You reformatted a drive to fix an error, or reinstalled Windows and picked the wrong partition, and now the folders you needed are gone. Before you assume the files are lost for good, know that deleting or formatting usually only removes the pointers to the data. The content stays on the disk until something else overwrites it. Recover Hard Drive Windows 7 is built to find that data again on a Windows 7 PC.
Quick facts
- Version: 4.0.0.32
- Platforms: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit), Windows Server
- Price: $99.00
- Trial: a free demo version is available
- Requirements: 512 MB RAM, 50 MB free disk space
Key features
Get files back after formatting, reformatting or repartitioning
These are the most common ways people lose a whole drive's contents. The tool scans formatted, reformatted and repartitioned drives and lists what it finds. It also covers loss after an operating system reinstall.
Recover from crashed or non-booting drives
If the drive is crashed or the system won't boot, you can still try to get data back. The vendor describes the software as read-only, so scanning does not write to the disk you are recovering from.
Preview recovered files and find them by name, date or size
You can preview files before saving them. You can also search the recovered results by file name, date, size, creation date or extension, which helps when a scan returns thousands of items.
Work with many drive types and file types
It supports SATA, IDE and SCSI hard drives. The vendor also lists external USB drives, memory cards, SD and xD cards, FireWire drives and iPods. Recoverable types include documents, spreadsheets, photos, audio, video, email archives and zip files. You can add signatures for file types that are not listed.
Handle bad sectors by imaging the disk
For drives with bad sectors, the tool can create a disk image and recover from that. This avoids repeatedly stressing a failing drive.
How recovery works
- Install the demo on a healthy system and choose Recover Drives on the main screen.
- Choose Partition Recovery. The software lists physical drives. Select the one you lost data from.
- Let it scan the drive and its partitions, then view the recovered files.
Who it's for
This suits you if you are a home or small-office Windows 7 user who has lost files to formatting, repartitioning, a reinstall or an emptied Recycle Bin, and you want a wizard-style tool rather than a command-line utility. It is less suited to physically damaged drives that make clicking noises or are not detected at all.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Covers the usual logical loss cases: format, repartition, reinstall, deleted files
- Read-only scanning
- Preview and search of recovered files
- Free demo to check results first
- Works with internal drives and removable media
Cons
- The listed requirements and OS support date from the Windows 7 era, with no mention of newer Windows versions on the Windows 7 page
- At $99.00 it is not cheap for a one-off recovery
- It cannot fix physical hardware failure
FAQs
Can I recover files after formatting a drive?
Yes, as long as the space has not been overwritten. Stop using the drive as soon as you notice the loss.
Should I install it on the affected drive?
No. Install it on a healthy system or another drive so you don't overwrite the data you want to recover.
Which Windows versions does it run on?
Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows Server, in 32-bit and 64-bit editions where listed.
Can I try it first?
Yes. A free demo is available, and you can preview recovered files with it.
System requirements
- RAM: 512 MB
- Free disk space: 50 MB
- OS: Windows XP, Vista, Vista x64, Windows 7 x32 and x64, Windows Server