“I just can't find pictures from a few days ago. I have no idea if the files were deleted by accident or just lost due to other reasons. How to recover deleted pictures from your computer? I am using a Windows 7 Dell laptop. " - James Allen
Have you ever deleted any important photos on your Windows 7/8/10 computer by accident? Do you know how to recover deleted pictures ?
In fact, various reasons will lead to data loss on your computer. The bad news is that most users are not in the habit of backing up files on their computer. They use a computer to back up data.
This post will recommend the best data recovery software so that you can get your lost photos back. You can follow this guide to recover deleted photos with ease.
Why is this happening
If you notice that photos have disappeared from the HDD, this is not always due to their deletion. Data is lost due to:
- Malware has entered the OS;
- System failure;
- Changing HDD partitions;
- Disk damage.
When you delete a file, the entry about it disappears from the file table. Information remains on the disk until new information is written to it. Therefore, do not save new information on the HDD. Don't move files.
Let's take a closer look at how to recover deleted photos on a PC.
When can data be recovered and when can it not?
The easiest to restore are:
- Files and folders deleted by the user past the recycle bin (by pressing Shift + Delete).
- Information corrupted due to a file system failure.
- Files erased by viruses.
- Data in formatted partitions (with the exception of “low-level” formatting, in which all information on the disk is overwritten with zeros).
However, there cannot be a 100% guarantee of success in this matter. The files and folders that have been recently deleted have the greatest chance of survival, that is, the areas of the disk where they were stored were not overwritten. In the latter case, the chances of recovering information after a quick format are as high as possible, since in this case only the table of file allocation in the partition is erased, and the files themselves remain in place.
In the following cases, data recovery is impossible or the probability of this is very low:
- If the disk drive was formatted at a low level (essentially overwritten).
- If the information was deleted using a file shredder application.
- When another information was written on top of the deleted information. For example, if a user accidentally formatted, say, the C drive to reinstall Windows, but only remembered that there were important files on it after installing a new system.
- In case of physical damage to the magnetic layer on which information is stored.
- When files are damaged by encryption viruses, if there is no decryption key or effective decryptor. Searching for a key using the brute force method (brute force search) is, with rare exceptions, ineffective. The reason is that today there are more and more viruses that use strong 128- or 256-bit encryption. It is impossible to find a key for it with the current level of technology (and for 256 bits it is impossible in principle).
In the event of a hardware failure of the drive, if the electronics board has fallen or mechanical parts have failed, the probability of successful data recovery is about 50%. More precisely, it all depends on the type of breakdown and the qualifications of the technician. Unfortunately, it is not possible to recover information from a physically damaged disk using programs. Quite the contrary: attempts to turn on a disk that has broken down are fraught with irretrievable loss of data.
In what cases is it better to do nothing and take the device to a specialized service:
- When the disk is not detected by the computer or periodically disappears (except for the case described below). Moreover, if it does not work at all: when connected, it does not show any signs of “life”, does not spin up, and does not get warm. For testing, an external drive must be connected to the computer like a regular internal one (via a SATA or IDE port, if available), since if only the USB interface fails, the data is usually not damaged.
- When the hard drive has been hit or dropped. In this case, you should not even try to turn it on.
- If, when accessing the disk, messages appear about serious problems with it or the operating system crashes into BSoD (blue screen of death).
- If there is a suspicion that the hard drive housing is leaking. By the way, under no circumstances should you open it yourself. A speck of dust that gets inside can damage the magnetic layer and irreversibly destroy the information on it the first time it is turned on.
- In case of visible defects in the connection interfaces and the disk electronics board.
- If there is a suspicion that liquid has entered the drive housing. This happens when a removable hard drive is placed in a bag next to a wet umbrella.
Data recovery services at service centers are not a cheap pleasure. “Treatment” of the mildest cases costs about half the cost of the drive (this is if the drive itself can be brought back to life without losing data). In difficult situations, the cost is 2 or more than the price of a new disk. It depends on the amount of information and the complexity of the restoration work.
What to do first
Check your cart. Used to temporarily store deleted data. As long as the file is in the Recycle Bin, it can be restored. How to do it? On your desktop go to:
Mark the desired file, right-click, select “Recover”.
How to return deleted photos to PC if they are not in the Recycle Bin. Specialized software will help.
conclusions
You can find a lot of other programs on the Internet with similar functions. At first glance, many utilities are similar, but they are better used to solve different problems. So, for example, if important photos are lost, then it is better to use a specialized tool for image recovery - PhotoDOCTOR, since with it the chances of returning photos are higher. If you often lose other data formats, then you might want to consider not Recuva and PhotoRec, but for the most advanced users and system administrators, R-studio is better suited.
PhotoDOCTOR - quick photo recovery
The program is available at: https://foto-doctor.ru/download.php. To install, click LMB 2 times on the installation file. You can use the program for free for 10 days. The cost of the standard version is 980 rubles.
Peculiarity
The application works with FAT32 and NTFS file systems. You can recover data on a HDD, flash drive, memory card, smartphone, tablet, camera.
How to use
Open the program window, click “Next”.
Select the drive from which the photos were deleted.
Set the file extension and size. Click "Scan".
After the scan is completed, the found files will be displayed. Select the ones you need and click “Restore”.
Select a recovery option.
Save the selected files to your PC or transfer via FTP.
PhotoRec
Despite the name, this program copes not only with photo recovery, but also with the “resurrection” of files of other formats . It uses completely different operating algorithms than other utilities, and the results can be called quite decent. Initially, the program was presented only in a command line interface, but with the advent of a regular graphical interface, the popularity of the utility increased.
This program does not use file system analysis , which allows us to talk about a lot of features of the program. It can recover files of about 225 different formats, and is capable of saving some data that other programs, due to different algorithms, simply do not see. Even completely deleting the file system cannot worsen the result, but the utility does not distinguish “garbage” well from important data, so among all that it will restore, you will still need to find what is really necessary. If the file was fragmented, then this program will be powerless. Thus, the program is used in cases where the file system is deleted or damaged, and at least something needs to be restored.
Recovering deleted photos on PC using Recuva
The program is free. Recovers lost data from HDD, flash drive, memory card. If you don’t want to install additional software on your PC, use the portable version. The application interface is simple. Even a novice user can figure it out.
How to use
Download the utility from https://recuva.su/. Open the program and the recovery wizard will launch. Select:
Specify a directory to save the found files.
Click "Get Started."
Scanning time depends on the size of the HDD and the power of the PC.
Select the desired photos, click “Recover”.
Under the same conditions, the program spent 4 minutes longer searching than PhotoDOCTOR. I found 200 more files.
R-studio
One of the most powerful tools for recovering deleted files. This is a professional program, distributed for a fee, and costs a lot : from $50 to $900 depending on the version. The program copes with the recovery of various kinds of files from a hard drive, memory cards, flash drives, disks; it restores damaged hard drives and reformatted partitions. Supports work with Windows, Linux and Mac OS, there is a portable version. Even a formatted disk is not a hindrance to this program.
The interface of this utility is more complex than in all the options described above, but it also has many more functions. It will not be easy for an ordinary user to understand the program - this is software for professionals. This tool is, of course, suitable for photo recovery, but if you only recover photos, then pay attention to simpler and cheaper options.
Disk Drill
The program works quickly. Recovers data from different media. The developers have added the ability to perform a full HDD scan.
Beginning of work
Download the program at: https://www.pandorarecovery.com/ru/. Select:
The search will start. The scan was completed in one minute. Click the "View" button.
Extract the data. Click "Restore". To make your search easier, turn on preview.
Specify the save folder.
What to do if the hard drive is not detected by the computer, freezes or works with errors
This life hack only applies to hard drives that have been in use for at least six months.
On the bottom side of the hard drive electronics board there are contact pads that are connected to the block of magnetic heads (BGM, a device for reading and writing information to the magnetic layer) with a flexible cable that goes inside the hermetic zone (disk case).
Over time, especially if the disk has been used in conditions of high humidity and significant heating, these areas are covered with a non-conducting layer of oxides - they become dull and dark, sometimes to the point of blackness. The oxide layer disrupts the contact between the HDM and the controller, which has an extremely negative impact on the operation of the disk: read/write errors, recognition problems, lags and other unpleasant things occur.
The solution to the problem is very simple: just remove the electronics board (for this you most often need a T6 screwdriver - a six-pointed star), clean the pads until they shine with a school eraser and wipe with alcohol. After such a simple procedure, many drives begin to work like new.
How to properly recover information
- The location where restored objects are saved should never be the same logical partition from which they were read.
- It is better not to postpone the data recovery procedure until later. The fewer disk operations, the higher the chances of success.
- If the program's capabilities allow, create a virtual image of the partition or device on which the objects of interest are located, and restore from it. This will protect you from irretrievable data loss due to accidental overwriting or sudden drive failure.
- If you are restoring from physical media, try to complete everything in one session. Repeated attempts may be less successful.
