The first thing to realize when dealing with a hard drive recovery situation, is that nothing is guaranteed and that every scenario has its own set of variables which can alter the outcomes. This is the main reason that we offer a completely free demo of our Mac Recovery Software, Data Rescue. The free demo version is actually the full retail version and is just limited on the actual recovery (allowing you to recover 1 file). This is a great option for customers to “try before they buy” and in most cases Data Rescue is able recover their files, even when other Mac Recovery Software has failed.
Data Rescue 4 is designed with the end user in mind; with a simple and intuitive interface you can begin your hard drive recovery with just 5 clicks. Depending on your failure scenario Data Rescue 4 offers several different tools to help you get your files back fast and easy.
If your drive fails to boot or mount you can run a Quick Scan, The Quick Scan is the fastest method that detects existing directory structures even if your volume does not mount. This scan will detect files with their original folder hierarchies and file names. It is recommended to try this scan method first if your volume is detected on the hard drive.
If the data was deleted from the drive you can run a Deleted File Scan, The Deleted Files Scan is a specific scan method that searches only the free space of a volume for any files based on file patterns. Scanning only the free space allows the Deleted Files Scan to specifically detect any files that were deleted.
If the drive was reformatted or had files deleted by a program or your OS then you can run a Deep Scan. The Deep Scan is a comprehensive scan method that provides the most results possible. The Deep Scan is a two part scan method: 1) detects existing directory structures on the hard drive, 2) scan the whole hard drive for any file patterns to rebuild the raw data of any recognized files.
While running any of these scans, and you run into a physical issue with the drive you can use Data Rescue 4 to make an identical copy of your failing drive, then run the recovery scans on that clone. If the original hard drive appears to have hardware problems, it is highly recommended to clone the hard drive first to reduce the use of the source drive while it is still operating. Once the original hard drive is cloned, you may put the original hard drive away for safekeeping and perform the recovery options on the cloned hard drive.
Prosoft offers FREE pre/post technical support via phone or email from our US – California based headquarters.