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A hard drive (often abbreviated as HD, or HDD) is a storage device that permanently stores and retrieves data on a computer. It consists of a spinning magnetic disk to which data is written using a read/write magnetic head on a mechanical arm called an actuator, all inside of an air-sealed casing.
A partition is an area on a physical storage device separated from other device segments. For the operating system and computer users, although the separation is pure logical, it appears as an independent storage device with a separate file system. There are several reasons for such partitioning. For example, Windows 10 creates several service partitions, apart from the system partition (disk C:), like boot and recovery partitions that it uses to ensure system stability and recoverability. Another reason to separate the system and user data partitions is if the system has to be re-installed, the user data will remain untouched.
To be accessible for the computer user, a partition must have an assigned letter. In this case such a partition is called a logical disk and is referred to by its letter.
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SSD storage devices. |
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NVME storage devices: SSD devices connected to the computer through a special interface. |
A solid-state drive (SSD) is a storage device that stores data on nonvolatile solid-state flash memory and has no moving parts, unlike hard drives or optical disks. They are much faster than traditional hard drives and more shock-resistant, but their life span is shorter and storage space is more expensive. NVME devices are SSD devices connected to the computer through a special interface.
Peculiarities of file recovery from SSD and NVME storage devices
All considerations below are applicable for files deleted from or without Recycle Bin. If you must recover files after a system crash, it will not differ much from file recovery from conventional hard drives. SSD devices have some specific obstacles for file recovery, especially for files deleted from or without the Recycle Bin. Periodically, Windows issues a special command TRIM that informs the SSD device that some files have been deleted and their storage space is needed no more. Upon receiving this command, the device frees its internal space where the deleted files have resided. When the OS accesses that space, the device simply returns zeros even without reading the actual data. Moreover, Microsoft uses a so called DZAT procedure (deterministic zeroes after TRIM) that fully and permanently cleans that space by overwriting it with zeros. It is impossible to recover files after this procedure. The main question is when that will happen. Depending on many circumstances, it may take from several seconds to several days. Within this time period, the file data will remain stored on the SSD device, and R‑Photo can recover them. Usually, Windows executes the TRIM command during shutdown and startup. That is why the main advice for the case of deleted files is to power your computer off by long-pressing the Power button of your computer. Do not shut down it. Then remove the SSD disk from the computer and connect it to another one. Use that second computer for file recovery. |
A disk operation in which R‑Photo quickly analyzes information about files stored on the disk, including search for deleted files. Then it lists all found files in its Files panel.
R‑Photo estimates chances for successful file recovery while listing the files. Those estimations may not be quite accurate immediately upon file listing, but Deep Scan greatly improves those estimations.
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Undefined |
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Good |
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Above average |
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Average |
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Below average |
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Bad |
A file mask is a pattern of characters and wildcards used to match folder and file names.
A file signature (sometimes is called as a file magic number) is a data pattern within the file that is unique to certain file types. It can be used to identify the format of the file and recover its content even when the disk file system contains no information about such a file. This method of file recovery is called "raw file search" or search for known file types and used to recover deleted files from damaged, deleted, or re-formatted disks, as well as from partitions with unrecognized file systems. R‑Photo uses raw file search when performing Deep Scan .
Graphics/Picture |
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3D XML file: .3dxml |
3DStudio Mesh: .3ds |
Adobe InDesign File: .indd |
Adobe Photoshop Image: .psd |
Agfa/Matrix Scodl Image: .scd |
Alias Wavefront Raster Image: .rla |
ArcView Shape: .shp |
AutoCAD Binary Image: .dxf |
AutoCAD Drawing: .dwg |
AutoCAD Image: .dxf |
Autodesc Animator Image: .pic |
Autodesc Animator Pro color map: .col |
Autodesc Animator Pro Image: .pic |
Autologic Image: .gm |
AVHRR Satellite Image: .sst |
Bentley MicroStation CAD Drawing: .dgn |
BMF Image: .bmf |
Canon RAW graphics file: .crw |
Canon RAW graphics file*: .cr2 |
Canon RAW graphics file: .crw |
ColoRIX Image: .rix |
CompuServe GIF Image: .gif |
ComputerEyes Raw Image: .ce1 |
Continous Edge Graphic Image: .ceg |
Corel Texture Image: .tex |
CorelDraw CMX Image: .cmx |
CorelDraw Image: .cdr |
Cubicomp Picture Maker Image |
Dr. Halo palette: .pal |
Enhanced MetaFile Image: .emf |
Epson Stylus Image: .prn |
Erdas LAN/GIS Image: .lan |
Fractal Image Format: .fif |
Freehand (MX) Database: .fh10 |
GEM Raster Image: .img |
GEM VDI Image: .gdi |
GOES Satellite Image: .goe |
Graphics Workshop for Windows Thumbnail: .thn |
Gridded Binary Image: .grb |
Hitachi Raster Image: .hrf |
Hotspot Image: .shg |
HP Command Language Image: .pcl |
HP Raster Image: .rtl |
HSI JPEG Image: .hsi |
IBM Picture Maker Image: * .pic |
iPhoto Image: .attr |
Jovian Logic Image: .vi |
JPEG 2000: .jp2 |
JPEG Digital Camera*: .jpg |
JPEG Image: .jpg |
Kodak PhotoCD Image: .pcd |
LBM/IFF Image: .lbm |
Lightwave Object: .lwo |
Lotus PIC Image: .pic |
Macintosh Paint Image: .mac |
Macintosh PICT Image: .pct |
Microsoft Paint Image: .msp |
Minolta RAW image: .mrw |
Nikon RAW image*: .nef |
Olympus RAW image: .orf |
PaintShop Pro Image: .psp |
PaperPort Image: .max |
PBM Image: .pbm |
PGM Image: .pgm |
Pictor PC Paint Image: .pic |
PIX Image: .pix |
PM Image: .pm |
PNG Image: .png |
PPM Image: .ppm |
Print Shop Image: .pds |
QuarkXpress Database: .qxp |
QuarkXPress file: .qxd |
Quick Link II fax Image: . qfx |
QuickDraw 3D Metafile: .3dmf |
RenderMan Image: .rib |
SGI Image: .sgi |
Sigma RAW image: .x3f |
Sketch Image: .sk |
SmartDraw file: .sdr |
SmartDraw template: .sdt |
Sony RAW image: .arw |
STAD Image: .pac |
Sun Raster Image: .sun |
SymbianOS Image: .mbm |
Tagged Image Format File: .tif |
TI Image: .92i |
TrueVision Image: .tga |
Utah Raster Toolkit Image: .rle |
VITec Image: .vit |
Windows Animated cursor: .ani |
Windows Bitmap Image: .bmp |
Windows cursor: .cur |
Windows Fax Cover Image: .cpe |
Windows icon: .ico |
Windows MetaFile Image: .wmf |
WordPerfect Graphics Image: .wpg |
X PixMap Image: .xpm |
X Window Dump Image: .xwd |
Xara Drawing: .xar |
ZSoft PCX Image: .pcx |
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Multimedia: Video Files |
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3GPP multimedia audio/video: .3gp |
3GPP2 multimedia audio/video: .3g2 |
4X Movie Video: .4xm |
Adobe Filmstrip Animation: .fsf |
AMV Video: .amv |
ANIM Animation: .cel |
Autodesk Animator: .fli |
BCS Video: .bcs |
BINK Video: .bik |
DeluxePaint Animation: .anm |
Director Video: .dcr |
DriveCam Video: .dce |
DVM Video: .dvm |
Eyemail Video: .eye |
Flash Video: .flv |
Google Video: .gvi |
Intel DVI Video: .dvi |
Intel Indeo Video File: .ivf |
Interplay MVE Video: .mve |
Lotus ScreenCam Video: .scm |
LZA Animation: .lza |
MPEG Video: .mpg |
Nancy Codec Video: .noa |
NEOchrome Animation: .ani |
Nullsoft Video: .nsv |
NuppelVideo (MythTV) Video: .nuv |
QuickTime Video: .mov |
QV-10 Video: .cam |
RPL Video: .rpl |
Sega FILM/CPK Video: .cpk |
SGI movie format: .mv |
Shockwave Video: .swf |
Smacker Video: .smk |
SMJPEG Video: .mjpg |
Sony Movie Player Video: .mqv |
VideoCD MPEG: .dat |
VideoCD Video: .vcd |
Vivo streaming Video: .viv |
VOB video files: .vob |
VP6 encoded Video: .vp6 |
Windows AVI Video: .avi |
Windows Media Video: .wmv |
Multimedia Files |
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Material Exchange File: .mxf |
MP4 file: .mp4 |
Real Networks audio/video: .rm |
RIFF Multimedia File |
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Note: Using scan for Known File Types, R‑Photo can successfully recover only un-fragmented files.
An image is a file containing an exact, byte by byte, copy of a hard drive or a disk. When created, images can be connected to R‑Photo and processed like their original objects.
Images are very useful if there is a risk of total data loss due to hardware malfunction. If bad blocks are constantly appearing on a hard drive or its S.M.A.R.T. state is poor, an image of this hard drive should be immediately created. All data search and recovery can be done from this image.
The Disk Images help page explains how to create and work with images.
S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) is a technology widely used in hard drives and solid-state devices that monitors their reliability conditions to predict possible hardware failures.