O&O DiskRecovery 14.1.145

Overview

O&O DiskRecovery Professional is a powerful data recovery software designed to guide you through the process of finding and restoring files within a centralized interface. This application is capable of recovering data in all major file formats, and can scan every sector of the hard disk to find files that have been deleted.

Installation

At a file size of only about 10 MB, this software is surprisingly compact, especially considering its capabilities. The setup guide gives you the option to execute a normal installation, or an instant installation (which can be used to install O&O DiskRecovery Professional Edition onto a removable disk or folder within your local file system or network). Furthermore, you can choose which components you'd like to install with a custom installation, or use the complete installation option to install all program features. Starting with version 8, O&O DiskRecovery is compatible with Windows 8 down to XP.

Interface

Upon launching the software you'll be shown a list of the available drives/partitions that are attached to your system. You can choose one, and then click the next button, after which you'll be given the option of choosing from several search types. You can also fine-tune the specifics of your search by using the additional settings dialog. Overall, the interface is quite self-explanatory, intuitive, and user-friendly.

Pros

• Version 8 brings Windows 8 compatibility, enhanced search for compressed files, specifically Zip and 7-Zip, support for new file types incl. Microsoft and Serif, and is over 50% faster than all previous versions

• Can recover an unlimited amount of data from any type of file storage device

• Facilitates the process of recovering files after computer crashes, accidental deletion, virus attacks, and any other mishaps that may result in data loss/damage

• Includes three types of scans – quick search (helps you quickly recover recently deleted files on large hard disks), sector-based deep scans (finds hidden files/folders by conducting an in-depth search), and a partition scanning module that helps you restore formatted or damaged partitions

• Can be installed onto a USB disk or other external storage device

• Supports more than 300 file extensions and all application types, thereby giving you the ability to recover not only documents (i.e. – Word or Excel files), but also all types of photographs, movies, and music files.

• Lets you preview files before recovering them

• Supports all types of hard disks that are compatible with the Windows operating system, including flash drives, memory cards, and external hard drives

• Step-by-step wizard guides you through each module, helping even the most novice users become acquainted with the main features

• Gives you the option to save data recovery to a specific file directory on your hard drive, network, or removable disk

Cons

• Not really a minus, but be aware that it does not guarantee the recovery of all files

Alternatives

There are a number of other data recovery applications that provide similar functionality to that of O&O DiskRecovery Professional, including but not limited to Disk Drill, TestDisk, Recuva, R-Studio (Win, Mac, Linux), DiskWarrior, and Power Data Recovery. Of these competitors, Recuva is by far the most popular freeware alternative for Windows.

Conclusion

If you're trying to recover a specific file/folder on your hard drive or removable disk, O&O DiskRecovery Professional Edition provides an ideal solution complete with a comprehensive feature set and a simplistic, yet effective interface.