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re: Data Recovery Software Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 4:23 pm Posted by Steve (47 messages posted) See if this helps: http://www.piriform.com/recuva On Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 3:23 pm, SeaTan wrote: >Does anyone know of any data recovery software that allows me to view my files as >they are when accessed via my operating system (ie. folders for documents, pictures >etc) and not in the order they are written on the disk? I am trying to recover a >formatted disk, but only want to copy the documents and a few other files, but am >having trouble doing this. I dont mind paying for the program either, so it doesnt >have to be a free one. > >Thanks [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Data Recovery Software Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 5:01 pm Posted by SeaTan (21 messages posted) I have tried Recuva, but it doesnt seem to organise the files found in the same folder system as my computer does (ie. User>(Username)>Documents or User>(Username)>Pictures etc, if you understand what I mean. Is there any other program you that you can advise me on? Thanks so much for the help. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Data Recovery Software Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 5:43 pm Posted by Adam Bradley (8787 messages posted) Just recover the files prey they are not corrupted and rearrange them later, you are lucky to be able to get them back post format. On Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 5:01 pm, SeaTan wrote: >I have tried Recuva, but it doesnt seem to organise the files found in the same folder >system as my computer does (ie. User>(Username)>Documents or User>(Username)>Pictures >etc, if you understand what I mean. Is there any other program you that you can advise >me on? Thanks so much for the help. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Data Recovery Software Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 5:57 pm Posted by MartinM (7551 messages posted) The files are not physically stored in the way you file them. It takes Windows to work out how to display them to you, and all the file recovery software I've ever seen (admittedly not all of it !) does not bother. Search away but don't hold your breath. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: Data Recovery Software Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 8:04 pm Posted by C K (6910 messages posted) No software recovery application will do what you want after a format operation has completed. The reason simply is that formatting does not overwrite the files so they can be recovered if they are readable and unless they are corrupted, you will be able to save them, and possibly use them again. Only the file structure (FAT) or "Table Of Contents" as we use to call it (and still do on CD's) are overwritten. To wipe the whole drive of data (zero the drive) would take hours in some cases and is un-necessary just to write new files to. Users don't want to wait for hours let alone 15 minutes for a total reformat and overwriting of the whole HDD or partition/logical drive. I have pro recovery software and some used in forensics. None of them write to the folder structure that the operating systems does, because it's destroyed along with it's backup FAT. You have to filter recovered files with additional software to sort through files, or at least I do because I can customize how I want to organize the files as needed. It's only the recovery program's job to recover. It is then your job to filter them and decide what you will do with them. The program can't do that for you. ;-) Whether they are any good, is also impossible to tell. The programs only give you a statistical probability of successful recovery. No guarantee of whether the file is any good. That would be impossible, as is putting the files back into the proper directory tree view that you saw when the operating system is running... [Reply or follow-up to this message] Tip: Use one of the [Reply or follow-up to this message] links above to add a message to this thread Search this forum Start a new thread on a different subject Report abuse of the forum Return to the Windows Vista Discussion Forum