Please recommend Data Recovery Software (folder structure required)

Lady Fitzgerald · 27 Feb 2017

RolandJS said:

"...I'm now looking into backup options such as RAID 1..." If I understand RAID 1 a little bit, I do not recommend this; if a viri or malware or worse - ransomeware - hits your computer, both RAID 1 created original and second copies could become lost in an instant. I recommend making weekly, bi-weekly, bi-monthly, u-pick-how-often, using Macrium Reflect or anything similar, full images of your OS and Data partitions onto affordable reliable external media.

I see three of us were posting at the same time :)

What can I say? Small world?

Your advice is dead on. I personally recommend keeping System files (OS, programs, and games) segregated from data files, either on separate drives (that also has the advantage allow to use a smaller, thus less expensive, SSD for the OS and programs, and, maybe, games) or on seaporate partitions (OS, programs, and games on one partition and data on another partition). That allows one to use an imaging program, such as Macrium Reflect Free for backing up the System files and a folder/file syncing program, suchas FreeFileSync, to back up the data.

Muted · 15 May 2019

Just to note: You may not need to bother with 'data recovery' at all.
If the partition table was damaged/modified (namely the latter): You merely need to restore it.

Command prompt:
- DISKPART
- RECOVER

I had a similar problem myself, but that was due to heavy experimentation.

This is, of course, under the assumption that anything was afflicted in the first place.

You could've had some arbitrary piece of software that tagged everything as 'hidden' (file attributes under NTFS) and then modified your Folder Options settings (for explorer.exe) or even just replaced your explorer.exe with a clone (excluding drive XYZ). The possibilities are limitless.

Without more information (practically invading your entire sense of privacy): I cannot offer more ideas.

The alternative (equally harmless) is to use some form of free 'partition data recovery' software.
Professionals ("GeekSquad" for example) do nothing more than run the same programs you can find yourself.

To believe they're using voodoo magic is to insinuate that if you pay a 'professional' to cut your cake: It'll be cut any different than if you were to simply buy your own knife (or craft it yourself!) to cut your own cake.

If you're looking for convenience? Yes. Pay for a professional (another person).
If you're looking for a solution (permanently)? Research. Educate yourself. Learn. Then practice with experimentation!

As previously stated: Data-backup (external hardware that's kept in good condition) is the safest method of all.
You will need to periodically power on the back-up drive (Intel manufacturer's say it's not good to let a magnetic HDD sit idle for long a duration as it affects the magneticness of the hardware) and back-up any sensitive information (or anything you deem important).

The alternative (and more time consuming if not potentially more expensive route) is to use the 'online cloud' server-storage method.