Resources

Without knowing the specifics of your situation, I’m tempted to go with the computer guys and say that unfortunately, your data is probably toast. Does anything happen when you turn on the PC? Are you getting any error messages? Does it hang when it is trying to boot? Is this a laptop or desktop? I’m assuming you have no backup of the data. Unfortunately, a lot of techs say that it is not a question of if your hard drive will fail; it is only a question of when.

If nothing is happening, you really have nothing to lose, so you might as well try a few things before using the hard drive as a doorstop.

Data Recovery Programs

There are a lot of data recovery programs out there, ranging from freeware to some that charge substantially more money. They may or may not work for you, depending on what your computer is actually capable of at the moment. Clicking noises generally indicate a physical or mechanical problem with the drive so using a data recovery tool is a long shot. Two to try are Recoversoft data recovery and SpinRite. Unfortunately, if your computer won’t even boot in Safe Mode, then you can’t get to the Web and use these programs. Plus, mechanical problems don’t lend themselves to this option. In addition, mechanical problems tend to scratch the surface of the drive, severely damaging data as a result.

Hard Drive as Slave

You might want to try using your hard drive as a slave on another master computer. The easiest way to do this is with a hard disk enclosure. You can pick one up for under $25 either on the web or in a computer store. You mount the old hard drive in it and then connect the whole thing via a USB port to a working computer. Many computer stores will do this for you if you bring your old hard drive in and are not comfortable setting this up yourself-I’m not sure if your computer guys tried this or not. You can then run data recovery programs on your hard drive via this working computer.

Just be sure that you are not throwing good money after bad-you might want to see if you can get a second opinion on your computer before you spend any more money. If you’re not confident with the diagnosis, ask around and see if someone near you knows of a reputable tech that might be able to help. Without seeing it in action (or inaction), it’s hard to say if there is anything to salvage or not. However, those clicking sounds are ominous indeed.

In a word, yes. The Paretologic Data Recovery and Data Recovery Pro programs will recover accidentally deleted JPG and WAV files on your computer as well as files from almost any type of media.

When a file is deleted, it is actually the reference to the file in the allocation table that is erased but the actual file is still residing in the hard drive. The Paretologic data recovery tools have the ability to bypass the allocation table and go straight to the hard drive to read the data. Data Recovery Pro will find and retrieve accidentally deleted or lost emails. Both Data Recovery and the Pro version will recover a wide variety of file types including compressed and encrypted files. The programs will recover songs and images from many iPod devices, video cameras, flash drives and other media. All you have to do is hook your device to the computer and the program will detect the accidentally deleted files. You don’t need to know the individual file names - the program will save the deleted files to one selected destination. Both programs have a small foot print and won’t take up a lot of computer space.

However, data that’s had its file allocation reference deleted is vulnerable to being overwritten by new files saved to the drive. Once overwritten, data recovery tools won’t help. There’s a chance that some of your WAV and JPG files may have been overwritten by new data which is why we recommend you run the free scan first (download to a floppy and run it from there so that you don’t overwrite data by downloading the tool).

Data Recovery and Data Recovery Pro are compatible with Windows Vista Service Pack 1 as well as many other operating systems. Using these programs, you can also recover files that have been emptied from your Recycle Bin and recover files and images in the event of a hard drive crash in addition to accidental deletions and reformatting. If you do know the file names, you can search for filenames or for specific words in the text.

Paretologic offers a free download scan of your system that will show you the recoverable files before you buy the program. At a cost of just under $40, the program’s cost is a small price to pay this type of complete recovery of irreplaceable images. Should you have any problems with the recovery programs, Paretologic offers extensive support for each one of their products.

For recovering lost JPG and WAV files, Paretologic’s Data Recovery software is one of the best products available in the market.

Recover Lost Data After Hard Drive Formatting

What Happens to Your Data When You Format

In short, maybe. Several data recovery programs boast that they can recover material after hard drive reformatting, but that isn’t necessarily the end of the story. First of all, when you reformat your system it seems as though all of your programs and files have been deleted when, actually, your computer deletes only the location information that it uses to keep track of your data. So, your data is still on your hard drive, only your computer doesn’t know it’s there, how to find it, or even how to look for it. This is where the recovery programs come in. They are able to look for and locate a lot of lost data.

The Trouble with Data Recovery

The problem will be that, even if a lot of data is returned, it might not be properly named or categorized, and you will have to wade through the entire contents to find the stuff that you want. This could be a massive headache, and you might not want to go down this road if you can avoid it. Since it sounds like you haven’t performed the disk formatting yet, I would have to advise that you create backup copies of your data now, before you wipe your hard drive.

Data Recovery Programs

As far as data recovery programs go, there are some good ones on the market. These programs are generally between $50 and $70 dollars, which I suppose could be seen as another reason to avoid requiring data recovery. Data Recovery programs like ParetoLogic’s Data Recovery Pro work really well on Windows XP and Vista operating systems. Many of these programs allow you to search for files by keywords so make sure that you create an inventory of the files and folders that you hope to recover. Many data recovery programs can find and retrieve deleted emails from a number of email clients and even return email attachments but not all can do so, so if e-mail recovery is important to you, make sure to look for a product with that feature.

Create Backups Before Formatting

If you have any important documents or crucial data such as personal records or family photos, you should save them to a removable device, either a USB flash drive or DVD, before you format the drive. Online backups such as BeinSync are another option.

Even if the data recovery program is able to return your data, you will still have to slog through it to find and reorganize your material. If this step is what you are trying to avoid by formatting without cataloging your data, a data recovery program won’t get you around it.

Recover Files with Data Recovery Pro

About Recovering Deleted Files

You are right to believe that your files are still somewhere on your system. When a disk is formatted it might seem as though the files and folder have been removed but in actuality only the addresses that your computer uses to locate them have been deleted. However, this is only true until the files are overwritten, which means that you must be careful not to download or install anything on your computer that might override the files that you are hoping to recover.

About Paretologic Data Recovery Pro

You can use the Paretologic Data Recovery Pro to recover your lost files and folders. This Data Recovery Program features comprehensive search techniques to restore lost and misplaced files and emails after any number of computer issues including formatting, system restoration and accidental deletion.

Using Data Recovery Pro

Data Recovery Pro features a user-friendly graphic interface that makes the tool and its utilities extremely easy to use. From the link offered above, you can simply select to download the program to your computer. From there, clicking on the green button marked Start Scan will initiate an analysis of your computer system. Data Recovery Pro will return a list of all the recoverable files that it is able to locate on your system. The next, and final step allows you to choose the files that you want to recover, followed by a click of the Recover option to regain your missing data. You will need to register your copy by purchasing the full version in order to initiate the actual recovery.

There is also an Advanced Scan option that gives the user control over which sections of the computer the scan will analyze.

Tips for Using Data Recovery Pro

Data Recovery Pro is a great utility to recover accidentally removed files, folders and emails. Rather than unnecessarily reproducing your work or records, running this tool can restore your data quickly and easily. Before purchasing the Data Recovery Pro program, Filetonic recommends running the free scan, to make sure that the files you are hoping to restore are recoverable. In order to avoid writing the Data Recovery Pro over your missing data, you should download the scan to a device other than your hard drive or the drive you need to recover. Instead save the scan to a USB or DVD to keep the hard drive free of any potential over-writes.

Is it possible to recover Flash memory that has gone missing?

One of the benefits of flash memory is that it is usually easy to use. Unfortunately, the data can still become lost or corrupted. Typically, human error is to blame. Just as fortunately, it is possible to recover missing data from your flash memory.

Flash Memory Data Not Visible

In some instances, the data that an individual has attempted to save to a flash device does not save. This is especially true for those devices that require the device to be ejected properly using the “safely remove hardware” icon. Computers operating with Windows 2000 might display a genuine need for unplugging USB devices in this manner. Flash drives don’t always save the data immediately, but rather, sometimes the data is stored in a “ready to save” mode that might not have been initiated when a computer user ejects the flash drive. Therefore, it is essential that you make sure that your data has been saved and that the device is not still operating when you remove it.

Recovering Flash Memory

Recovering flash memory is easily accomplished using a data recovery application. This type of program is easy to use. I can recommend one such application created by ParetoLogic known as Data Recovery. This application comes with a free scan that you can use to see which flash memory files are recoverable. If you see that the program has discovered the files that you wish to recover, you can purchase a full version of the Data Recovery application. Once you purchase this program, you can use it as many times as you want. Not only will it help you to retrieve flash memory files, but also, it can recover missing data from a number of storage locations or devices. These devices include digital cameras, iPods, external hard drives, internal hard drives, and more.

I would actually like to have a bit more information available such as what application you are trying to load. Read through my suggestions and try the ones that seem as though they might be useful for you.

Run chkdsk

In order to rectify any disk errors, you should run the chkdsk utility. It will check for problems related to lost clusters, cross-linked files, directory errors, and bad sectors. To do so, follow this path: Click Start→ click Run→ Type cmd→ press enter. At the prompt, type in chkdsk volume:/r in order to recover readable information, locate bad sectors, and repair errors.

Repair and Restore the Operating System

When it comes to troubleshooting problems in Vista, repairing and restoring the operating system is important. For detailed instructions on how to do so, refer to the article found at this link: Microsoft936212. This strategy will scan and replace system files.

Recovering Files after a Custom Installation of Vista

When Windows Vista is installed on the computer, it creates a backup or folder of the existing files for recovery. This folder is called “Windows.old” folder. To locate this particular folder, you can click Start→ type “drive:\windows.old” in the search box→ click Windows.old in the programs list.

Missing HDD Recovery Folder: Run a Data Recovery Utility

Whenever files or folders go missing, computer users have the option to use a data recovery utility to relocate them. This is one of the quickest methods to retrieve missing files and folders. One program that I can recommend, having tried it myself is Data Recovery Pro from ParetoLogic. This application quickly locates all recoverable data, files, and folders. You can access a free scan and run it to see if it will locate the missing folder. You can learn more about this application at Data Recovery.

Technical Support

If none of the above measures has been helpful, perhaps you can check into the technical support that is available at Filetonic Support.