You plug in your pen drive and Windows says the device is not formatted, or the folder that held your photos is simply empty. Maybe you deleted files by mistake, or the drive was pulled out mid-copy. Pen Drive Data Recovery Tool is built for exactly that situation: it scans removable media and brings back files you can no longer see.
Quick facts
- Version: 3.0.1.5
- Platform: Windows
- Media supported: pen drive, thumb drive, memory card, compact flash, smart media, USB drive, memory stick
- Trial: a demo version is available to download
Key features
Get back deleted, lost or missing files and folders
The tool restores text, pictures, images, audio and video files from formatted or corrupted removable media. It also undeletes data that was erased by accident.
Recover drives Windows will not recognize
If Windows reports that the device is not formatted or the device type is not found, the software can still try to retrieve what is on the drive. It also covers data lost to virus attacks, power failure, hardware or software malfunction and an unsafe shutdown.
Preview recovered data before saving
After scanning, the recovered files appear in a tree structure so you can look through them. If your partition is not listed, a Search More Partitions button looks for it. A progress bar shows the scan status, and you save the recovered data with the Save button.
Many file types and drive brands
It handles formats such as DOC, RTF, JPEG, JPG, MPG, MPEG, BMP, WMA, MP3, MP4, TIFF and MIDI. Supported brands include Acer, BenQ, Canon, Casio, Fuji Film, HP, Jet Flash, Kingston, Panasonic, Pentax, Ricoh, Samsung, Sony, Vivitar and Yakumo.
Who it's for
Home users, students and business users who have lost important files from a USB stick or memory card and want them back in their original form. The interface is described as highly interactive, and a user guide is included.
Pros and cons
- Pro: works with a wide range of removable media and brands.
- Pro: you can preview recovered files in a tree view.
- Pro: a demo is available to try first.
- Con: Windows only.
- Con: it is aimed at older Windows versions, so check compatibility on a current PC with the demo.
FAQs
Can it recover files from a formatted drive?
Yes. It is designed to restore data from formatted or corrupted removable media.
What if Windows says the device is not formatted?
The software is meant to recover data even when Windows shows errors such as device not formatted or device type not found.
Which kinds of devices does it read?
Pen drives, thumb drives, memory cards, compact flash media, smart media, USB drives, memory sticks and zip drives.
Can I check what it finds before I commit?
Yes. You can preview the scan results in a tree view, and a demo version is available.
System requirements
- 128MB RAM
- 20MB disk space for installation
- Windows, including Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, 2003, XP and Vista