PC Tools File Recover 8 Review

Review summary

Good points

Bad points

Our verdict

PC Tools has consistently managed to improve each version of their data-recovery tool, File Recover. The latest version, File Recover 8, features faster scanning, better restoration capabilities, and a cleaner interface than previous versions. Also, with one of the most competitive prices in this software category, File Recover 8 is one of our top data-recovery picks.

Full review

With quality software products in both security and utility categories, PC Tools has developed a pretty substantial customer base. Many of their products, including File Recover, have been developed and improved over the course of several years. PC Tools claims that File Recover 8, the latest version of File Recover, is faster, more effective, and easier to use than ever before. As fans of previous File Recover versions, we were quite eager to test these claims.

Setup

File Recover 8 works with all major versions of Windows, including Vista, XP, and Windows 7. It supports both 32 and 64-bit versions of these operating systems and requires only minimal resources to run. In fact, the installer is less than a megabyte in size, a clear indication of how lightweight the program is. File Recover 8 installed on our test system, which runs Windows 7, in under a minute.

Data Recovery

File Recovery 8 offers a lot of data-recovery options. It supports IDE, ATA, and SCSI hard drives running FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS file systems. It is even capable of recovering files from other types of fixed media, such as floppy disks. Also, File Recover 8 provides users with three scanning options: quick, deep, and physical. Quick scans provide the fastest results, but they are less thorough than the other options. Deep scans are capable of recovering nearly any file that has not already been overwritten, but they can be slow, especially on larger hard drives. The physical-scan option was designed for use with corrupt hard drives. For all recovery methods, File Recover 8 utilizes a non-destructive, read-only approach, which means that it will not write or make changes to the drive sector that data is recovered from.

Effectiveness

As with all data-recovery software, the effectiveness of File Recover 8 is highly dependent on how long the desired files have been deleted. The time that has lapsed since a file has been deleted can mean the difference between complete or partial recovery. If a file has been partially overwritten, File Recover 8 will attempt to reconstruct it using the remaining contents; this allows users to recover at least part of the file, even when most of it has been destroyed. During our tests, all of the files that we attempted to recover immediately after deletion were recovered intact.

Features

Batch file recovery – This convenient feature allows users to recover multiple files at once. This can save users a considerable amount of time, especially when large groups of files have been accidentally deleted.

File preview - Another very handy feature is the ability to preview files before you recover them. This is something that we feel is a real bonus, especially when dealing with files such as digital photos since they tend to be named numerically rather than descriptively.

Multilingual support – File Recover 8 supports 17 different languages, including English, Spanish, German, and Russian.

Regular software updates – PC Tools releases regular updates for File Recover 8. These updates contain bug fixes, additional features, and more.

Ease of use

File Recover 8 features a clean, easy-to-use interface. Most users should have no issues using this software to find and recover deleted files. File Recover 8 even features the ability to filter files by name, extension, and more. These filters can make finding the right files far easier than simply browsing through everything, especially on larger hard drives.

Help & support

PC Tools provides customers with a wide range of excellent support options, including support via chat, e-mail, and telephone. In fact, the toll-free support number is prominently displayed on the PC Tools website. There is also a highly useful support area on the PC Tools website. Not only does it feature a detailed FAQ section, it hosts an active forum that contains a wealth of information related to computer security.

Overall

Compared to most of its rivals, File Recover 8 is an excellent value. It does everything that PC Tools claims and more without much fuss. In fact, our only complaint is that its options are not very customizable. If you need to recover important documents, photos, or other types of files that have been accidentally deleted from your computer, this program is an excellent option

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Overall
Setup
Data recovery
Effectiveness
Features
Ease of use
Help & support