Freeware alternatives to recovering data shown by GetBackData

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aviat72

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 19, 2010
Messages
508
There is a hard disk on an old PC which got corrupted when my son hard powered down during a Windows XP Update session.

I installed GetBackData and it was able to see a lot of stuff. I am attaching the screenshot.

Is there some other less expensive/free software I can use to recover the data? While the data is not critical and I probably have some backups somewhere, it will not hurt to have the original stuff back

The second partition seems to have all the data; the third partition is very likely the recovery console which comes with the Dell PCs.


PartitionStructure.png
 
PCInspector is another alternative and it seems to be recovering files. However the one directory I am truly interested in (Documents and Settings) is coming up empty.

GetBackData is showing me all the contents of these files! I could literally open them one by one and save them (it allows that for free).
 
Last edited:
Now creating an image with test-disk. That way at least whatever is readable off the disk will be off the disk.
 
The failed update probably just screwed up windows. I bet if you plug the hard drive into another pc you can just cut and paste what ever you need.

There are a few free options, google works well to find them. Sorry but I don't remember what I used last to recover files.
 
caniba said:
The failed update probably just screwed up windows. I bet if you plug the hard drive into another pc you can just cut and paste what ever you need.

There are a few free options, google works well to find them. Sorry but I don't remember what I used last to recover files.
Click to expand...

It has messed up some parts of the disk. Windows shows nothing. The recovery software shows three partitions. One is a small partition showing as unknown, then the main NTFS partition, and then the Dell recovery partition (Concurrent DOS, CP /M and CTOS)

I am now recovering the data using photorec but it is creating new file names for everything and simply ripping the files into directories without regard to the original directory structure!

The GetBackData got everything in a minute. The PCInspector was getting most of the stuff BUT the Documents and Settings directory was empty!

I do not know whether it was by design since they also sell a data recovery service.
http://www.pcinspector.de/Default.htm?language=1

The stuff being generated by photorec is kind of useless since I might as well open each file in the free GetBackData preview and save it manually.
 
Success. Used testdisk to fix the MBR and then restarted. chkdisk came and fixed a few things and now Windows can read the disk.....
 
Yeah I was gonna suggest something along those lines. With win7 and those kind of problems on a data drive, sometimes just by rebooting win7 will recover the partitions.
 
Kernel for Windows Data Recovery is the most effective and proficient utility that has got the ability to recover and restore the data lost from computer's hard disk or other storage media like PEN drive, ZIP drive, etc.
 
As for free programs, I've had good success with "Recuva"

http://www.piriform.com/recuva

It's lightweight, it's free, and has been able to recover file from different "failure" scenarios. It's creators are also the creators of CCleaner and Defraggler.
 
Hello aviat72,

I had to help a family member with a similar incident.

I used the file recovery software from Auslogics and it did the trick.
It got a free to try version that allows you to use the program with all its features.

Make sure you don't install the software and recover the software to the partition you want to recover!

I think to understand that you created an image of your disk.. good decision! Try to recover from the image and keep your original disk safe.

I made a clone of the disk (to work from) with clonezilla (open source).

Good luck!


Auslogics file recovery software

Clonezilla
 
I love how half the people answering are trying to sell you their stuff, when you ask for a free software !
 
hahaha..

when you look at it like that it almost seems like it, true.

but i don't like buying software either (when there are good free solutions)

the ones i referred to are free open source (clonezilla) and free to try without any limits the first weeks (auslogics).
If you only need to recover files ones this is a good free solution.
 
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