How to try restoring damaged photos or videos
How to try restoring damaged photos or videos
I am submitting this report under "Apps and Software" because there seems to be no better option left, yet I still hope it will be accepted.
My issue is...
Long ago, my laptop ran Windows XP. Because of certain events, I needed to perform a fresh installation of the latest Windows version on that machine. I created a manual backup of all my personal and crucial files onto an external drive (using drag-and-drop) and believed I had secured everything essential. Then I started the formatting and installation process. But soon after, I remembered with shock that I had overlooked a vital folder containing my personal photos and videos taken with my digital camera at that time. I stopped the process immediately, shut down the laptop, and waited for it to restart while the OS was still running. Later, I located that folder, transferred it to the external drive, and resumed the installation.
Upon inspecting the files on the external storage, I discovered that some had been damaged and were no longer readable. Feeling frustrated and embarrassed (these were all originals in high resolution), I decided to postpone fixing this problem. I must confess it’s been nearly a decade since then. Today, I managed to gather the courage and investigated whether there was any way to repair or recover the corrupted files.
I recalled then that I had encountered Piriform's "Recuva" and thought it might help. But now I realize this kind of recovery tool is usually intended for the actual drive holding the damaged files, not just a copy I moved to the external storage.
So my question remains (and I might be mistaken here, as it’s possible I should have asked in a photography forum...), whether there exists any specialized software that could address this situation?
I came across this website:
https://www.easeus.com/file-recovery/fil...overy.html
It promotes the software 'EaseUS' and lists several alternatives below. I’m unsure if using it would worsen the situation, as it might not be the right fit for this recovery type.
Any feedback, no matter how small, is appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
A
copy
of that folder with incomplete or damaged files is worthless when using recovery software.
One issue is, particularly with items like pictures and videos...you really need the whole file for it to work.
The Mona Lisa with the top 1/3 missing is...just a waste of canvas.
A jpg of the Mona Lisa with the first 1/3 gone might not even be readable as a jpg. Recovery tools could just restore a bunch of tiny .txt files.
Other software to try:
Autopsy
These instruments might restore removed data.
They cannot repair damaged files.
If the format or whatever process you used erased some or all of the file...it is lost.
Even if recovery tools display the file name, that doesn’t guarantee the original file is usable.
Displaying the file name is similar to checking the table of contents for a book.
Just because the TOC mentions something on page 83 doesn’t mean that page actually exists.
The issue that the thread starter outlines is a sign of not partitioning and saving personal files on a different partition than the system partition. Unfortunately, this is the standard configuration set by most laptop manufacturers.
Keeping files in the same partition as Windows can expose them to risks such as update bugs or data loss during a reinstallation.
Hello and thank you for your response!
I found your message very interesting and wanted to clarify a few points.
You suggested possibly recovering deleted files while not fixing corrupted ones. Based on my understanding, it seems I have encountered both issues.
After reviewing the file sizes of unreadable files again following your comments about overwritten files and the TOC problem, I realized there might be a pattern.
If the files had similar sizes to the existing working photos or videos in the same folder, they would likely only be corrupted. However, if their sizes were much smaller compared to those files, it could mean they are essentially just index entries of the deleted data on the original hard drive.
It turns out this is happening. Some files show low values, while others have higher values similar to the previous or next files in KB. This leads me to believe that the latter ones are likely gone forever, whereas the former ones might still be recoverable.
Going back to my original question... do you know of any programs that could possibly help with these types of files? I’m not sure about their success rate, but someone suggested trying this tool:
https://www.z-a-recovery.com/download.aspx
I’m still unsure and worried about whether all recovery tools rely on accessing the original hard drive or if there’s a way to save partially corrupted files like the ones I’m dealing with now.
Appreciate any advice you can offer.
Yes, I understand. The method of partitioning back then was completely unreasonable. But considering what was described before, it was 12 years ago and technology has improved significantly. We can all agree that things were quite chaotic at that time, but the consequences are already done. Now I'm just trying to find a solution or a tool to fix it. If you have any suggestions in this direction, your input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
A
copy
of that folder with incomplete or damaged files is ineffective for recovery software.
One issue is, particularly with items like pictures and videos...you truly require the full set for it to work.
The Mona Lisa missing the top one-third is...completely useless on canvas.
A jpg of the Mona Lisa with the first third removed might not even be readable as a jpg. Recovery tools could simply restore a bunch of tiny .txt files.
Other software to consider:
Autopsy
You WILL need additional storage space to recover from.
Thanks for the suggestion regarding the Open Source Program. I plan to give it a shot and return with the outcomes soon. Please allow some time, but I believe I can handle this within the next weeks or months. By the way, I wonder if your response suggests that recovery tools are not an option here. Let me know if I'm misunderstanding.
All possibilities remain open until something is shown to be incorrect.