List of data recovery software

The following is a list of notable data recovery software.

Bootable

Data recovery cannot always be done on a running system. As a result, a boot disk, Live CD, Live USB, or any other type of Live Distro containing a minimal operating system.

• BackTrack: A security distribution which can also be used for forensics and data recovery as a Live CD (GCC compiler and ddrescue pre-installed, and it avoids tampering the disks).
• BartPE: A lightweight variant of Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 32 bit operating systems, similar to a Windows Preinstallation Environment, which can be run from a Live CD or Live USB drive.
• Boot Repair Disk - One-click repair disk featuring 'Boot-Repair' for Linux and Microsoft Windows Systems
• Data Rescue 3: A bootable Mac OS X recovery DVD by Prosoft Engineering company, supports HFS and HFS+ file systems.
• Data Rescue PC3: A Linux-based Live CD/Live USB with file recovery software by Prosoft Engineering company, supports FAT and NTFS file systems.
• Hiren's BootCD: A boot CD containing various diagnostic programs such as partitioning agents, system performance benchmarks, disk cloning and imaging tools, data recovery tools, MBR tools, BIOS tools, and many others for fixing various computer problems.
• Knoppix: The original Linux Live CD. It contains many useful utilities for data recovery.
• SpinRite: A FreeDOS-based data recovery tool for hard disks and magnetic storage devices.
• SystemRescueCD: A Gentoo based Live CD, useful for repairing unbootable computer systems and retrieving data after a system crash.
• Trinity Rescue Kit: A free command-line Live CD Linux distribution created especially for rescuing Windows PCs.
• Ultimate Boot CD for Windows: A Microsoft Windows XP Live CD with diagnostic and repair utilities built in, useful for removing malware and recovering data.
• WinPE: A customizable Microsoft Windows Boot DVD (made by Microsoft and distributed for free). Can be modified to boot to any of the programs listed.

Consistency checkers

• CHKDSK: A consistency checker for DOS and Windows systems.
• Disk First Aid: A consistency checker for Mac OS 9.
• Disk Utility: A consistency checker for Mac OS X.
• fsck: A consistency checker for UNIX.
• gparted: A frontend to GNU parted, the GNU partition editor, capable of calling fsck.

File recovery

• CDRoller: Recovers data from optical discs.
• Data Recovery Wizard: by EaseUS. Microsoft Windows file recovery utility.
• Data Rescue PC3: Data recovery software by Prosoft Engineering company, for FAT and NTFS file systems.
• Disk Drill Basic: Data recovery application for Mac OS X and Windows.
• Drive Vaccine: Microsoft Windows Auto Restore of files on Reboot
• dvdisaster: Generates error-correction data for optical disc.
• FileSalvage: A Mac OS X recovery program.
• GetDataBack: A Windows recovery program.
• IsoBuster: Recovers data from optical discs, USB sticks, Flash drives and Hard Drives.
• Mac Data Recovery Guru: A Mac OS X data recovery program which works on USB sticks, optical media, and hard drives.
• Norton Utilities: A suite of utilities that has a file recovery component.
• PhotoRec: Multi-platform CLI program used to recover files.
• Recover My Files: Proprietary evaluationware, Microsoft Windows 2000 & later, FAT, NTFS and HFS.
• Recuva: Microsoft Windows 2000 & later, FAT and NTFS.
• TestDisk: Multi-platform. Recover files and lost partitions.
• TotalRecovery: Microsoft Windows. Bootable backup and recover system.
• TuneUp Utilities: Microsoft Windows XP & later. A suite of utilities that has a file recovery component.
• Ontrack EasyRecovery: by Kroll Inc, NTFS, HFS, FAT, proprietary.

Forensics

• EnCase: A suite of forensic tools developed by Guidance Software that is used for imaging and forensic analysis for UNIX, Linux, and Windows systems.
• Foremost: An opensource CLI file recovery program, originally developed by the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations and NPS Center for Information Systems Security Studies and Research.
• Forensic Toolkit: by AccessData, used by law enforcement.
• Open Computer Forensics Architecture: An opensource program running on Linux.
• The Coroner's Toolkit: A suite of utilities aimed at assisting in forensic analysis of a UNIX system after a break-in.
• The Sleuth Kit: Also known as TSK, The Sleuth Kit is a suite of forensic analysis tools developed by Brian Carrier for UNIX, Linux and Windows systems. TSK includes the Autopsy forensic browser.
• M3 Bitlocker Recovery: Forensic program to recover/decrypt data from formatted, damaged, inaccessible, corrupted, failed, deleted or lost Bitlocker encrypted drive.

Imaging tools

• CopyCatX: Originally a backup software, it is capable of creating images of damaged media.
• ddrescue: an opensource tool similar to dd but with the ability to skip over and subsequently retry bad blocks on failing storage devices.
• dd: common byte-to-byte level cloning tool found on Unix-based systems.

Companies

• The Data Rescue Center
• DriveSavers: Data recovery service licensed with every major hard-drive manufacturer
• DTI Data
• SalvageData
• SecureDataRecovery