Easy hard disk recovery

Easy Data Recovery
The following describes how to recover data from healthy carriers, which can be mastered in the shortest time, without having special knowledge in this area.
Recovering data from faulty devices and methods for obtaining data from damaged files, this article will not be considered.
So ...
Terrible has happened:
Quite suddenly "disappeared" logical drive or partition with the file system was shown as unformatted, "lost" individual files or directories when trying to open this file, was reporting an error.
Or maybe you just accidentally deleted important files or formatted the partition with the desired data and put it on the operating system. Error in choosing the hard drive when you create a partition table is also quite common cause of data loss.
Who's to blame?



In the first case, these troubles were due to errors in the partition table or file system structures. This can happen, for example, after an unclean shutdown device malfunctions of hardware and software or as a result of viruses. Also, one of the most common causes of such errors is the partial failure of the disc - the emergence of "bad-sectors." Unfortunately, this phenomenon is not uncommon even for new hard drives are operated within a few weeks or even days.
Who is to blame in the event of loss of information due to user error, you may have guessed:)
What should I do?
If an entry in the sector containing the files had been made, the data is physically still in their seats, but lost or distorted information about their location. We thus need to determine exactly where the sector containing the required information, and consider them in the correct sequence.
When the record on the disc, such as formatting and then install the operating system, the likelihood of physical destruction of the information you need can be quite large. In such situations, the possibility of successful recovery depends on luck and the volume ratio of the lost and the recorded information. For example, if you accidentally delete a 1GB accounting bases and then recorded on the same logical partition 70Gb interesting films, the probability of recovery at least something close to zero.
It is also worth to note that the loss of data due to errors in the file system, run a program like ScanDisk significantly reduces the likelihood of successful recovery. The main objective of these utilities - bringing order to the service file system structures, which they do, not caring about the fate of user data. At the same time destroyed the "tracks" on which to reconstruct the file system structure to damage and save the data. The fact that you can do if skandisk yet been launched, writes the article "Restoring data from chk-file."
In general, a data recovery program first scans the entire drive. On scan results, based on the detected service records compiled map of the fragments of the files in a directory tree is constructed. The card contains information about which cluster to which the file belongs, size, name and other attributes of the elements of the scanned file system - all that was found on the basis of the remnants of official information. If the resulting scan data is not enough, you are using certain methods of extrapolation. Then the files and folders that you want to restore, selected in accordance with the mapping and transferred to another carrier.
My experience is that most everything that is in principle possible to recover from healthy carrier of information, goes through the following programs. And only in a minority of cases, highly skilled, working at a lower level, is able to recover the information in greater volume.
Before you begin to self-recovery, should take into account the possibility of a physical malfunction. This is especially likely in cases where data were lost for no apparent reason, or if you try to open files error message. Although the program mentioned below are not themselves commit destructive actions (they do not write anything on the partition to which work), further work with a faulty drive without any special equipment can lead to aggravation of the situation until they are completely impossible to restore the data. Therefore, in case of loss of critical information, I highly recommend to consult a specialist.
What to do?
Considerable experience with different programs to recover the data shows that none of them gives the best results in all cases of data loss. They use different algorithms, which have their advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, depending on the nature of the damage on the same file system, better results can show the different utilities.
This fact is well known, so the process of working professionals use a selection of programs from different manufacturers, and in each case used a tool best suited for a particular case. Or use several programs sequentially.
UFS Explorer - the most versatile that I know of software packages for data recovery. Utility completely Russified, including documentation. UFS Explorer Standard Recovery is suitable for professionals, supports data recovery from different types of drives, all popular at the moment of file systems. There are versions for Windows, Linux, BSD, Mac OS. Revision Raise Data Recovery is a set of tools for users who want a one-time recovery "here and now." Functional of each limited support for a specific file system, only work under Windows.
Free data recovery software will save R.saver data from FAT or NTFS. It is designed for users who are not familiar with the device file system and the principles of recovery, so the interface is maximally simplified. Settings are done automatically to start scanning, just press one button. This makes the program less convenient for professionals, but also greatly simplifies its use by ordinary users. Interface and instructions in Russian. No installation required, just download and unpack.
If the algorithms above programs were not optimal for the particular case, I recommend to try R-studio or GetDataBack. In addition, a selection of different tools can be found in the archives of software for data recovery.
How to do?
Almost all manufacturers offer free trial versions of their products. As a rule, their functionality is limited to saving files found by scan. For example, a demo version of UFS Explorer allow you to store files up to 64 KB. Therefore, if a solution of the problem is not suitable software for data recovery, you can download for free, try the demo versions of commercial tools, and get one that will give good results.
Many programs have excellent documentation in Russian and with color pictures, so give here a detailed description of the use will not see the point. For example, an excellent guide for UFS Explorer, available through the button "Manual" in the Control Panel. Step by step instructions for recovering data available on the support pages and UFS Explorer R.saver, there are references to sections of the forum in which to ask questions.
So below I'll describe the overall sequence of actions and features of use are the same for almost all utilities.
1) Install or unpacking the downloaded program. Before proceeding to this action, be sure to plan to execute them on a disk or partition other than the one where information is lost.
2) Start and pre-scan that runs automatically. Tools use different algorithms for this, which is why they have different start time and found lists of file systems. Some programs can immediately show the damaged sections, which are not visible by the operating system, and some do not even show the device that will recover the data. If all you need, display, proceed to the third paragraph. If not, read on about the possible options:
The device is listed, but the required partition can not be found:
If such a functional program is supported, you can use the advanced version of the initial scan. For example, the UFS Explorer for this purpose is the "Find the section".
Run a scan across the device at once. Some programs, such as R-studio, allow this, pointing to the possible results of scanning the topics with suggestive file structures.
To use another program.
The device is not listed, but is determined by the operating system. In Windows, you can verify this by looking at the list of devices PC-> Disk Management. If the drive was connected after the start of the program, restart it, or upgrade your phone. It did not help - try another program.
The device is not determined by the operating system. Check the connection and power supply. If everything is connected correctly and the drive is still in the system is not visible, then most likely, you are faced with a physical malfunction. Consideration of such cases is beyond the scope of this article. Explore other materials or refer to specialists.
3) Setting the scan is usually performed after selecting a drive or partition and pressing the start button, just before the start of the process. Some programs, including R.saver, perform pre-set automatically. The utility may request:
The boundaries of the scan. If you know in what kind of memory, you should seek the necessary data, then setting these options can save you time. If you do not know - leave the defaults.
The file system type. Some programs are offered to choose one type from the list, while suggesting the best choice, others may propose to exclude from the list of file systems, which the drive can not be sure.
For certain types of file systems, multilingual program may request the assumed encoding. For example, for the Russian language should choose FAT32 cp866.
In addition to these settings, the tools are often asked to choose one or more algorithms to be used in the scanning process. They can be divided into three types, depending on the purpose and features of work:
Recovering deleted files on file system intact. Full scan for most types of file systems in such cases is not required. Used exclusively for the recovery of deleted files. Some programs start it automatically, in the preliminary scan.
Reconstruction of the file system after injury or formatting. The aim - to create a virtual directory tree that reflects the contents of the scanned file system in its original state, without damages. If successful there, you can save the required data to another partition.
Recovering data over a signature, so-called "draft" recovery or «raw recovery». Signature - a characteristic sequence of characters that I can understand that found a piece of data belongs to a certain type of file. Used in cases where other methods have not helped. The result of the application files will be without names, sorted into folders depending on the type of data contained in them.
Each type of storage media, file system and features of operation, list their criteria for selection of the optimal method of recovery. For example, despite the fact that the restoration of the signatures is recommended as a last resort, one of the most common causes of data loss, you can start right away and get excellent results. This case - accidental deletion, formatting, or damage to the structure of FAT flash camera. File names and folder structure in such cases is not important. In addition, photographs are usually written in sequence on a blank flash drive, so the data of each file are stored together in a single chain. This creates ideal conditions for the use of "rough" of recovery.
4) Scan could take anywhere from several minutes to several hours or more depending on the characteristics of the drive way of his connection to a computer and the algorithms used. After completion of the utility will display the contents of the virtual directory with the files found.
5) Study of the scan, the selection of files to save. In many programs to assess the status of files found has a function to preview. Mark the files or highlight. If during the inspection of the required data could not be found, it's time to take advantage of the restoration of the signatures, if you have not already done.
6) Saving files - in fact it is self recovery, because the process of scanning program simply identifies the location of the fragments (see What to do?). Push the button on the toolbar or select the section in the dropdown menu. Then choose a location to save. Make sure the folder in which to store the result, there is a partition or media other than the one that was scanned. Then click the confirmation and meditate, watching the revival of the precious data.
Before closing the program, make sure that the correct restore all that is required, or save the scan result. Otherwise, if you find that you need something else, have to scan again. This may worsen the outcome in those cases where the surface of the hard drive starts to fail.
7) Error reading "freeze" programs while scanning the hard drive or save the results may indicate the presence of unreadable sectors. It is probable data loss was caused by their appearance. The more, the slower the process will go. To test the hypothesis, we can use HDDScan.
In such cases it is recommended to remove by-sector copy of the serviceable drive and recover data from it. Remember, work like c drive worsens his condition. If you are not sure what you are doing, and important information on the disk - it is better to consult a specialized organization. There to recover data from "showered" drives use hardware and software systems specifically designed for such work.