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Recover My Files hard drive data recovery made easy!

Recover My Files Online Help

Tutorials

• Learn the Principles of Data Recovery
  
• How to use the General, Advanced, and Search Options
  
• How to use Recover My Files over a Network

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the minimum installation requirements for Recover My Files?
2. How do I obtain updates for Recover My Files?
3. Where can I save recovered files?
4. Can I recover files from a CD or DVD using Recover My Files?
5. Can I stop the search, save files and start the search again?
6. How long does it take to recover files with Recover My Files?
7. What filesystems are supported by Recover My Files?
8. What file types can be recovered by Recover My Files?
9. Can Recover My Files recover files from a physically damaged disk or drive?
10. Is there a limit to the number or size of files that can be recovered?
11. Can I wipe or permanently erase recovered files?
12. Can I preview search results while the search is in progress?
13. Can I save search results and load them at a later time?
14. Can I run Recover My Files from a CD?
15. Does Recover My Files work on RAID systems?
16. Can I search for temporary files using Recover My Files?
17. What does the Recovery Rating mean?
18. Can Recover My Files recover emails from web based email programs like Hotmail and Yahoo Mail?

1. What are the minimum installation requirements for Recover My Files?

   The minimum installation requirements for Recover My Files are:

   • Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista
   • 3.5 megabytes of disk space
   • 64 MB of RAM (128 MB or more recommended)
   
   
2. How do I obtain updates for Recover My Files?

   To obtain updates for Recover My Files, simply open the program and click on 'Update' or click here to contact Support.

3. Where can I save recovered files?

   Recovered files cannot be saved to the same drive they were recovered from. If the files were recovered from the C:\ drive, they cannot be saved to the C:\ drive. However, you can save files to any of the following locations:

   • USB thumb drive
   • Floppy Disk
   • Zip Disk
   • CD/DVD
   • Secondary internal hard drive
   • External hard drive
   • Network computer
   
   
4. Can I recover files from a CD or DVD using Recover My Files?

   Recover My Files has not been specifically written to recover data from CDs or DVDs. The programs will work with some CD and DVD file systems, but not others. We suggest you download the trial version and test to see if your files can be recovered.

5. Can I stop the search, save files and start again?

   It is possible to stop the search, save files, and start the search again from the place at which it was stopped.

   To do this, you must take note of the cluster number that the search is at. In the main program window, click on OPTIONS > ADVANCED and then place a check in the box next to the option to "Prompt for start cluster / sector". When you restart the search you will be prompted to enter in the starting position of the search. Enter the cluster number you recorded and continue the search.

6. How long does it take to recover files with Recover My Files?

   The length of time required to recover files with Recover My Photos will vary based on the size of the hard drive and how many files types you are searching for. However, a recovery should never take longer than 24 hours to complete.

7. What filesystems does Recover My Files support?

   Recover My Files supports the following filesystems:

   • FAT 16
   • FAT 32
   • NTFS
   
   
8. What file types can be recovered by Recover My Files?

   Recover My Files includes specific recovery support for more than 300 file types. Please click here for more information about specific file types.

9. Can Recover My Files recover files from a physically damaged disk or drive?

   As long as the hard drive or removable media is still functional and is detected by Windows, you will be able to recover your files. If the drive was physically damaged, you will need to look for a professional data recovery service.

10. Is there a limit to the number or size of files that can be recovered?

    There is no limit to the number or size of files that can be recovered with Recover My Files.

11. Can I wipe or permanently erase recovered files?

    Use SecureClean to permanently erase deleted files with Department of Defense approved technology. Files erased with SecureClean cannot be recovered by any type of recovery software.

12. Can I preview search results while the search is in progress?

    Yes. Move the window containing the search bar out of the way of the main program. This gives you access to the results screen which will continue to update as the search takes place.

    Click on a file in the window at the top of the results screen to display the preview of that file in the bottom window.

13. Can I save search results and load them at a later time?

    No. The reason for this is that continued use of a computer changes the contents of the deleted areas of your hard drive. Saved results would not be valid as they would not always point to the same deleted data.

    When Recover My Files is closed the current results are not saved.

14. Can I run Recover My Files from a CD?

    Yes. Recover My Files can be run from a CD by following these simple instructions for creating a Recover My Files CD.

15. Does Recover My Files work on RAID systems?

    If your RAID system is functional then Recover My Files will work. We recommend you search the logical RAID drive (eg: drive C:).

    If your RAID system is not functional and you are running a RAID 0 then Recover My Files will recover files from either of the hard drives.

    If your RAID system is not functional and you are running a RAID 1 then you will not be able to recover files (as single files are written to two or more physical hard drives).

16. Can I recover temporary files using Recover My Files?

    Recover My Files is configured by default to show in the drive selection screen the "Documents and Settings" and "Recycle Bin" folder. These folders are most likely to contain temporary files.

    You can alter these settings on the "drive selection screen". Add new folders to search by double-clicking "add folders to search". Remember to place a green check in the box next to the folder to select it as part of the search. Double click on a folder to delete it from the search.

17. What does the Recovery Rating mean?

    The Recovery Rating is used to determine whether or not a certain file will be intact after recovery. Please read our knowledgebase article on the Recovery Rating.

18. Can Recover My Files recover emails from web-based email programs like Hotmail and Yahoo Mail?

    Yes. Please try following these steps to recover your deleted web-based email:

    1. Start Recover My Files. In the first screen double click on "Add folders to search". Then you must find your "Temporary Internet Files" folder and add it to the search (in Windows XP you can add the "Documents and Settings" folder as the Temporary Internet Files folder is is a sub folder of this).
    2. In order to search for deleted HTML files, add "C:" as a "drive to be search" for deleted files (by placing a green tick next to it).
    3. Click next and in the "File Type Selection" screen select "HTML Documents" as the file type for which to conduct the search.
    4. Run the search.
    5. Preview the recovered web pages files by clicking on the "+" sign to show all recovered files and then highlighting each file, the contents of the HTML page will be displayed in the bottom window. HTML pages will not be recovered with graphics but you will see all the text. Look through the recovered file to find those ones that are from your Hotmail or Yahoo account.
    6. You may also use the filter button to filter out only those pages that relate to Hotmail or Yahoo (eg. search for files containing the keyword "Hotmail" or "Yahoo").