Data LifeSaver

If we could make one piece of hardware indestructible, it would probably be the hard drive. You can buy a new video card or a new processor, but you can not replace all your personal files. Appropriately named Data LifeSaver, this application will recover deleted data. It includes two recovery modules, for a fast recovery process or a more thorough one. It is also capable of creating disk images and restoring erased files from those images.

You will not spend too much time downloading the roughly 1.5 Mb setup file. The installation process involves some basic settings, which can be made even by inexperienced users. You can install the software on most Windows versions, without having to concern yourself about compatibility or system requirements.

The software's functions are not difficult. You can opt for a full data recovery, which will take some time to complete, but the process is thorough and you will have better chances of finding lost files. If you are in a hurry, you may choose a second function for undeleting files and folders quickly. You can select one process or the other on the application's home screen.

Data LifeSaver can scan the entire hard drive or individual partitions, regardless of which type of process you choose. When performing a quick undelete task, you only need to double click one of your disk partitions and the scanning will commence immediately. If you launch the full recovery feature, you can set the program to scan for lost partitions before anything else or start scanning each sector of the hard drive for file systems.

When a scanning process is finished, your folders structure will be displayed on the interface and you will be able to browse through your files, including the erased ones. They will be colored differently, making them easier to spot. Alternatively, you can switch from the explorer to a files list to see all the deleted items. After selecting them, the files can be recovered with an option from the top menus.

Usually, it is not recommended to write new data on a disk if you intend to recover data. Data LifeSaver makes it possible to create disk images as well and recover files from them. Creating an image is not hard, but it will take some time to finish the process. The good news is that you can use the full recovery feature to restore deleted files from within the image.