Before you waste an evening running another scan, take just a couple of minutes to run through this recovery map. We have found that Disk Drill offers a robust scan engine, but similar to every other scanner, what you get from it depends entirely on what happened to your data and where the files lived. Below you’ll find the true capabilities chart for each type of scenario from our lab with no software to sell you.
Disk Drill can recover deleted or reformatted files from working externals, cards and sticks. However, the program has no capability to recover files from TRIMmed SSDs, un-detected drives and clicking mechanics, regardless of what the manufacturer implies.
Deleted files on healthy media. Recovery works with externals, SD cards, USB sticks, and secondary hard drives; when a file is deleted, it is removed from the index but still exists on the disk. Disk Drill reads beyond the index and will display previews for your recovered photo and document files without charging a fee. Quick-formatted media follows the same physics: the format rewrote the index, but the carving engine does not need it. Vanished partitions on disks that still function can also be recovered: the scan finds the original partition structure and the files in those partitions. In all three cases, there are free previews (as well as 500MB of actual recovery on Windows) so you have an idea of whether your data can be recovered before you purchase a licence.
TRIMmed internal SSDs. If you delete an item from a modern laptop’s onboard SSD, the OS will send instructions to the SSD telling it to remove that information block instantly. When Disk Drill scans for ghosts, everything listed as being there has been completely removed from the physical area (i.e., the ghost is gone). Thus, the only other places to look would be recycle bin(s), cloud bin(s), and backup(s). Drives the computer can’t see. Once a drive is no longer recognised in the Disk Management or the BIOS, nothing including the software can access it because, essentially, there is no communication happening: either the controller failed or the mechanism seized. Failing hardware that’s still visible. This is the most hazardous place in the world of data recovery. It could be clicking and dropping out or simply failing to appear properly, yet it seems alive enough to encourage scanning, which wastes what little time remains on attempting to find something versus recovering it. These last two walls are where the bench comes in. We restore enough readability to get images created and recoveries accomplished from these copies. This is how we recover our customers’ lost data through our hard drive and SSD recovery services.
Are you considering alternatives too? Our free-software guide lists our preferred choices, and our Mac shortlist provides you with specific alternatives for each of Apple’s unique walls.
It depends upon what you are trying to optimise. PhotoRec is totally free and does not have any limitations, and will carve just as deep as Disk Drill will, however, due to its terminal-based interface and lack of naming in its output files, it may cause discomfort. Disk Drill charges beyond their free allotment, but also includes previewing files, preserving folder structure where possible, and holding your hand. Technically confident and broke: use PhotoRec. Stressed at midnight with a licence budget: use Disk Drill. Underneath it all, it is the same physics.
No, unless the hardware is malfunctioning, provided two rules are followed: a. The application is not installed to the device that needs to be recovered. b. Recovered data is not stored to that device’s hard drive. The app is completely safe to run. However, the choice to perform a deep scan of a failing device can make things worse. Running any deep scan (Disk Drill’s included) puts additional stress on the drive for the hours it is running. Additionally, running a full disk scan makes recoverable data smaller.
If you save the files to the original patient (i.e., the failing device), you are essentially covering up any remaining lost files that may still exist. In essence, you are taking the soil from one end of your garden and dumping it at the opposite end. This is known as “the golden rule” of all file recovery. This rule is implemented into Disk Drill through user interface design. Everything that is recovered using Disk Drill must be placed somewhere else.
To improve results when recovering from a failing drive, follow these three steps: a. Save the current scan session (at the end of each scan). This will allow you to choose if you want to purchase a licence, without having to rescan a fragile drive. b. Instead of recovering all files simultaneously, create batches based on folders or file types. Not only will this give you better control over which files you’re rescuing, but it will also put less strain on the original drive. c. When dealing with a failing drive that has potential mechanical issues, take advantage of Disk Drill’s byte-to-byte backup feature. Create an exact replica of the entire failing drive. Then run your scans against the copy of the drive (instead of the actual failing drive). The backup option provides a level of isolation and protection from further damaging the failing drive while providing a clean environment for you to run your tests.
Inform the Belfast lab about what occurred, including where those files were located. We’ll provide our honest assessment regarding the likelihood of success using software versus bench repair before you invest money in either method.