot sector that you saved in step 5.

Confirm your choice by pressing the OK button and press the OK button a second time to execute the command to overwrite the selected sector.

Exit the application and restart your computer.

note

Run the chkdsk / F command on the recovered partition to make it available.

Helpful advice

Use the Page Down softkey to display the selected sector in the Physical Sector section of the Object menu.

Sources:

Support for Microsoft Russia in 2018
recovering bad sectors in 2018

Surely you have ever experienced such an unpleasant situation as the loss of necessary data from your hard disk. This can happen for various reasons - disk formatting, system failure, accidental deletion, and so on. No one is safe from data loss, so you must always be prepared for such a situation. In addition to creating backup copies of files, you must be able, if necessary, to recover lost data from the hard disk. There are several ways to do this, and in this article you will find instructions on how to recover your lost files.

You will need

- R-Studio program

Instructions

Download and install the selected program on yours. Remember that you need to install the program not on the drive you want the data from, but on some other. Let's say you decide to use R-Studio. After installation, run the program with administrative. On the left you will see a list of drives connected to the system. If you click on any of the items in the list, you will see the state of the drive or partition and its properties. Select the drive you want.

Adjust the scan settings. To do this, uncheck some of the items in the "File Systems" list, if necessary. If the partition table is damaged and logical disks are not displayed, then limit the scan area to the partition from which you need to recover data.

Now press the "Scan" button and start, thereby, scanning. This process can take quite a long time if you need to scan a large amount of information. Review the results after the scan is complete. Options will be highlighted in green, questionable options in yellow, and bad options in red. If there are more bad options, then it is better to go to the "RawRecovery" function. Select the option you want and click "Open Drive Files".

Wait for the directory tree building process to complete. The "Root" directory will contain the root file. Check the boxes to mark the files that you want to recover. Click the Recover Marked button. In the event that you decide to restore all the information found, just click "Recovery". Select the path for the recovered ones, click "OK".

Wait for the process to complete. That's it, now your data has been restored.

note

If your file system is not supported by R-Studio, then use products such as Quick Recovery or StellarPhoenix. The algorithm for working with other recovery programs will not differ much from this one.

In most cases, data accidentally deleted from the hard drive can be. To do this, you must follow a certain sequence of actions and use special programs.

Instructions

First of all, upon detecting the loss of necessary files, exclude any writing to the disk from which you accidentally deleted information. This will increase the likelihood of recovery, since the files have not yet been physically deleted, but only their headers have been erased, so that new information can be written in their place. After that, download any utility for recovering deleted files. For home use, a free program called Recuva, which can be downloaded from http://biblprog.org.ua/ru/Recuva/... Install it on your computer.

Start the file recovery procedure. In the main window of the program, select the area to be analyzed (in our case, the hard disk or its separate folder) and click the "Scan" button. After the scanning procedure, the program will display a list of all files available for recovery, including information about the possible probability of recovering each specific file. In addition, the program determines the name of the file, its size, former location and date of last modification. Depending on the settings, the program is able to display deleted system and hidden files, as well as files with zero size. Find the files that need recovery, select them and click the "Recover" button.

To recover data that was deleted a long time ago or to recover information stored on a disk that has been formatted, you will have to use paid data recovery software or contact companies that have special equipment for recovering deleted files.

Tip 6: How to Recover Data from a Formatted Hard Drive

Most personal computer users believe that formatting a hard drive will permanently erase its contents. Formatting just creates new address tables. By installing a special program, you can return lost information without much difficulty. The most popular and easy to use is the Data recovery wizard. It allows you to recover almost all files and directories from a formatted hard drive, even from sectors.

You will need

- Data recovery wizard program.

Instructions

Download the Data recovery wizard from the Internet. Install it on your personal computer. Run the program. In its main window, select the Format recovery option. After this command, the program will independently display a list of all partitions that it finds on all logical drives of your system. If the drive you are looking for was not found in the search, use the Advanced recovery feature to recover areas with severe damage. Next, select the section you need from the list and click on the Next button. the program will scan and analyze the file system. You will have to wait for a while while the program scans. The duration of this operation directly depends on the size of your hard disk.

Browse the directory tree that will be displayed at the end of the scan of your hard drive. To recover files, mark them with a tick, as well as all directories and folders that also require recovery. Click the Next button. Remember that when restoring data from a formatted disk, you must correctly specify the directory for the new save. Never save recovered files and folders in the same place where they were before formatting. This action can lead to overwriting of the files being restored and to their irrevocable destruction.

Prepare enough free hard disk space. You will also have to wait to recover formatted data. Specify the correct path for saving data and click Next. If the list of recoverable files is large enough, the operation will be lengthy, but definitely with a positive outcome. All formatted files will be restored and ready to go.

The system files of the Microsoft Windows operating system can be executed in several ways by standard means of the system itself.

If you have lost valuable files, do not rush to get depressed: data recovery from a hard disk is possible, and you can do it yourself.

A file deleted from the hard disk actually remains on the same sectors of the disk. It is marked "zero" in the file table. Until this information is overwritten, the files are recoverable.

The most important thing is to find the right tool. We have selected the best programs for hard drive data recovery. In the review, we will list the necessary functions of the programs, and briefly tell you how they work.

2. TestDisk - recover deleted HDD partitions (Windows / Mac OS / Linux)

TestDisk's strict console interface

TestDisk is a program for data recovery and. Supports file systems FAT, NTFS, ext2, etc. Works only from the command line, detailed documentation will help you to understand the commands.

It makes sense to use the program in cases where data has been lost

as a result of errors in the file table,
if there are bad blocks
in case of accidental deletion of the HDD partition.

In such cases, other utilities like Recuva or PhotoRec may not be able to cope.

With TestDisk you can repair boot sectors, fix FAT tables, Master File Table - in general, fix errors on the hard disk, which are often the reason for deleting files.

If the operating system does not boot and / or you are running Linux, you can make a byte-by-byte copy of the HDD partitions and recover files safely, avoiding overwriting.

If TestDisk didn't help or seemed complicated, test PhotoRec (see below), since the programs are distributed in a common archive.

3. PhotoRec - recover photos and videos on hard drive (Windows, Linux, Mac OS)

PhotoRec Main Window: Configuring Search and Save

PhotoRec is a cross-platform disk data recovery software. Searches by file signatures, is best at finding deleted images and videos.

In total PhotoRec covers about 300 file types and 480 file extensions. Data recovery is performed both on a hard disk and on removable media - flash drives, memory cards.

You can download the program for free for the desktop. Major file systems are supported, including NTFS, FAT, exFAT, ext2 / 3/4, partially ReiserFS, etc.

Included with the program is the TestDisk console utility. Recall that it is designed to recover deleted partitions, fix the boot record on the disk and other errors on the HDD.

Note... Despite the fact that data recovery on the disk is in read mode. when saving files, you need to specify a directory on another disk - otherwise the deleted data will be overwritten.

4. Diskdigger for PC

Diskdigger is available in desktop and mobile editions. We will be looking at the Windows version. It supports HDD, SSD, sd cards and usb flash drives and virtual disks (VHD / VDI, etc.) connected to the computer.

The program offers to choose one of two scanning options - Dig deep or Dig Deeper.

Accordingly, the Dig deep method is suitable for recovering files on a hard disk, deleting files to the Recycle Bin, deleting any data in the FAT, exFAT and NTFS file systems.

Dig Deeper recovery method will be extremely useful for more complex cases related to information deletion. This method involves searching for files by signatures bypassing the file system. Dig Deeper scan will take much longer than Dig deep scan.

It should be noted that the desktop version of Diskdigger has a user-friendly interface and allows you to flexibly configure the search for files on the HDD. It is convenient to use the preview when restoring and saving results as a list or thumbnails. In general, Diskdigger is designed for photo, audio and video recovery, similar to PhotoRec.

5. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard (Windows)

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is an excellent, though not free, program for recovering deleted files from HDD. However, 500 MB can be restored without purchasing the full version. To do this, just download the 30-day trial version of the product on the website.

Scenarios where the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is useful:

Deleting files bypassing the Recycle Bin (via Shift + Delete)
Removing an entire HDD partition
Formatting your hard drive quickly
File corruption, or bad blocks
Hard disk partition is defined as raw

The program interface is simple; beginners will benefit from a step-by-step setup wizard. It allows you to select file types, scan type (Quick Scan / Deep Scan). During scanning, you can view the results in a convenient preview window.

That is why EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is perfect for image and video recovery.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard interface

Data Recovery Wizard supports data recovery from hard disk, SSD, memory card, usb flash drive.

The list of supported operating systems includes Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP, Server 2008 and 2003, 2000 and older.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery supports over 300 file extensions, is suitable for recovering deleted partitions on HDD / SSD, ignores read errors. The description indicates that the main file systems for file searching are FAT, NTFS and ExFAT. However, Phoenix Windows Data Recovery can bypass and detect files regardless of the file system type. For this, a signature search is used, which is activated by the Deep Scan option.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery Main Window: Drive Selection

The Technician version of the program will be irreplaceable if the files were in a RAID archive and one of the disks in the array is out of order. Other versions of the program also have useful backup add-ons. However, for home use, the Home or Professional versions will be optimal (cost from $ 60 to $ 100).

7. Minitool Power Data Recovery - a program for recovering files from a hard drive

Minitool Power Data Recovery is a program for recovering data on damaged, faulty hard drives, emergency hdd - those that are not detected on the computer.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery main window: disk partition selection

Some features of the utility:

Power Data Recovery recovers entire disks, works with large dynamic disks (\u003e 1 TB), RAID arrays,
when scanning, it bypasses errors, cyclically reads data, bad-blocks, puts the head in a “sparing” mode when reading information from a disk,
works with FAT 16/32 file systems,
The "deep scan" option allows you to find deleted files that are not detected by a normal scan,
Free recovery of 1024 MB of any data.

How to recover information from a hard drive

The program has a step by step data recovery wizard. After selecting the Logical drive and pressing the Scan button, the Scan Results list appears. Files are sorted by File name, Size, Creation date.

Video on how to work with Power Data Recovery:

8. Undelete Plus (Windows)

Undelete Plus main window interface

Undelete Plus is a shareware program for recovering deleted files. Supports recovery:

office documents and mail,
photo, video, mp3 audio,
files after emptying the Windows Recycle Bin,
system drive after formatting / reinstalling Windows.

Undelete Plus runs on all Windows versions and supports FAT or NTFS storage devices.

Similar to Recuva, the program determines the probability of recovery for found files. You can sort the results by type, set filters by time and size.

9. Glary Undelete: recover information from hard drive

Glary Undelete is a free software for recovering deleted files from HDD, easy to use, with a convenient user interface.

Recovery to HDD using Glary Undelete

Glary Undelete recovers files from hard drives, SSDs, any removable media devices - memory cards, USB flash drives, etc.

There are no settings, you need to click Start to get started. There is a filter by name / date / size. In the sidebar, the results are grouped by file extension. The probability of recovery for each file can be found in the “Status” column.

10. R-Studio is a popular hard drive data recovery software

11. Puran File Recovery - a simple program to recover from FAT / NTFS disks

This is not to say that Puran File Recovery stands out from the other data recovery software in the review. Nevertheless, we will list the main functional features of this free product.

Puran File Recovery works with Windows 8, 7, Vista, and XP. The app is available in portable form for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows, so no installation is required. The program has a simple and fast interface.

FAT12 / 16/32 and NTFS file systems are supported. If the disk is removed or has a raw format, the Full Scan option will detect the partition and then recover data from the hard disk in normal mode.

There are two modes of data recovery from HDD - fast and deep (byte) scanning of deleted information. Deep scanning does not just search through the records in the file table, Puran File Recovery scans known patterns, trying to find one or another format. By the way, the utility is capable of recognizing about 50 file types.

Found files are restored with full paths and names (if possible). Before saving to disk, the user can sort the recovery results, see the files in the preview mode.

Tools included with Puran File Recovery

Other disk recovery software

(now "EASEUS Data Recovery"): professional recovery of damaged information in FAT and NTFS file systems.
Data Rescue PC3: program for finding deleted files from Prosoft Engineering, supports FAT and NTFS filesystems
: a program for recovering files and SSD partitions for Windows and.
FileSalvage: data recovery from disk, reanimation of deleted / damaged information
: works under Microsoft Windows 2000 and higher, supports FS FAT, NTFS and HFS, RAID arrays.
: reanimates damaged data on NTFS, HFS, FAT 16/32 partitions.

Answers to readers' questions

1. Accidentally sharply slammed the cover of the Lenovo laptop. I do not know because of this or not, Windows itself reinstalled and all infa from the Desktop disappeared. Then a window appeared with a red cross Windows. There it was suggested to print the instructions and save to a USB flash drive, something about a hard disk and not use the computer until we restore the hard disk. What should I do, I would like to recover files on my hard drive :-)

2. There were files on the Desktop. They disappeared. Found only titles in MS Word. Please help me so I can work with them as before.

Answer... The answer will be short. See programs for recovering data from hard drive above for the list. List the system drive where WIndows was installed. In case you need to return some files from the Desktop, when scanning, specify "[system drive letter]\u003e Users\u003e [Username]\u003e Desktop.

After reinstalling the system, photos and videos were not copied to the hard drive and, most likely, deleted. Is it possible to recover data from hdd for free now?

Answer... The question is inaccurate in its wording, but it is not difficult to answer it. Use any recovery program mentioned in the article. Actually, before the process of data reanimation, it is highly undesirable to use a hard disk to write and read information, so if possible, install the software on another medium and do not work in the OS before starting data recovery on the disk.

Yesterday I deleted the entire folder on the hard drive. There was 1 GB of content, a lot of folders and other valuable data! I looked a little - there was nothing there. Then I took and deleted the entire folder, and, it turns out, there were my hidden photo videos ... How to recover data from a hard drive?

Answer... Almost any data recovery software will work for these purposes. For example, R-Studio, Minitool Power Data Recovery, Power Data Recovery, or Recuva. In general, there is no shortage of such programs, choose any one, read the instructions on Softdroid and proceed with the recovery.

I uploaded files to the mail.ru cloud, after a few days the files were gone. Before that, I came from another device - the files were in place! Is it possible to recover files for free?

Answer... Yes, recovering files from your hard drive is quite possible if you have synchronized files uploaded to the Mail.ru cloud with your PC. To do this, you need to use R-Studio, Minitool Power Data Recovery or other tools. After installing the file recovery program, point it to the drive where the synced cloud files were located. Further actions, I believe, are known to you.

My son lost his favorite computer game. I wanted to upload it to him again, but he does not want to start it from the very beginning. Writes "application error". Will data recovery software help? Thanks in advance.

Answer... In theory, you can recover files (deleted game saves) using hard drive recovery software. To do this, find out where the save of this or that game is stored, run a file search, etc., everything is as usual when restoring. However, it is not entirely clear how your saves were “lost”, in what circumstances it happened. It is quite possible that you do not need the help of data recovery programs, since many games store the save in the Windows user folder separately from the actual game application. Reinstall the game and see if you can open the save inside the game.

The information was erased. After recovering lost files, I have damaged files that I do not know how to recover. The information is very useful. How to recover a damaged file? Tell me the way out.

Answer... To correctly answer your question, this information is not enough. If you yourself restored files and as a result received some of the information in a damaged form, this means that the deleted files have already been overwritten with new information, and this process is irreversible.

It is less likely that you have used poor quality recovery software or selected the wrong scan mode. However, we suggest that you try to recover corrupted files again using .

All important information is stored on your computer's hard drive. There are situations when it can be lost: this is a breakdown of the disk itself, incorrect formatting of the wrong disk, other reasons. Recovering data in case of formatting or accidental deletion is not difficult using special programs. If you have problems with the disk itself, then everything is a little more complicated, but it is still possible to recover information on your own.

The first step is to carefully remove the hard drive from the system unit. To do this, you first need to turn off the computer, disconnect the power and remove the battery (if it is a laptop). Then you can remove the hard drive. Check what interface and size your drive has and find the appropriate removable drive enclosure for it. After inserting your drive into the outer case, secure it there securely. Then you can connect it to a working computer via a USB port (the computer used must be compatible with yours in terms of parameters and programs used). After you boot your computer, a notification should appear stating that a new device is connected. It is also possible to open the disc automatically for viewing. If your disk is not detected either automatically or manually, then most likely the hard disk is seriously damaged, and you will have to contact a specialist.

Now, with the help of special data recovery programs (they can be downloaded on the Internet, they can be paid or free), scan the disk. Select the required files from the list of recovered files that appears and save. Such programs as are considered effective and well-proven:

PC Inspector File Recovery 4.1;
Zero Assumption Recoveri (ZAR);
Roadkil's Unstoppable Copier 2.2;
BadCopy Pro v3.76;
DeadDiscDoctor 1.0;
File Salvage 2.0;
Non-Stop Copy v1.03 and others.

A very common cause of file loss is damage to the Master Boot Table - MBR. To recover information in this case, the MBRTool or Active Partition Recoveri program is suitable - the programs will not only recover the damaged sectors, but also effectively reconstruct the MBR.

Don't forget to check the disk for bad sectors. Use the hard drive manufacturer's software for this. You can recover bad sectors using the dd_rescue program - it is able to recover the maximum of bad sectors on a hard disk.

If the damage to the hard disk is serious or you are not confident in your own abilities, then it is better to immediately contact a specialist for information recovery and disk repair. The fewer incorrect actions with a damaged disk, the more likely it is to recover data from it.

The loss of information stored on a hard disk drive (HDD) is a sad event, but most often not fatal. Accidentally deleted documents, folders and even entire partitions can be restored if nothing happened to prevent it.

How to recover data from a hard drive, in what cases it can be done on your own and when it is better not to risk it, but to turn to specialists, I will tell you further.

How to recover data from a hard drive

When missing files can be recovered

The main condition for successful data recovery is the physical health of the hard disk.

You will most likely be able to return data that:

have been deleted bypassing the Recycle Bin;
destroyed by a virus;
disappeared due to a file system failure (with such problems, entire directories and partitions are usually lost);
were in the section that was formatted (formatting erases part of the information about the location of the files on the hard drive, but they themselves remain in place).

But in what cases it will not be possible to recover information:

if the area of \u200b\u200bthe hard drive where the data was stored was overwritten (for example, when reinstalling the operating system with volume formatting, all objects of the old OS are destroyed irrevocably);
if objects were deleted using a shredder program (shredders also overwrite the storage areas of deleted objects, moreover, multiple times);
in case of damage to the magnetic surface of the "pancakes" of the hard drive.

When you shouldn't do the recovery yourself

If you are not sure that the drive is working properly, and the information is very valuable, it is better to refrain from experimenting and contact a specialized service for restoration. The service is not cheap, and the specialists there are not omnipotent, so the less you torment the "diseased" disk, the lower the price will be and the higher the chances of success.

The following symptoms indicate a malfunction of the hard drive:

Unnatural operating noise (clanking, clicking, clicking, whistling, etc.).
HDD from time to time ceases to be detected by the computer - it disappears, then it appears.
The operating system is very slow, the hard disk is always loaded at 100% without a high load on the RAM.
Various errors occur when writing and reading files.
The operating system or programs that monitor the state of the HDD in real time (if installed) informs about a drive failure.
The computer stops booting from the hard drive (provided that it boots normally from other media).
Blue screens of death often appear, indicating errors specific to disk problems (INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE, NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM, KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED).

The four most important rules for information recovery

I will tell you a little later how and by what means to restore data on hard drives, but now - a couple of words, what needs to be done before that and how to correctly perform the recovery procedure.

The recovered data can be dumped to another partition of the same hard drive or to another physical medium, but not to the same place from where it was read. Therefore, if your HDD is not divided into partitions, prepare a USB flash drive or another hard drive of suitable capacity.
As soon as you notice the loss of important data, stop all operations with the HDD and start recovery immediately. This will avoid accidental overwriting.
Try to restore everything you need in one session without stopping the program. Moreover, without restarting the computer.
If one program does not help, use others until all the information is recreated.

Three popular HDD data recovery software

R-Studio

R-studio from the Canadian company R-Tools Technology is the most powerful software package for recovering information from different types of media. Designed for professional service engineers, but can also be used by non-specialists, as it is easy to operate and intuitive. Translated into many languages \u200b\u200bof the world, including Russian.

Main features of R-studio

Supports all major file systems: FAT12-FAT32, NTFS, exFAT, ReFS, NTFS5 (encrypted), HFS, HFS +, Ext2-Ext4, UFS1 and UFS.
It is able to determine the types of objects by file signatures. This helps to pull information from damaged drives, where the file system is detected as RAW (unknown).
Supports RAID arrays and dynamic disks. Has RAID reconstruction function.
It can create images of physical drives, their partitions and individual directories, from which it then reads data. After creating such an image, the recovery media can be disabled.
Allows you to view the contents of read objects, even if there is no program associated with it on the computer.
Recreates MBR, GPT and BCD service records.
Contains a hex editor for manually fixing corrupted files.
Displays S.M.A.R.T. parameters. - results of self-test of the current state of HDD, as well as SSD (solid state drives), diagnoses the state of the read heads, corrects surface defects.

How to use

Run R-studio as an administrator.
Select the drive to read information from.

Specify scan options. In particular, mark the types of files that you want to recover.

After finishing reading, select the "Recover all files" option from the "Disk" menu.

Specify the save parameters - location, structure, attributes, and more.

Wait for the end of the operation.

R-studio, as a rule, manages to restore what other programs cannot cope with. This complex is good for everyone, except for the price: the cost of the license starts at $ 79.99. Available in versions for Windows, OS X and Linux.

Ontrack EasyRecovery

From Polish developer Kroll Ontrack is another lost file recovery software package that can be used by both professionals and beginners. It is produced in several versions with a different set of functions, translated into Russian.

EasyRecovery features

Recognizes over 250 file types.
Works with different types of media, including damaged ones.
Creates drive images.
Equipped with tools for analyzing the current state of the HDD.
Has a built-in hexadecimal editor, as well as a shredder for permanently destroying objects in the file system.
Allows you to create emergency bootable media with EasyRecovery in case the operating system stops loading.
Can connect to other computers over the network.
Capable of reading information from VMware virtual environments.

How to use

Run the program as administrator. Click the "Continue" button.

Select the type of media on which you lost data and click "Continue" again. This button must be pressed after each step, so I will not repeat myself.

Specify the section you want to scan.

Select a recovery scenario (we, in particular, are interested in deleted or formatted data).

Wait for the end of the reading process.

The found documents will be displayed in the EasyRecovery window. You can view them as a list or thumbnails.

To save the file, right-click on it. Select "Save As" or, as elsewhere, press Ctrl + S.

In order to become a legal user of Ontrack EasyRecovery, you also have to fork out. The license price starts from 89 EUR. Versions available for Windows and OS X.

Recuva

- a product of the British developer Piriform Limited - one of the most popular free data recovery tools. The utility is very easy to use and very effective. Differs in high scanning speed.

Recuva features

It can work without installation (has an official portable version).
Supports FAT16-FAT32, NTFS and ExFAT file systems.
Works with damaged media.
Has a file shredder.
Able to recover directory structures, email messages, Microsoft Word documents, texts, music, images, saved web pages, video files and system objects, including hidden and zero-size objects.

Compared to the two previously reviewed programs, Recuva's capabilities are much more modest. This applies to both recovery functions and additional tools. For example, Recuva is best at restoring recently deleted objects, and although it detects old ones, it often cannot read them, despite the fact that they have not been overwritten for sure. And yet, we will not find fault with her, because "they do not look a gift (free) horse in the mouth."

By the way, in addition to the free version of the utility, there is a paid one - Recuva Pro (costs $ 24.95). Its differences are advanced recovery functions, automatic installation of updates, support for virtual media and the ability to contact Support.

How to use

Run the utility. If it opened in the English version, go to the "Options" menu and select the Russian language on the "General" tab.

Select the scan area from the drop-down list on the left side of the window.

After the scan is complete, the utility window will display a list of found objects, some of which are marked with green circles, some with red and some with yellow ones. A green mark indicates a good chance of restoring an object, a yellow mark indicates a weak one, and a red mark indicates a complete lack of any chance.
To restore something from the found, mark it in the list and click the button of the same name at the bottom right of the window.

Each of the three applications reviewed is good in its own way. Recuva is convenient to keep close at hand for everyday use - despite its limited functionality, it does its job well, but most importantly - quickly. And if we can't cope with something, we use EasyRecovery and R-Studio - "heavy tools" for the most insoluble situations. For 90% of users, this set is enough for almost all occasions.

Data recovery from a hard drive is carried out in cases of need to obtain all the information that was previously located on it.

Its loss can occur for various reasons, the establishment of which is carried out by diagnostics and launching special programs.

List of reasons for losing information from the disk

In a number of reasons that lead to the deletion of data, four groups can be distinguished:

1. Consequence of wrong actions of a person:

Accidental formatting or erasure of information.
Invalid storage area markup

However, very often, to solve this kind of problem, you can try to use special data recovery software.

Advice! With a competent approach, this will not have any risk for the further recovery process, and therefore, if nothing works out for you, then specialized firms can still help you. Next, we will take a look at the best data recovery software.

Information becomes inaccessible due to physical damage to the hard disk and its individual components, namely the read-write head or the electric motor.

To recover data in such a situation, you will need the help of hard drive repair specialists.

Voltage fluctuations, surges or dips, or a complete power outage can damage the devices that store data.

According to research by the Bell Lab, data loss in 80–86 percent of situations occurs due to unstable voltage.

Windows users very often face problems with the operating system, after which it stops starting.

In such cases, most users think that all data from the hard disk is erased and the only way out of this situation is to contact a specialized service center.

But in reality, all data remains on the hard drive, and the failure of the operating system has nothing to do with it.

Disk data recovery software

Utility for a damaged disk Is a great way to recover data yourself. These include programs of the following nature:

Recuva. This program is provided absolutely free. It is characterized by ease of installation and use, as well as fast data recovery.
However, the software also has its drawbacks: when reconfiguring a digital carrier, images and documentation have no chance of recovery.

Undelete Plus. Such a program does not cope with all information keepers. However, it is quite effective in recovering data from the hard drive.
Downloading and installing does not cause problems, and the utility brings back to life up to 90 percent of the lost information. UndeletePlus is provided in Russian, which allows the general population to use it.

R-studio. The utility does an excellent job with the main reasons for deleting data, but it is only available in a paid access. So, it copes with such tasks as: returning data from disks, flash drives, memory cards and the like.
In addition, the software helps to recover deleted data from damaged and reissued media. The program is offered from disk or from the Internet.

Recovery Software. Despite a single name, this program is a set of programs for each individual case. They are as effective as possible. This is due to each individual disk.

So, here we can highlight:

Utility to work with all file systems.
A program for working with NTFS partitions.
Applications for FAT32 activities.
A program with two components: File and Photo.
Utility for working with files.
File Repair is a program that restores and edits distorted images and documents.

The program is ideal when you need to recover files and pictures. It can also be used in case of damage to individual areas.

Stellar Phoenix. Such a program provides every user with excellent opportunities for data, photo and video recovery. Its advantage is a pre-compiled menu with a list of all deleted data.
Thanks to him, the user can restore only what he needs.

Data Rescue PC. This program allows you not only to recover lost data, but also to recover RAID. Loads from disk, so you don't have to worry about the inability to start when the operating system is frozen

Seagate File Recovery for Windows. An old, but very effective program that restores not only general data, but also a clear picture of each image.
In addition, it is able to extract information even after redesigning the entire system and its individual components.