TestDisk & PhotoRec

A handy application that is able to check and undelete partitions, as well as perform recovery and repair tasks for damaged disks.

TestDisk & PhotoRec
License :Trial
OS :Windows All
Publisher :Christophe GRENIER

Download Now

TestDisk and PhotoRec are powerful open-source tools used for data recovery. Here’s a concise but thorough guide on how to use each tool effectively.

🧰 What They Do:

TestDisk – Recovers lost partitions, makes non-booting disks bootable again, and can also undelete files from FAT, exFAT, NTFS, and ext2.
PhotoRec – Ignores file system structure and looks for known file headers, making it excellent for recovering lost files (photos, documents, videos, etc.).

✅ Before You Begin:

Install TestDisk & PhotoRec:
- Windows: Download from https://www.cgsecurity.org, extract the ZIP file.
- Linux/macOS: Use your package manager, e.g.:
```
sudo apt install testdisk    # Ubuntu/Debian
brew install testdisk        # macOS with Homebrew
```
Run as Administrator/root for full drive access.
Do not write to the drive you’re recovering data from. Always save recovered data to a different disk or partition.

🔧 Using TestDisk (Partition & File Recovery)

1. Launch TestDisk

Run from the terminal or double-click testdisk_win.exe.

2. Create or Use Log File

Choose:

[Create] a new log file (recommended),
[Append] to add to an existing log,
[No Log] if you don’t want a log.

3. Select Disk

Use the arrow keys to select the correct disk (e.g., /dev/sda or Disk /dev/sdb) and press Enter.

4. Partition Table Type

Usually auto-detected. Common options:

Intel/PC for MBR
EFI GPT for modern systems with GPT partitions

5. Choose Task

For partition recovery:

Select [Analyse] → Press Enter
It scans current partition structure
Choose [Quick Search] → Enter

You’ll see possible partitions. Press P to list files and see if it’s the one you want.

6. Recover Partitions

If the partition looks valid, press Enter
Press Write to save the partition structure
Confirm and reboot system if required

7. Undelete Files (Optional)

If your partition is readable:

Choose [Advanced]
Select partition → Choose [Undelete]
Navigate and press c to copy selected files

📸 Using PhotoRec (File Recovery)

1. Launch PhotoRec

Run photorec (or photorec_win.exe on Windows).

2. Select Disk

Choose the disk containing lost files, then press Enter.

3. Select Partition or Whole Disk

Choose:

The partition (e.g., for FAT/NTFS/exFAT/ext4)
Or choose “No partition” to scan whole disk

4. File System Type

Choose Other for FAT/NTFS/exFAT
Choose Ext2/Ext3 if using Linux filesystems

5. Choose Search Options

Choose Free to scan only free (unallocated) space
Choose Whole to scan entire partition for deeper recovery

6. Set Destination Folder

Select where recovered files will be saved
Make sure it’s on a different disk

7. Recovery Begins

PhotoRec will start recovering files. All found files are categorized by type and dumped into folders (recup_dir.*).

📁 After Recovery

Recovered files may have generic names, but you can preview them to sort.
Use tools like ExifTool (for photos) or file viewers to identify files.

🛑 Cautions

Don’t recover files to the same drive—they might overwrite recoverable data.
For disk images, consider cloning the drive with ddrescue first.

🧠 Tips

You can filter file types in PhotoRec via File Opt (press S to disable/enable extensions).
Combine with a GUI wrapper (like QPhotoRec) for easier use on Windows.

Post Views: 14