Apr 16, 2014 Disk Drill is an app that knows exactly how to recover lost files on Mac OS X and supports most major file types and file systems. It can recover your files from practically any storage device.
$89.00
If you've ever accidently saved over a document or deleted a presentation, you know the pain that comes with losing a file. Manual delete history safari mac free. CleverFiles Disk Drill Pro ($89) turns back that clock. The data recovery utility scans a desktop's hard drive—and any external drives connected to it—in order to retrieve and reconstruct lost files. Thanks to exceptionally thorough scanning and vast signature support, it returns a trove of results that you can winnow with advanced filters. Like its peers, Disk Drill won't be of much service if your computer uses a solid-state drive, and the Windows version is less feature-rich than its sibling on the Mac (which I tested). But if you have an Apple computer with a traditional hard drive, Disk Drill Pro offers one of the most advanced data recovery utilities available.
Options and Pricing
DiskDrill Basic compares favorably with other try-before-you-buy options: In addition to allowing you to verify recoverable data, Basic also allows you to back up failing disks and to recover protected data. At $89, the Pro version, which I tested, is more affordable than competitors, which retail between $99 and $119. CleverFiles also offers 20 percent discounts for education, non-profit, and government workers, and lifetime upgrades for a sensible $29. Installable on three desktops, the utility's license is less generous than DiskWarrior (unlimited) and Data Rescue (five desktops), but more straightforward than Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery 7 (one transferable) or the Seagate Premium File Recovery Suite 2.5 (one desktop, 24 recoveries or one year).
Finally, CleverFiles offers enterprise licensing (for $399), which can be installed on an unlimited number of desktops. While Disk Drill is a relatively small outfit that lacks dedicated recovery (as with Seagate or Prosoft), the enterprise version of the software allows users to export forensic data (DFXML) for further analysis.
Those with older Macs should also note that the latest version of Disk Drill requires OS X 10.8.5 or later, which would have come preinstalled with any Apple computer purchased after the fall of 2013. People running older desktops can use an earlier version of Disk Drill or consider Seagate or DiskWarrior, which offer more generous legacy support. Windows users should also note that the Mac version is more feature-rich.
The Testing Grounds
I tested Disk Drill alongside four other recovery utilities using two Macs: an early-2015 MacBook Pro and a late-2014 Mac Mini. Both systems run the same version of macOS Sierra. The MacBook Pro features a 120GB solid-state drive (SSD), whereas the Mac Mini uses a 500GB hard disk drive (HDD). To ensure uniform testing, I deleted the same files on both machines two weeks prior to testing. In the interest of testing real world usage, I selected six common file types (DOC, XLS, PDF, JPG, MP3, and MP4).
While I will also discuss some of the utility's unique features, this review focuses on file recovery. Disk Drill offers numerous types of recovery scans. I selected the most exhaustive mode, Deep Scan, to maximize my chances of file recovery. Deep Scan supports a huge number of file signatures—357 at last count—and uses something called signature analysis to find files based upon their structure. This enables the utility to reconstruct and retrieve files that might not otherwise be accessible.
To its credit, CleverFiles acknowledges that people with SSD-powered PCs are unlikely to recover deleted files. The issue is a command called TRIM, which zeroes out the parts of the drive where deleted files were stored. By clearing sectors that are no longer in use, TRIM extends the lifespan of a SSD, but it also greatly reduces the efficacy of data recovery utilities. There is, however, a possibility that utilities can retrieve recently deleted files. According to the FAQ: 'If your OS did not initiate this request (due to an error, or power failure, or delayed CPU response), the sectors containing deleted data will stay readable to Disk Drill, and data may still be recovered.' I opted to test both an SSD and HDD because of the challenges solid-state drives present for data recovery software.
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Running a Deep Scan on my SSD was fast—less than 40 minutes in total. The utility identified 34 files and 30 reconstructed files, about as good as any utility managed with my SSD. Of those files, Disk Drill mainly identified preference and extension files (plist and pss), though it did recover seven PNG images. I was unable to recover any of the files I intentionally deleted.
Running a Deep Scan on my HDD was much slower but much more fruitful. The scan required almost two days, though I would add that the drive is heavily fragmented, and that I ran the utility alongside three others. The results were exhaustive. Disk Drill retrieved a very respectable 67,000 files and 172,000 reconstructed files.
Apple Mac Manual
I cannot imagine browsing all those results without Disk Drill's advanced filtering. In addition to filtering by file type, CleverFiles lets you sort by size (ranging from kilobytes to gigabytes) and deletion date (from days to years). Matched with integrated search, these filters eliminate guesswork. For example, searching for 'DOC' and filtering for documents below 128 kilobytes and deleted in the past year, I winnowed tens of thousands of results to 23. After I located the document I intentionally deleted, I clicked a Recover button, which prompted me to save the file to a different destination folder. I selected my desktop, and voilà, I retrieved my original document.
I'm happy to report that I was able to retrieve all the files I had intentionally deleted. I lost some file names, but I found that by sorting by file type and deletion date, and using the integrated preview (Mac OS X Quick Look), I was able to identify originals without too much difficulty.
While my testing focused on recovering popular files from a single partition, I would remiss if I didn't add that Disk Drill can scan and recover other partitions, such as a Windows Boot Camp partition or Apple's Recovery partition.
Additional Features
Disk Drill includes a host of other features. One distinguishing feature is iOS Data Recovery, which can help you retrieve data that's recently been deleted (typically no longer than 14 days). Because iOS Recovery relies upon iTunes backups, you must sync devices with your desktops if you expect to recover anything. For those who rely upon iCloud backup, the utility will gain an iCloud Recovery feature soon, according to a CleverFiles technician. Plus, Disk Drill can access most Android devices.
Disk Drill includes a feature called Disk Health, a S.M.A.R.T. monitoring menu item that visualizes the health and usage of a drive. I only used the tool to confirm the health of my SSD (which thankfully registered a healthy 92 percent wear level), though CleverFiles deserves praise for including a feature that's rarely bundled with other data recovery utilities. For example, Prosoft sells a separate, (admittedly richer) optimization tool, Drive Genius.
Clean Up and Duplicate Finder help identify and remove bloated applications and files. Unlike the uninstaller AppZapper, which analyzes an application to remove all its tentacles, Clean Up simply removes the application file. While it's a nice add-on, I'm not convinced the feature does anything I can't do manually. Duplicate Finder lets you select and scan a folder for space-wasting duplicates. For example, when I processed my Pictures folder, I located a couple dozen duplicates, several of which I opted to delete. Bolder users can also apply rules to automatically retain a newer or older version of a file.
If you have a flash drive (2GB or larger), you can also create a bootable Recovery Drive, similar to Prosoft Data Rescue 4 Mac time machine backup manual start button. 's BootWell feature. While it's a valuable add-on, if my Mac wouldn't boot properly I would opt for Alsoft's premier recovery utility, the Editors' Choice award-winning DiskWarrior 5.
Disk Drill also bundles features to protect a drive against future data loss. First, you can create a byte-for-byte copy of a drive using Data Backup. Backing up my SSD to an external USB 3.0 drive required several hours, which isn't surprising given that the utility created a 120GB DMG file. By enabling Data Protection, you can safeguard against future data loss. The feature doesn't work retrospectively; that is, you need to install the utility prior to losing data. Disk Drill offers two modes of data protection: Guaranteed Recovery, which safeguards particular folders (e.g. Documents), and Recovery Vault, which protects the disk. Unfortunately for people using PCs with solid-state drives, Recovery Vault is only available if TRIM is disabled, ill-advised given that the command extends to the life of SSDs.
Peace of Mind
Disk Drill Pro is an excellent choice for data recovery on HDD-based Macs. In addition to vast file signature support, CleverFiles offers one of the best sets of filters to pare down results, which is hugely important when browsing tens of thousands of files. It also comes packed with useful features related to data protection. While Disk Drill can repair Mac volumes, the utility is no replacement for veteran DiskWarrior when it comes to rebuilding directories. If you need an in-house recovery lab, you may gravitate toward offerings from Seagate and Prosoft. However, traditional consumers would be hard-pressed to find a more effective, feature-rich data recovery utility.
CleverFiles Disk Drill Pro (for Mac)
Bottom Line: If you have Mac with a traditional hard drive, Disk Drill Pro offers one of the most advanced data recovery utilities available.
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If you install Disk Drill for Mac after a data loss, you can scan and preview your lost files for free with the Basic version. Once you are sure that your files can be recovered, you can quickly upgrade to Disk Drill PRO or Enterprise to get your data back Disk Drill Mac Manual 2017. However, if you install Disk Drill Basic before you lose any data and turn on its data protection features, you can recover your files for free, without upgrading. Guaranteed Recovery invisibly makes copies of deleted files and folders you put in your Mac's Trash; Recovery Vault keeps records of all metadata for deleted files, so that they can quickly be recovered with names and file locations intact. S.M.A.R.T. Monitoring warns you of hard drive trouble before it fails.Restore Data on Any Internal or External Storage, iOS and Android. Hard drive or memory card went suddenly blank or is not recognized? You may have a lost partition issue. The data might still be there, but the 'map' the Mac computer needs to find the data might be lost. The program enables you to restore the lost partition Disk Drill Mac Manual Downloadand get back your data, if it's still there. All mountable devices are supported. Various recovery methods are available based on the file system, even formatted drives are recoverable.Top Use Cases for Mac Data Recovery: Mac Manual Download
Disk Drill Download Mac
Features and Highlights
Scan The software can scan and recover data from virtually any storage device - including internal Mac hard drives, external hard drives, cameras, iPods, USB flash drives, Kindles, and memory cards. In many cases, the app can read your device even if it is failing, unreadable, or has lost a partition. Combining several powerful scanning algorithms, the tool provides a complete Mac data recovery solution. Recover The app makes data recovery in Mac OS X super easy. With just one click of a button, it will run through all of its scanning functions and display a list of files that can be potentially recovered. You can even preview these files so that you can determine which ones can be successfully recovered. If you have the app’s data protection features enabled, some methods of file recovery on your Mac are free! If not, a quick upgrade will enable you to recover your files and get back to work. Protect This product offers three free features that help prevent future data loss, so that you don’t have to stress about recovering deleted files in Mac OS X. Recovery Vault tracks every file removed from your Mac and remembers its location and filename. Guaranteed Recovery makes a copy of every file deleted from the Trash, giving you an 'Undelete' option even after you empty the trash bin. And S.M.A.R.T. Monitoring keeps an eye on your hard drive and warns you if there are any signs that it might be failing. These three features will change the way you think about file recovery on your Mac. Restore Do you have a hard drive or memory card that is suddenly blank or doesn’t show up when you plug it? If so, you may have a lost partition. In most cases, the data is still there, but the 'map' the computer needs to find the data has been corrupted. The tool has several methods that enable you to restore the lost partition and get back your data: Universal Partition Search, Scan for Lost HFS+ Partition and Rebuild HFS+ Catalog file. The app turns 'lost' into 'found'! Hard drive recovery for Mac OS X has never been simpler. Effortlessly The tool puts the emphasis on easy. You shouldn’t have to be a Mac expert to recover files. It has designed a program to ensure that you don’t have to spend hours figuring out a new program. And online knowledgebase provides detailed, step-by-step instructions for each the program feature. On the other hand, if you’re a computer expert, there are plenty of ways for you to customize the recovery process. Free disk tools The app is not only about data recovery. It's packed with useful disk tools for both professionals and home users. The best part of these extra tools is that they are free. There’s no need to buy additional apps to free up space on your hard drive, or create DMG backups, or monitor your disk's health. With DiskDrill you are all covered. Additional tools are free.. forever. Note: Requires 64-bit processor. The recovery feature is disabled in the demo version. Also Available: Download Disk Drill for Windows Comments are closed.
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