Probably, many have encountered a situation where the necessary files were deleted randomly or during system failures. Nobody is immune from this. But what to use for quick recovery files? In this regard, it is perfect free program Recuva, which has unique algorithms and capabilities. Let's consider its use in as much detail as possible.
Program for Recuva: main features
The most important thing is that this is not just an application allowing from the "Recycle Bin". This program to recover files, it can search for them and perform operations even if it scans problematic or damaged media (hard drives, flash drives, MP3 players, cameras, etc.).
At the same time, not to mention the possibility of restoring some specific content, the application also allows you to perform the so-called reliable deletion of unnecessary objects. The technologies used in it are based on the fact that when a file is deleted from the same "Recycle Bin", in fact, it does not go anywhere. The first character in its name is changed, replaced by a dollar sign ($), as a result of which the standard operating system tools do not see such an object. If the sector in which the file was located was not overwritten, the recovery process will be elementary.
Recuva: how to use the installer?
First you need to install (integrate) the application into the system. The installer uses the standard "Master", which you need to follow the instructions. The program itself is small and does not take up much disk space.
If not produced standard installation, you can use the portable utility of the same name. Both versions have a Russified interface, and do not cause any particular difficulties in use.
Integration into the Windows Recycle Bin menu
If the user has a stationary version of Recuva installed, how to use it will be clear if you look at the "Recycle Bin" menu, called by the right click.
Naturally, you can run the application through the main executable file of the EXE format or click on the program shortcut. However, the call through the "Recycle Bin" looks simpler (of course, provided that the deletion of objects was carried out through it, and not using special keyboard shortcuts like Shift + Del or changing the global settings of the "Recycle Bin" so that the object would not initially fit into it ).
Application Launch Options and File Type Selection
Let's move on to practical application Recuva programs. How to use this utility? Easy peasy. We launch the application in any of the above ways. After that, a welcome window of the "Recovery Wizard" is displayed. In it, press the continue button and proceed to the selection of the desired types of objects.
The convenience is that you can select all files (scanning, however, will take longer), but you can apply only one type (music, video, email messages, archives, office documents, etc.).
Having made a choice, we press the continue button again, after which the Recuva for Windows application prompts you to specify the original location of the deleted files. Here the trick is that the user can use the corresponding string if he does not remember exactly where the necessary objects were originally stored. Again, scanning will be done on all available media, hard drives and logical partitions.
- green - full recovery is possible;
- yellow - there is a possibility of partial recovery;
- red - recovery is not possible.
Data recovery process
This process can take quite a long time, especially if too many objects are selected.
Deleting files with Recuva
Finally, one more feature of the application, which few people know about. The scan results include junk files to be physically removed from the hard drive or any other media.
Let's take a closer look at the Recuva utility. How to use this feature? It's also simple. We tick off the necessary objects, and then right-click to call an additional context menu, in which we use the secure deletion string. All marked objects will be deleted without the possibility of subsequent recovery.
Conclusion
Although many people believe that Recuva data recovery is better than other programs, one can disagree with this. For example, when scanning video files, the application often marks most of the found objects in red, which indicates the impossibility of recovery. No matter what anyone says, a full-length 1.5 GB movie cannot be restored. But there are no problems with short videos.
With other formats, the application works quite tolerably, except that music files can also not always be restored, and some objects that are not included in the list of supported formats are not displayed at all. In general, you can use the program as a free and fast tool. But if you need a professional approach to these processes, it's better to use packages like R-Studio (at least for removable memory cards used in mobile devices).
Recuva - very useful application, with which you can restore files and folders that have been permanently deleted.
If you accidentally formatted your flash drive, or if you need deleted files after emptying the trash, do not despair - Recuva will help you return everything to its place. The program has high functionality and convenience in finding missing data. Let's see how to use this program.
1. The first step is to go to the developer's website and download the program. You can choose between free and commercial versions. To recover data from a flash drive, it will be enough free.
2. Install the program, following the prompts of the installer.
3. Open the program and start using it.
How to recover deleted files with Recuva
When launched, Recuva gives the user the opportunity to configure the search parameters for the desired data.
1. In the first window, select the type of data, it is also the format - images, video, music, archives, Email, Word documents and Excel or files of all types at once. Click on "Next"
2. In the next window, the choice of the location of the files is set - on a memory card or other removable media, in documents, recycle bin, or a specific location on the disk. If you don't know where to look for the file, select "I'm not sure" ("I don't know").
3. Now Recuva is ready to search. Before starting it, you can activate the advanced search function, but this will take longer. It is recommended to use this function in cases where the search did not return any results. We press "Start".
4. Before us is a list of found data. A green circle next to the name means that the file is ready for recovery, yellow - that the file is damaged, red - the file cannot be restored. Put a checkmark next to the desired file and click "Recover".
5. Select a folder on your hard drive where you want to save the data.
Flash drives are actively used to transfer information, despite the development of "cloud" storage. Solid-state external drives can transfer a large amount of information, and they are highly reliable. But there is a problem in which the information from the flash drive disappeared, and it was in a single copy. This situation is unpleasant, but not critical, and we will consider an effective option on how to recover data from a flash drive using the Recuva program.
Why did files disappear from the flash drive?
Files on a flash drive can be stored for years, even with active use of the drive. Unlike hard drive(internal or external), a flash drive is an accessory that does not have rotating elements. Data is written to sections of the solid state drive, and it can only be deleted programmatically. The chances that the flash drive will fail mechanically are minimal, but due to software errors, viruses, and inaccurate user actions, files may disappear.
Most often, data from a flash drive needs to be recovered after:
- The computer was affected by a virus. Basically, viruses do not delete data from a flash drive, but only hide it. That is why, before proceeding with information recovery, we advise you to make sure that the necessary files on the flash drive are not among the hidden materials.
- or deleting data in the trash. The user can independently intentionally or accidentally delete data from the USB flash drive. Well, if the information was deleted on the computer on which it needs to be restored, then it is likely that it was saved in the Recycle Bin. Recovering data from a flash drive on another computer causes much more problems, then you can’t do without the use of third-party utilities.
- The flash drive was removed from the computer incorrectly. In operating rooms Windows systems, Linux and Mac OS knowingly provided the opportunity safe extraction external drives. If you pull out a flash drive without first stopping all the processors on it, some of the files may be damaged.
Remember: Before recovering data from a flash drive using third party programs, check the availability of the necessary information in the "Trash" of the computer and among hidden files on the drive.
If the files from the flash drive are gone and you can’t get them back, you should not be upset. Exist special programs to recover data from a flash drive, and we will talk about the most popular and effective of them - Recuva.
Data recovery software - Recuva
The Recuva program was developed by specialists from England, who set out to create a high-quality, fast and intuitive application for recovering information on external and internal computer drives. For home use, the program is free, and you can download it from the official website of the developers, which allows you to avoid getting viruses on your computer.
Recuva works on any operating systems(when installing the appropriate version). It performs well with file storages that are formatted for NTFS, FAT 32, Apple HFS+, Linux ExtFS, and other formats. The utility works not only with flash drives, but also with hard drives or SD cards of any form factor. Due to this, Recuva can be called universal program for data recovery, which any advanced user should be able to work with.
How to recover data from a flash drive using Recuva?
You can download the Recuva program to your computer and install it without any extra instructions. We recommend going to the official website of the developers and downloading from there free version utilities. Below is an instruction on how to use Recuva to recover data from a flash drive, but it can be applied to other drives as well.
The duration of scanning a flash drive with Recuva depends on:
- Data transfer rates from computer to drive;
- The amount of information on the flash drive and the total volume of the drive;
- Busy computer tasks.
Useful information about the scan (including the time until it ends) Recuva displays on the screen.
That's all, it remains to go to the selected folder, and it will contain the files recovered by the Recuva program. It is worth noting that the application can also be used for a number of other tasks, including recovering information from .
If you managed to recover data from a flash drive or not, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with several important points in the future that must be observed so that the process of recovering information is easier:
- Never install on the drive from which the recovery will take place the data used for the recovery process of the application;
- If you have lost files on a flash drive or hard drive and need to recover them, do not save anything to this drive until the files are returned;
- Programs for recovering data from a flash drive do not work miracles - they check the partition on the disk or flash drive that is marked as “writable”. It is these files that can be restored, but detecting them standard means Windows won't work.
Always take care of your data and store backup important documents, photos, videos. We advise you to keep important information not only on a computer external storage, but also on the servers of one of the "cloud" storages.
Description of Recuva
The Rekuva utility was created by the British company Piriform Limited. Its main purpose is to enable users to recover lost data using a simple yet powerful tool.
The program quickly scans any storage media - hard drives, external drives, USB drives, etc., and recovers all types of files: audio and video, office and electronic documents, RAW digital photographs.
Working in file systems FAT and NTFS, the utility filters files by type, size, dates and names. Recuva restores deleted hidden and system files, as well as files with zero size, regardless of the period of their deletion. Using the preview, the user himself determines the need for the file, using additional options selects the information display mode.
With the help of Rekuva, you can both restore lost information and permanently delete files from the disk (no program can restore them!). In turn, the utility is not able to recover data deleted using similar programs.
The program has a multilingual interface, including Russian and Ukrainian languages. The utility is simple, the user does not need special knowledge to work on data recovery.
The software takes up a minimum of disk space: the user can use the utility directly from removable media without installing it.
Recuva installation instructions
Download Recuva for free and get started right away. The installation process is launched by double-clicking the left mouse button. In the window that opens, select the language and confirm "Next".
Step 1. Selecting the interface language
Step 2: Select installation options
We are waiting for the installation of the program to complete, and then click on the "Finish" button.
Step 3: Finishing the installation
When the installation is ready, launch the program with the "Run the program" button. Click "Finish", after that the main window "Master Recuva" opens:
Step 4. First launch of the program
Here we check the boxes next to the types of files that are subject to recovery. We press "Next".
Step 5. Selecting the file type
In the new window, select the location where the wanted files may be located. Click the "Next" button to launch the "Wizard":
Step 6. Specify the location of the files
We give the command "Start".
Step 7Search for Deleted Files
Working with the Recuva program, it is possible to apply not only the quick recovery mode, but also a deep scan. To do this, check the box next to the "Enable in-depth analysis" line (see Fig. "Step 7").
The result of the program will be a complete list of found files. Opposite each position of the list, information about its status and the possibility of recovery is indicated. From the list, select the one you need by setting marks in front of the files:
Step 9. Select files to recover
When the files are selected, click the "Restore" button. In the "Recovery Wizard" window that appears, specify the folder where to save the materials:
Step 10. Specifying the path to save the recovered files
Click "OK".
After the data recovery process is completed, a corresponding message will appear on the screen:
Step 11: Completing the Recovery Process
If you decide to download the Recuva utility, our site will be a great help in this. Download the program right now for free - start the installation by clicking on the big orange button.
The purpose of the Recuva program is to recover deleted files by searching by name or content, recovering information in case of logical damage to the volume.
Distributed for free.
Description and example of working with the Recuva program
The program is not overloaded with features, so it is easier to describe it along with a demonstration of work. Let's assume that there is a flash drive from which files were deleted, while it itself is working. You need to recover deleted files.
We start the program. In the drop-down menu, select our media, in this case it is the H: drive labeled example.
If you need to search by the contents of the file, if you know the key phrase by which you can identify the desired file, then when you click on the black triangle on the right side of the Scan button, select Scan contents in the menu that appears.
We do not need to search by content, so we select Scan files. Scanning for deleted files will start. Depending on the volume of the media, it will take different times. At the end of the search process, its result will be displayed in the main window of the recuva program.
As a result, we see the file names without the first letter (it is replaced by the “_” sign) and the path along which the files were located before they were deleted. When you select a file, its reduced content will be shown in the window on the right if the file format is recognized by the built-in viewer.
Recovery desired files you need to check the boxes next to the ones you need or, if you want to restore everything, then tick the topmost checkbox. Then you need to click the Recover button and choose where to save the information.
Attention! Never save data to the same drive you are restoring it from. Otherwise, the recovered files will be written to the place of the recovered files, which will lead to their irreversible damage.
Even such a small utility as Recuva has its own settings - the Options button. Let's see what's there.
General tab - general settings
- Language - the language of the program interface, there is Russian
- View mode - result output mode: list (by default), tree view (as windows explorer) and preview
- Shows wizard at startup - show the wizard at program startup
- Automatically check for program updates.
Actions tab - actions
- show files found in hidden system directories
- show zero size files
- show safely overwritten files
- deep scan - excluding file system
- scan non-deleted files to recover information from damaged or reformatted partitions
- restore the original folder structure.
Tab - Advanced - parameters from it are available only in the pro version
- add the "search for deleted files" option to the Explorer context menu
- add the "search for deleted files" option to the context menu of the Recycle Bin
- save settings to an ini file.