TestDisk

TestDisk is a powerful free data recovery software! It was created especially to assist in recovering lost partitions and/or making non-booting disks bootable again when these symptoms are caused by malfunctioning software, such as viruses or human mistake. Partition table recovery using TestDisk is quite simple. 

TestDisk is a sophisticated open-source data recovery software that can recover missing partitions and rebuild disk structures. It specializes in retrieving deleted files from a variety of storage media, such as hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, and more. TestDisk for PC, developed by Christophe Grenier, is well-known for its ability to recover lost data due to unintentional deletion, formatting mistakes, partition table corruption, and other disk-related difficulties.

Highlights

• Fix partition table and recover deleted partition. 
• Recover the FAT32 boot sector from its backup. 
• Rebuild FAT12, FAT16, and FAT32 boot sectors. 
• Fix the FAT tables. 
• Rebuild the NTFS boot sector. 
• Recover the NTFS boot sector from its backup. 
• Use an MFT mirror to fix the MFT. 
• Find ext2/ext3/ext4 Backup. SuperBlock 
• Undelete files from the FAT, exFAT, NTFS, and ext2 filesystem. 
• Transfer files from deleted FAT, exFAT, NTFS, and ext2/ext3/ext4 partitions.

It offers features for both beginners and specialists. For those with little or no knowledge of data recovery techniques, it can be used to gather precise information about a non-booting drive, which can then be sent to a technician for additional investigation. Those who are more experienced with such techniques will find the Test Disk program useful for performing onsite recovery.

TestDisk can find lost partitions for all of these file systems:

• BeFS (BeOS) BSD disklabel (FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD) 
• CramFS, Compressed File System; DOS/Windows FAT12, FAT16, and FAT32. 
• Xbox FATX Windows exFAT 
• Hierarchical file systems include HFS, HFS+, and HFSX, as well as JFS. IBM Journaled File System 
• Linux file systems (btrfs, ext2, ext3, and ext4). 
• Linux GFS2 
• Linux LUKS encrypted partition 
• Linux RAID MD: 0.9/1.0/1.1/1.2 
• RAID 1 is mirrored, while RAID 4 is a striped array with a parity device. 
• RAID 5: A striped array with distributed parity information 
• RAID 6: A striped array with distributed dual redundancy information. 
• Linux Swap (versions 1 & 2) 
• LVM and LVM2: Linux Logical Volume Manager 
• Mac partition map 
• Novell Storage Services NSS: NTFS (Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008/7) 
• ReiserFS version 3.5, 3.6, and 4. 
• Sun Solaris i386 disk label. 
• Unix File System (UFS) and UFS2 (Sun/BSD/...) 
• XFS: SGI's Journaled File System 
• Wii WBFS 
• Sun ZFS

Main Features

• Partition Recovery: It detects and recovers lost partitions from a variety of storage devices. 
• It supports a variety of filesystems, including FAT, NTFS, exFAT, ext2/3/4, HFS+, and many more. 
• It can fix partition tables such as the master boot record (MBR) and GUID Partition Table (GPT). 
• Data Undeletion: It can recover files from FAT, exFAT, NTFS, and ext2 filesystems. 
• Cross-platform: It works with Windows, macOS, Linux, and other Unix-like operating systems. 
• Advanced users can take advantage of the sophisticated command-line interface. 
• Photorec: Included with Photorec is a companion tool for file recovery using file signatures.

User Interface

It mostly runs via a command-line interface (CLI), which may appear intimidating to inexperienced users. It compensates with extensive documentation and step-by-step guidance on its website. While it lacks graphical components, the CLI interface is quick and simple for experienced users.

Installation and Setup

The installation process for this program differs slightly based on the operating system. For Windows users, simply download the executable and follow the installation procedure. Linux users can install it using package managers such as apt or yum. macOS users can compile from source or use package managers such as Homebrew.

How to Use

• Run the executable file or start it from the terminal. 
• Select Media: Choose the afflicted drive containing the deleted data. 
• Select the right partition table type for your drive (Intel, EFI GPT, etc.). 
• Analyze: Allow the software to scan the disk for lost partitions. 
• Select Partition: Select the partition that you want to recover or repair. 
• Proceed With Recovery: Follow the on-screen instructions to restore lost data or fix the partition table.

FAQ

Is it safe to use TestDisk for PC? 
Yes, the program is safe to use because it operates in read-only mode by default, which ensures that it does not modify the original data unless told by the user. 

Can TestDisk retrieve files from a formatted drive? 
Yes, it can recover data from formatted drives, as long as it has not been overwritten. 

Does TestDisk work with SSDs? 
Yes, it is compatible with SSDs as well as regular hard drives and other storage devices. 

Can TestDisk restore data from a RAID array? 
Yes, it has limited support for RAID recovery, although it is best to consult its documentation for precise methods. 

Is TestDisk free to use? 
Yes, the program is completely free and open source software.

System Requirements

• Operating Systems: Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10/11, macOS, Linux, and Unix-like systems 
• Processor: Intel-compatible (x86 or x64) CPU RAM: 512MB or more. 
• Storage: Minimal disk space required for installation.

PROS

• It's free and open source. 
• cross-platform interoperability. 
• Powerful partition recovery capabilities. 
• Works with a variety of filesystems. 
• The command-line interface provides for more advanced control.

CONS

• The lack of a graphical user interface may be daunting to certain users. 
• A steeper learning curve than some commercial options. 
• In comparison to commercial software, there is limited documentation.

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