File recovery tools

Hi, I have accidentally deleted important digital family photos and I am wondering what my chances of recovering them are, and which tools are best to use for this. If it helps, they were wiped about two weeks ago.

Thanks in advance.

 

Found PhotoRec (freeware) the other day. Have not tried it but it looks promising. Two weeks ago might make it a bit hard though.

 

>> Hi, I have accidentally deleted important digital family photos and I am wondering what my chances of recovering them are, and which tools are best to use for this. If it helps, they were wiped about two weeks ago. << BFLeigh

There are many 'Data Recovery' software options listed here at Major Geeks.

Off hand, I actually only know of two "semi-reliable" freeware recovery utilities that some folks mentioned in various forums that I regularly attend. I actually tested both of them and they were both used with varying success rates; but who knows - they might be worth a look-see...

FreeUndelete 2.0.0543 is a freeware data recovery program for deleted files. In case of accidental deletion of files on a NTFS file system - (used by default in Windows XP, 2000 and NT), FAT32 or FAT16 file systems.

PC Inspector File Recovery 4.0 (freeware made by Convar) works with Windows 95/ 98/ Me/ NT/ 2000/ XP and can "undelete" a lost file from FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS file system format. It can also recover most common files types.

The "Special Recovery Function" of PC Inspector File Recovery supports the following formats: arj .avi .bmp .cdr .doc .dxf .dbf .xls .exe .gif .hlp .html .htm .jpg .lzh .mid .mov .mp3 .pdf .png .rtf .tar .tif .wav .zip. Be sure to read the FAQ section first prior to downloading anything.

Very Important Note: The most important step with any file recovery technique is to avoid using the affected computer; especially the drive that holds the deleted files. There is a good chance the file is still present; however the more you use the computer, the possibility of file recovery decreases.

Additionally, if you decide to use a file-recovery utility, do not install it on the same disk that you're hoping to retrieve the file from, or you might overwrite the data you're trying to recover. You should launch the software from another installed drive or a CD-ROM or a DVD. And if you download it directly from the Internet, don't download it onto the disk from which you deleted the file. Download it onto a CD or DVD, if that's possible.

Good Luck!

 

Thanks chaps, I'll give them a whirl.