Restoring deleted files

[mcseguy9]

Okay, so a hard disk was formatted and it had data on it that needs to be retrieved. I need your thoughts on good programs to use to do this. They can be freeware, shareware, retail versions, etc. It doesn't matter. Just let me know what you think would work best in getting back any available files. Thanks.

[ralph3124]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...g+after+format

Any help here?

[mcseguy9]

Well, yeah. I was just hoping for some personal experience on what works well. Thanks for the link.

[Ridgerunr]

One of the best services out there,but they aren't free. http://www.ontrack.com/

[Welshjim]

mcseguy9--After a format, you probably will need a professional file recovery specialist. (It gets more difficult if you have written new data to the disk.) As Ridgerunr has said, they are not cheap--at least several hundred dollars. I guess you have nothing to lose by trying a "undelete" program, but you did not just delete. An "undelete" program that can be downloaded to and run from a floppy is Restoration. http://www.webattack.com/get/restoration.html
This program is small enough to fit on a floppy and therefore avoids writing to the disk.
As far as a professional service is concerned, you could ask around the PC stores near you if they have any recommendations. Hard to know if they will screw up when OnTrack might have done the job. They should be cheaper or at least give you a price to compare to OnTrack's.