It's easy enough to accidentally delete files from your computer. But it can be problematic to restore them. Especially if you don't know where to start. Below you will find a selection of programs for recovering deleted files for Windows. You can safely use any of them to recover lost data.
It is best to keep one of these programs installed on your computer so that, if necessary, you can simply launch and recover lost files without any problems. This is extremely important, since the success of the procedure depends on the number of file operations (writes to disk) that occurred after the files were deleted.
06/20/2016, Anton Maksimov
There is a great variety of different programs on the web. Every day, users install and uninstall various programs. In some cases, for a variety of reasons, a system crash occurs, and some data can easily disappear. The most important data on our computers are documents, photos, audio and video archives. To prevent yourself from losing important data, it is highly recommended to make regular backups. Well, if it so happened that the data is lost, but there is no backup, then Recuva comes to the rescue. It is a freeware program for easily recovering deleted files (be it as a result of a crash or mistakenly deleted by the user).
12/26/2014, Anton Maksimov
A lot has been said about creating backups, but still the situations are different. Sometimes a disk may fail, or it will be accidentally formatted, forgetting to write off important data from it. As a result, recovery is urgently needed. In this case, the Hetman Partition Recovery software package comes to the rescue.
According to the developers, this product will help to recover data from hard drives, USB drives and even memory cards as a result of accidental deletion, formatting, deleting "past the Trash" via Shift + Del, virus blocking, system failure or damage to the media.
02/27/2012, Marcel Ilyasov
Undelete 360 is a file recovery software. Undelete 360 is completely free (for home use) and has a high-quality translation into Russian. To scan and recover data, unlike any other similar programs, the application uses a more efficient search algorithm, which can significantly reduce the time spent on preliminary scanning of hard drives. The application can work with flash drives, memory cards, CD \ DVD, ZIP, external HDD, etc.
02/10/2012, Marcel Ilyasov
Information is value, and losing that value is very, very unpleasant. And in some cases, the information is so valuable that its cost can reach tens, hundreds and even millions of rubles / dollars. The hard drives, flash cards and memory cards that store our data allow us to achieve a very high degree of storage reliability, but they can also fail. In addition to device failures, human absent-mindedness also leads to information loss - any user can easily "by inertia" delete important documents, and only then realize that he did something wrong. In any of the options, there is a chance to recover information. In the event that this is not a hardware failure, then you can try to carry out recovery yourself using specialized utilities. One of the tools to resurrect files from media is EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free.
Greetings, dear readers. In this article, we will talk with you about how to recover data from a USB flash drive on your own and absolutely free!
As a rule, it is not uncommon for users to lose very important information that they had either on a USB flash drive or on a hard drive! Most of this can be due to misuse or virus infection.
Important: always remove your USB device by safely removing it - this measure is necessary for the correct operation of your media!
In addition, it is not uncommon for a flash drive to work for a long time, after which a window suddenly pops up that requires you to format it before you start using it, it is highly discouraged to do this, as there is a risk that the files cannot be restored.
If suddenly you formatted your media, it is advisable not to save files on it, this is due to the fact that you risk losing important information, since when we delete a file we do not delete the file itself, but only delete the record about it from the file system, thus if you copy a new file, it will overwrite the old one!
I think that's enough for you to write about theory, let's go directly to practice, namely, to an overview of the program that performs data recovery from a flash drive. The program is called GetDataBack for FAT, you can download it by following this link
Installing GetDataBack for FAT
After you have downloaded the installation file to your computer, run it and in the installation wizard, click “ Further»
In the next window, you will need to specify the path where the program will be installed, I recommend leaving it by default and clicking " Further»
Choose a location to save shortcuts on your computer after installation and click " Install»
After all the necessary components are installed, click " Further»
Well, at the end of the installation, click " Ready»
Recovering deleted files
After the first launch, the program will require you to make the initial settings, in the welcome window, leave everything unchanged and click " Further»
After scanning the disks, you will see a working interface in which you will need to specify the item for recovery, as an example I will use a simple USB flash drive on which the pictures will initially be located, and, accordingly, to make sure as a result, I will first delete the photos that are on it is stored!
Now my flash drive is clean and there are no photos on it:
We return to the recently installed program and make the necessary settings for a successful recovery as follows:
In the top menu, select the item " Settings"And put the checkboxes as shown in the picture and click" OK»
In the left menu, select the recovery sector, in my example it is better to select sector 2 since it uses a larger number of clusters, I advise you to focus on this setting.
After the sector is selected, click " Further»
As you know, external storage is a portable and easy-to-use device. With it, you can transfer files wherever you go, and you don't need to worry about the workload of your computer. However, each coin has two sides, which means that data loss is inevitable in some cases.
A damaged USB flash drive is one of the most common problems faced by Windows users. In this situation, you need to format it to work properly. If you have important files, you will have to use other methods. Fortunately, we can offer you several ways to solve the problem.
There are quite a few reasons for damage to a storage device.
Below is a list of the main ones:
- Virus infection (contributes to hiding files and folders, turning them into shortcuts or losing access to an external drive).
- Disconnect the device from the computer without ejecting or ejecting in safe mode.
- Resetting external storage.
- Accidental deletion of some system files (leads to the fact that the flash drive becomes unreadable).
- The device is not recognized by the computer for an unknown reason.
One of the reasons for the malfunction of the flash drive is a virus infection
However, if the error has already occurred, we will show you how to fix a damaged drive without formatting.
How to fix USB flash drive without data loss using command line
The command line is the simplest and most affordable repair option without the need for formatting. This built-in Windows tool also allows you to fix a damaged SD card. Let's see how it works.
This operation will force Windows to check and fix the file system on the flash drive. If the recovery process goes well, then in the program window you will see "Windows has made corrections to the file system." This indicates that the damaged USB drive has been successfully repaired and can be accessed again.
How to fix a USB flash drive using a recovery tool
If the above method doesn't work then follow these steps:
Video - How to restore a USB flash drive using standard Windows tools
How to fix a damaged USB drive with EaseUS USB Repair Tool
If all above solutions did not help, then try using EaseUS file recovery software. However, with its help, you can access files, but not fix the USB flash drive itself. You will have to format it to reuse it. The program recovers USB data in almost all cases of loss of access.
Important! Unfortunately, it is paid because the trial version only allows you to scan the drive and identify files that can be recovered.
If you are not ready to pay, then in any case, a check will not hurt:
Recovering a USB flash drive before formatting using iBoysoft Data Recovery
iBoysoft Data Recovery is a safe and easy-to-use data recovery software. It helps to get them back from both a faulty USB drive, SD card, hard drive, memory card, etc.
Important! In addition, iBoysoft Data Recovery can reanimate files written on a faulty Raw disk, as well as those saved on a deleted or lost partition.
To recover important data, follow three simple steps:
After copying files from a damaged flash drive, you can format it and use it again.
If all else fails, then try these simple tricks:
- to find and destroy all possible viruses on the flash drive, run an anti-virus scan;
- restart your computer and see if it can read the device;
- connect it to a different operating system or USB port.
The following useful tricks can help you avoid the aforementioned problems:
- set a password. Despite all the advantages of a USB drive in terms of storing and transferring data between computers, it can still be accessed by unauthorized users. Therefore, to keep your personal or business files safe at all times, encrypt the USB flash drive. At least no one will be able to view and edit your data without a password;
- store your portable OS. If the computer crashed and does not boot in the usual way, then a USB flash drive with a portable OS installed will help temporarily load it and find a solution to the problem;
- save the required programs. Not all computers you use have the software you want. Therefore, save them to a USB flash drive and freely install anytime, anywhere.
Video - How to recover a USB flash drive without formatting using the program
Today, flash drives are used by millions of people. Indeed, on such a storage medium, you can store any files - films, photos, documents, music, and more. etc. In addition, flash drives are installed in a variety of devices - tablets, cameras, smartphones (both on Android and Windows), etc., expanding the memory capacity of such gadgets. Naturally, the user periodically erases unnecessary information from the card. At the same time, sometimes important information is accidentally deleted. What to do in such a situation? Is it possible to somehow recover deleted files from a USB flash drive? Let's take a look at this.
So, files disappeared from the flash drive of the phone, camera or any other device. Either you deleted them yourself, but now you realized that in vain and you need them. What to do? Remember, first of all you need:
- Do not write anything else to the USB flash drive. This will prevent you from recovering deleted files from the memory card.
- Don't create new folders. Otherwise, the information cannot be returned without losing any data.
- Don't delete anything else.
The less manipulations with a flash drive, the easier it is to recover data later. How can this be explained? In fact, deleting a file from a memory card does not immediately delete it. Here's a pun. Only the record about it is deleted. But for the system, this means one thing - in the future, when the user starts writing new files, they can be located in the place where the old and deleted ones were stored. By the way, therefore, copying or moving the same movie takes tens of seconds, or even a couple of minutes, while its deletion is carried out instantly.
So now you know where the data is deleted from the flash drive. They are just overwritten. Well, when deleting, the space in the file table is simply marked as free.
In addition, before you start recovering deleted files from a flash drive, we recommend that you check it with antivirus software. Any malicious program can easily "hide" information from the user. It will not hurt to see the hidden files of the memory card. For this:
For reference! Some viruses delete files from a USB flash drive so that they can no longer be recovered. The fact is that such malicious programs also overwrite files, and not just erase the information on the media.
When can deleted files be recovered and when not?
We figured out what needs to be done first, and what cannot be done in any case. Now let's talk about the chances of successfully recovering files deleted from a memory card.
Let's be honest, they are small. It is much easier and more efficient to recover data from stationary drives - that is, hard drives of PCs and laptops. From flash drives (whether it's an SD card or USB drive) - it's more difficult. The fact is that erased files are often overwritten on them. And rewriting, in fact, puts an end to all attempts to return information.
So the chances of recovery are minimal if:
- The flash drive itself is faulty. For example, it cannot be read on different devices, or it is recognized as an unknown device. The failure of the carrier can also be expressed in the fact that instead of GB of memory, the system sees only a few KB. In any case, it is almost impossible to recover a deleted folder or just one small file from a faulty flash drive.
- The files were removed using what are called "shredders". The most popular of these is File Shredder.
- The flash drive has been overwritten. Or it has undergone low-level formatting. After all, with such a procedure, all data is destroyed. Even the partition table is deleted.
At the same time, you can recover deleted files from a flash drive (in whole or in part) if:
- The flash drive was formatted using OS tools.
- The user has manually deleted the data.
- The information became inaccessible after a virus attack (but not all, because some Trojans are capable of overwriting files).
- The data disappeared after trying to partition the USB flash drive.
- The file system of the drive has failed (the flash drive is not recognized by the device or is recognized, but it is impossible to write something to it).
What programs are the best for recovering data from flash drives?
There are a variety of programs for recovering files deleted from flash drives. And both free and paid. We have tried a dozen of these utilities. They all have pros and cons. But, in our opinion, the most effective and convenient are:
- DMDE;
- saver;
- PhotoRec;
- Wise Data Recovery;
- Disk Drill;
- Recuva.
Here's how to use some of these utilities.
You can download the program here http://dmde.ru/download.html. Moreover, there are versions for different OS. So choose your installer carefully before downloading. As soon as you download the archive, open it and run DMDE. You don't need to install anything. What to do next?
The only caveat is that the free version of the program does not allow restoring an entire folder. An error will come out. Therefore, you will either have to buy a program, or restore everything one file at a time.
Quite a popular file recovery program. Its developers are the authors of other well-known software that we often use. For example, CCleaner, Speccy, etc. Recuva are no more difficult to manage than these utilities. In addition, it is completely Russified.
At the same time, Recuva allows you to easily and quickly recover files from any flash drives (including micro SD) and hard drives. Below is a small instruction in which we will tell you how to use the program:
Helpful information
- If with the help of some program does not work, then do not despair. Try using some other utility.
- Remember, it’s easier to prevent a problem than to spend time and energy on solving it. Therefore, make a backup copy of the data from the flash drive.
- By the way, you can recover files from memory cards that were deleted a year, two, or even several years ago. Time does not matter. The main thing is the very fact of rewriting. If no new data was written "over" the old, then you can try to return it. And, most likely, successfully.
Important documents, backups, passwords, work and personal files are stored on different media. Most often, we use flash drives to store information that should always be at hand. If the flash drive malfunctions and the files cannot be extracted, you need to resort to data recovery.
Recovering data on a USB flash drive
Before answering the question of how to recover data on a flash drive, let's figure out the possible causes of breakdowns and data loss.
- System error. If the lack of access to files on the flash drive is associated with a system error, then restarting the computer may be enough to restore the device's functionality.
- Hardware problem. Loss of access to files can be caused by damaged contact between the connector on the computer and the USB controller. To check the flash drive, just connect it to another device (laptop, tablet, phone) and check the quality of the connection. Any device with a USB output is required to test the computer connector.
- Mechanical defects. Malfunctions in the operation of the flash drive may occur due to mechanical damage to the controller. This item contains important microcircuits. A breakdown of one contact can lead to loss of access to the contents of the drive. Recovering data from a flash drive will require repairing a USB device, which can be quite expensive.
- Data structure violation. In this case, system information about the data stored on the flash drive is damaged (cluster size, file names, data size, directory structure, etc.). This problem is solved through the use of special software. Data recovery requires software. Some of them will be discussed below.
4 programs to recover data from a flash drive
Violation of the data structure is the most common reason for losing access to information on a flash drive. Through special programs, you can access files directly, without directly accessing the memory of the USB device.
Undelete 360
This program is suitable for recovering deleted data. After launching Undelete 360, it proceeds to scan for available disks and files and displays the information found in the form of a list. You can selectively recover data. You can use the Hex tab to view information about individual files.
Unfortunately, the program is useless to use on a formatted flash drive. When scanning such a disk, Undelete 360 cannot find the data, so the result will be zero.
The program for recovering files from a flash drive is suitable for experienced and novice users. At the initial start-up, the configuration wizard mode is displayed. The main functions are available here - defining the file type, media type, disk partition.
To recover data, you need to start scanning. Based on the results of the Recuva scan, you will be presented with a list of files available for recovery. Clicking on any of them provides additional information.
It is presented in several editions, which allows you to recover data of various quality levels. So, the standard version allows you to work with information stored in FAT / NTFS partitions, and the pro version can be used to work with RAID and HFS systems.
After starting, you can choose the option to recover information - all files or individual documents. The program will scan directories and find the required data. The default scanning process affects the work with images, documents, music, photos.
Scanning can be stopped at any time if the file you need is found by the program. For more convenient work with files, you can filter information by various parameters. The program is free. As for the efficiency of data recovery, it is quite high.
This program is suitable for recovering data from both a flash drive and a card. You can get back deleted images and videos, other multimedia files of popular formats. The trial version is provided free of charge and is sufficient for file recovery.
CardRecovery's intuitive interface makes data recovery easier. Before scanning, you will need to specify the drive to which you want to save the recovered information. Without stopping the scanning process, it is difficult to find specific files because the data is displayed in a single list. The program is well suited for photo and video recovery.
