Updated: May 25, 2017 Home » Desktop Computer Software » Data Recovery and Backup Software
There are 2 types of data recovery method, bootable and non-bootable. Bootable recovery consists of a boot-able operating system, usually Linux. All you have to do is download the Bootable files and burn it to a CD, DVD or USB, restart computer and boot up from the removable storage media and you have an operating system loaded onto your RAM. From there onwards, you perform your data recovery via other software that runs on Linux.
See Also ➤ 3 Free microSD Card, USB Flash Memory and Hard Drive Data Recovery Software
Stellar Phoenix Data Recovery for Apple macOS and Microsoft Windows is a complete solution to recover data from formatted partitions, corrupt hard drives, inaccessible optical media drives, and unbootable systems. With the help of this tool, you can recover data from all FAT, exFAT, and NTFS based volumes. It also helps you recover lost, missing or deleted files & folders from Mac Hard drives and other removable media. You can recover all file types including documents, emails, photo, music and videos after almost all instances of data loss. This comprehensive software restores lost data from volumes that are corrupt, damaged, deleted and even reformatted.
Alternatively, Microsoft has Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE), it is a minimal Win32 operating system with limited services, built on the Windows Vista kernel. You are better off by booting into the much friendlier ‘Safe Mode (F8)’ and run 3rd party software from there to recover un-bootable operating system. TestDisk is the only freeware that repairs and make non-booting hard disks bootable again, you’ll need to run it on a bootable OS.
Remember, if the data is important; always seek professional data recovery service if money is not an issue. The chances of salvaging data from damaged, failed, corrupted, or inaccessible secondary storage media when it cannot be accessed normally is higher from these data recovery center, this is because they have the incentive to recover as much as they can as they charge for every GB of data recovered.
33 Freeware & Software Files On Data Recovery
Works on Linux, Ubuntu, RedHat, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 and Mac OSX
| License | OS | Bootable | Recovers and Rescue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
BackTrack | Free | - | Live CD | Linux and Windows Hard Disk |
BartPE | Free | - | Live CD | Windows Hard Disk |
DiskDigger | Free | Windows | - | USB Memory Cards Hard Drive |
Knoppix | Free | - | Live CD Live USB | Linux and Windows Hard Disk |
SpinRite | Free | - | Live DOS | Linux and Windows Hard Disk |
SystemRescueCD | Free | - | Live CD Live USB | Linux and Windows Hard Disk |
Trinity Rescue Kit | Free | Live CD | Windows Hard Disk | |
WinPE | Free (Included in Windows) | - | Live CD Live USB | Windows Hard Disk |
Ultimate Boot CD | Free | Live CD | Windows Hard Disk | |
CDRoller | Trial | Windows | - | CD / DVD |
EASIS Data Recovery | $88 | Windows | - | USB Memory Cards Hard Drive |
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard | $70 | Windows | - | USB Memory Cards Hard Drive |
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free | Free recovery for the first 1GB of data | Windows | - | USB Memory Cards Hard Drive |
DiskDrill Pro | $90 | Mac | - | USB Memory Cards Hard Drive |
DiskDrill Free | Free, scan only with no recovery option | Mac | - | USB Memory Cards Hard Drive |
dvdisaster | Free | Linux Windows Mac | CD / DVD / Blu-ray | |
FileSalvage | $80 | Mac | - | All medium in Mac OS X - Hard disk, SD, CD, DVD, Flash, iPhone, iPod and more. |
uMacsoft | $85 | Mac | - | Recover all media files - video, audio, photo, Mac Office files, iPod Recovery, Digital Photo Recovery and more. |
GetDataBack | $70 (FAT) $80 (NTFS) | Windows | - | Windows Hard Disk |
ISO Buster | $40 | Windows | - | Floppy, CD, DVD, Hard Drive, USB Stick, Flash Drive, Memory Card, SD or on another type of media or format. |
Norton Utilities | $50 | Windows | - | Windows Hard Disk |
PhotoRec | Free | Linux Windows Mac | - | Video and Photos on CompactFlash, Memory Stick, Secure Digital/SD, SmartMedia, Microdrive, MMC, etc. |
Recover My Files | $70 | Windows | - | External and internal hard disks, in the FAT and the NTFS and HFS file systems |
Recuva | Free | Windows | - | Windows Hard Disk and all storage media |
TestDisk | Free | Linux Windows Mac | - | Recover lost partitions and/or make non-booting disks bootable again. Run TestDisk on a bootable OS from a USB. |
TotalRecovery | $45 | Windows | - | Windows Hard Disk |
TuneUp Utilities | $50 | Windows | - | Windows Hard Disk |
Data Recovery Free | Free | Mac | - | The free edition only can recover external drive |
PC Inspector File Recovery | Free | Windows | - | The "Special Recovery Function" supports the following disk formats: ARJ, AVI, BMP, CDR, DOC, DXF, DBF, XLS, EXE, GIF, HLP, HTML, HTM, JPG, LZH, MID, MOV, MP3, PDF, PNG, RTF, TAR, TIF, WAV, ZIP |
Pandora Recovery | Free | Windows | - | Windows FAT32 or NTFS file system Hard Disk |
TOKIWA DataRecovery | Free | Windows | - | Windows Hard Disk |
FreeUndelete | Free | Windows | - | Windows Hard Disk |
Wise Data Recovery | Free | Windows | - | Windows Hard Disk |
5 Professional Data Recovery Service
- For those with Seagate Hard Disk
- For those with Western Digital Hard Disk (Global, including India)
- For those with Toshiba Hard Disk (Europe)
Tips – Things to Know before Performing the Recovery
- Are data recovery utilities safe to use? Yes and No, it really depends on luck, hardware and configuration. The is a possibility that the software might cause a permanent data loss.
- Can I recover my files (Adobe Photoshop PSD, AutoCAD DWG, Microsoft Office Doc) ? Again, it depends on many factors, if it is physical hardware damage due to a drop or water, sending it to a proper data recovery center is a better option. Using software to recover physically damaged disk will cause even more damage.
Tips – Hard Disk Lifespan
Hard disk has a pretty decent lifespan; also, avoid replacing your internal hard disk with the cheaper external hard disk. The quality of the external disk is not as durable as the one made for internal although they use the same connector. Reason being that external hard disk is meant for occasional access whereas internal hard disk is designed to read and write operating system cache for months and years (servers) nonstop. Portable external hard disk cannot take such abuses. Remember, backup your data on a monthly basis and always go for branded hard disk. Our favorite are Western Digital and Seagate.
Recommended for you:
15 Freeware To Securely Erase All Data From HDD Hard Drive Preventing Recovery 
4 Free CD DVD Data Recovery Software – Repair Scratched or Damaged Disc 
6 Free Compact Flash and SD Memory Card Data Photo Recovery Software 
3 Data Recovery Free Software and Service for Damaged, Dropped and Corrupted Hard Drive
ADRC Data Recovery Tools is another great, free file recovery program.
Seagate Recovery Services can help you get your files back quickly and efficiently
Made by the same folks behind CCleaner, Recuva makes data recovery simple and easy
data recovery software mac free download full version
Easeus Data Recovery Wizard Free Edition recovers deleted files, even if you’ve emptied the Recycling Bin or deleted them directly
Data Recovery for Mac is an easy yet powerful Mac file recovery program
Orange County Data Recovery Service for RAID, Hard Drives, and more. InterData Recovery has industry leading success rates, FREE Evaluations
thanks for the open source data recovery list
Even if you cannot access Windows, there is still a chance you can recover your data
Kroll Ontrack’s forensic data recovery software recovers data from any type of failed media while preserving evidence or metadata for litigation and investigation.
Best NTFS Data Recovery Software and Tool to recover deleted documents
how about the ioSafe SoloPRO Data Recovery Service (DRS)?
Where to Download Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery for Mac?
Buy LaCie Data Recovery Insurance Level 3 features Protection Against Data Loss
One of the biggest challenges with data recovery is that the program can’t trust the file system information tables
Yes I am little late at replying to your query but if END good then ALL good. Well, I have used this software and also tried free demo version. This software is compatible with OS X Yosemite too and you can download it from here to recover the data lost either by drive formatting or even deleted from Trash bin.
Thanks for this list about data recovery software. I also tried on Mac data recovery software called uFlysoft Data Recovery for Mac on uFlysoft studio. You can read this technical post about the problem “how to recover lost files on Mac” to get more details about Mac data recovery.
I have a hitachi 500gb 5400rpm 2.5″ internal hard disk HDD.which I was using externally with a USB enclosure (terabyte). The hard disk got corrupt while ejecting.(I was trying the eject option, but it did not eject saying to close all files first some files running. I had closed all the files still it said.I logged out and then logged in still it said the same. The hard disk had data which was also shown in my computer window. Then I restarted the computer (dell, windows 8) and then ejected ,it safely removed. But when I plugged it back now it says file system error and asks to format the disk. The disk is not shown to be accessible in my computer window. I could not understand the cause of the problem and any precaution for it. I connected the disk to another computer(windows 7) but it did not work again the same message appears regarding file system error and need to format the disk before use. Since my data is inside ,I don’t want to format it. (If I format it I might not be able to recover it 100%) can you please suggest me how to deal with this issue.
thanks.
Hello,
Thank you very much for your nice post. And, your data recovery freeware really helped me a lot and I tried several ones, like Recuva, iCare Data Recovery Free and PC Inspector Recovery and more when 16 GB Toshiba USB was formatted accidentally. And luckily, these 100% free data recovery options really helped retrieved nearly 85% of my lost pictures, music and documents.
Thanks for your nice suggestions.