U Disk Data Recovery

[Idara Viengxay]

When deciding which data recovery software to download and use, first try to determine how difficult the data might be to recover. For example, some dual-disk RAID configurations mean that recovery isn't going to be a simple process. Additionally, free or budget software options may have built-in limitations on how much data or how many files you can actually recover.

The golden rule of data recovery is never to install the data recovery program onto the same drive from which you want to recover data. The reason for this is that your system will see the space occupied by deleted files as available for new data, which means they could be overwritten.

If your utility supports it, you should also consider creating a disk image of the drive which contains your missing data. This allows you to recover your files safely without risking overwriting the missing data on the original disk. Creating a disk image also means you can make it available for download to professional data recovery services.

If you do decide to go it alone, make sure to download the free version of your chosen data recovery utility first. You can usually 'preview' recovered files within the program, so you can decide if it's worth paying for a monthly or annual subscription.

To test for the best data recovery software we first set up an account with the relevant software platform, whether as a download or as an online service. We then tested the service to see how the software could be used for recovering data using a virtual machine running Windows 11, to which we attached three different drives. This allowed us to benchmark various data loss scenarios, such as trying to recover files from a corrupted drive.

The files we chose for recovery are an album of Mozart's Music available from the Internet Archive. We did this as we wanted to see how the utility performed with a wide variety of files, including both common and more obscure formats.

We do not believe that running data recovery tools in a virtual environment has a significant effect on how they function. Still, if you're considering buying software we encourage you to read all reviews thoroughly and make sure that the developer offers a refund policy.

Losing data to hardware or software failure, accidental deletion, or cybercrime is stressful, but today, businesses prevent this by storing their vast quantities of it on servers stored on company premises, or via cloud backup services. Even in their most rudimentary form, backups can be made routinely to a USB stick or to an external hard drive as well.

Still, if you haven't got a backup system in place ('the best time was yesterday, the second best time is now'), there's any number of data backup software and disk cloning software packages that can make the process of data recovery relatively straightforward, as they automate the process of creating a copy (or, ideally, copies) of your data, according to a 3-2-1 data strategy.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is an ideal choice as data recovery software for both Windows and Mac. Powered by AI, it can undelete files from internal or external hard drives, SSDs, memory cards, and formatted USBs. Try it now and get 25% off any license today. Use code TECHRAD25 for your deal.

During all our tests EaseUS ran incredibly quickly. It detected the virtual drives and ran scans in seconds. In our first test, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard lived up to its name, as it was able to retrieve all of the files on the drive which had previously been deleted from the Recycle Bin.

The utility also performed well on our test on a drive which had been formatted after the file had been deleted, recovering 76% of the missing files. We were particularly impressed that EaseUS was able to recover the filenames too.

We also ran a test simulating a damaged drive. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard immediately recognized it as a "lost partition", where we were able to preview all of the deleted files, complete with filenames.

There are various pricing options, from monthly to yearly, or alternatively, a Lifetime upgrades license. Costs start from around $70 a month all the way up to a one-off fee around $150 for lifetime access.

Upgrading to a paid license is expensive on paper, but a one-off lifetime fee could represent great value for money. Plus, just generally, the app's great performance, EaseUS's responsive customer support, and a tidy user interface makes EaseUS' offering a strong contender.

Another important feature of Stellar Data Recovery is its support for all file formats and drives. It is an adaptable provider that will recover data from hard drives (internal and external), memory cards, flash drives, and optical media like CDs and DVDs.

During our tests we found that Stellar was able to recover files that had been deleted from the Recycle Bin without any issue whatsoever. It had less success with drives which had been formatted, only being able to recover around half the files. When we simulated a corrupted hard drive however, Stellar was able to recover 80% of the missing files.

There's a free version available which allows you to recover up to 1GB of data. There's no limit on the number of files you can 'preview' from within Stellar Data Recovery though, so you can check to see which files are recoverable.

For partition recovery, for example, you'll be shelling out around $90 for the Professional tier, while 'photo and video repair features' come with the $100 Premium tier. The $60 Standard tier simply offers unlimited data recovery - the least they could do, for that money.

With a range of features and a choice of free and premium versions, Disk Drill is designed to recover data from hard disk drives, solid-state drives, USB flash drives, SD/CF cards, digital cameras, and even smartphones. Disk Drill's website boasts that any lost data file type can be recovered, from almost any data loss scenario you can think of.

In our first test, the utility was able to find all the deleted files that we'd sent to the Recycle Bin. Our next test was on a drive which had been formatted after the files had been deleted. Disk Drill proved itself equal to the task and was able to produce all of the original files, with filenames intact.

For our final test, we simulated a corrupted/damage drive. Although the drive itself wasn't visible in Windows Explorer, upon launch Disk Drill proudly proclaimed "Woohoo! Lost Partitions Found!". It then recovered all of the files, though the filenames for two of them were missing. Passing with flying colors, then.

Disk Drill's complete collection of features for every imaginable platform and scenario is impressive enough. Its ability to effortlessly mount and read a previously unmountable drive and recover the data from it within a comparatively small timeframe proves that Disk Drill is a recovery tool that you should be considering.

The free version of Disk Drill only allows you to recover up to 500MB of data, which most likely won't cut it. Pricing for the PRO version comes in the form of a one-time license fee rather than monthly or yearly cost, at around $108 for the software with lifetime upgrades which could make it most cost-effective in the long haul for a small business with thinking about costs.

While there are plenty of Data Recovery products on the market, very few are as comprehensive as AnyRecover. The utility is available not just for Windows and Mac but is also designed to recover data from iOS and Android devices.

The second test was performed on a drive which had been formatted after the files were deleted. In that case AnyRecover was able to successfully restore 64% of the missing files, without their filenames.

Our final test simulated a corrupted/damaged drive. AnyRecover didn't see this at first but as soon as we clicked "Couldn't Find Location" from within the utility, the drive appeared and scanning began. AnyRecover was able to restore all but one of the missing files with their filenames.

AnyRecover can be downloaded free of charge from the main website by clicking "Try it Now". You can use the free version to 'Preview' certain file types and recover up to 100MB of data in up to 8 files.

It seems a little bizarre to purchase a one-month plan, in our opinion, and especially at the moment when lifetime access is just $40 more.

If you've missed this offer, don't worry: software companies always pull flash deals and sales out of their hats, and it's always worth checking back sooner rather than later, and waiting for your time to strike. That's good advice for any product on this list, really.

The Professional edition allows you to create disk images as well as recover data from CDs and DVDs, while the Premium edition doesn't just have the ability to clone HDDs and SSDs, but can also repair corrupted photos or videos.

The Technician and Toolkit editions are even more powerful, allowing for lost or reformatted RAID volumes, but also come with commercial licensing for commercial use, working across Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.

Our first test was on a drive where the files had been deleted from the Recycle Bin. Ontrack Easy Recovery was able to restore all of them in seconds, including the filenames. We didn't have much success with the drive which had been formatted after the files were deleted : some system files were recovered but not the ones we'd placed on there.

Our final test was a simulation of a corrupted/damaged drive. In this case Ontrack Easy Recovery's "Can't Find Drive" feature instantly displayed the lost partition. At this stage the utility became unresponsive. This may have been down to a defective data cluster on the drive itself though, so we'd still recommend installing the free version of the utility to try to 'Preview' files on lost partitions.

Crashplan stores absolutely everything. It chugs away in the background and makes full, detailed backups of your entire machine starting with the newest files first. It then sifts everything into virtual buckets so you can get quick access to the files that matter most.

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