Recover Deleted Data
with Disk Drill
1
DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL
Readers of Maximum PC can download a special version of
Disk Drill 2 from the developer’s website—just go to http://
win.cleverfiles.com/disk-drill-win2.msi in your web browser.
Once you’ve downloaded the file, double-click it to start the
installation, and click “Next” to continue. Make sure you opt
to install the software to a partition other than the one you
want to recover data from, then complete the installation.2
ACTIVATE
At first, Disk Drill 2 runs with limitations, such as only
being able to recover up to 500MB of data. As a reader
of Maximum PC, however, you can unlock the full version for 18
months. Click the “Activate” button in the splash screen or the
settings menu (the gear/cog icon), and select “Enter activation
code.” Type in “22485-59692-589F6-5A537-42521” without the
quotes [Image A], then click “Activate.”3
SELECT RECOVERY DRIVE
You now see a list of all of the hard drives you have
installed in your computer, and all of their partitions
[Image B]. Choose which drive or partition you want to scan for
recoverable data—either specific files you know the location of,
or just to hunt for anything that is recoverable. Click the down
arrow next to the corresponding “Recovery” button, and you’ll
see a list of available options.4
PERFORM A QUICK SCAN
Try a quick scan of your selected drive first—click this
option in the menu. Despite the name, this process may
take some time, but just how long depends on the size of your
hard drive and the amount of data on it. You can continue to use
your computer while the scan is running, but if you find the scan
slows you down too much, you can click the “Pause” button
[Image C] to temporarily halt it.5
PERFORM A DEEP SCAN
A more thorough option is to perform a deep scan—this
can take significantly longer than a quick scan, but Disk
Drill is far more likely to be able to find recoverable data this
way. There is little for you to do except sit back and wait while
the progress bar lets you know how things are going, and in the
upper-right corner, you’ll see an estimate of how much time
is remaining [Image D].IT’S SOMETHING THAT HAS HAPPENED to all of us at some point—the horrible realization that a
file you need has vanished, maybe deleted, and the Recycle Bin emptied.
With Disk Drill 2, you can get your data back. Maximum PC readers can download a full copy
of this advanced file recovery tool and use it for 18 months completely free of charge—check
out the tutorial below to find out how. If you are impressed by what Disk Drill 2 is capable of,
we’ve teamed up with CleverFiles to bring you the latest version, Disk Drill 4, with even more
advanced features, at a 30 percent discount.
To take advantage of this offer, download the trial version of Disk Drill 4 from http://www.cleverfiles.
com/disk-drill-windows.html, then opt to upgrade it to the full version, using the discount code
(MaximumPC) at the checkout. –MARK WYCIŚLIK-WILSONYOU’LL NEED THIS
DISK DRILL 2
Sign up at
http://win.cleverfiles.com.6
SAVE AND RESTORE SCANNING SESSIONS
If a scan is taking a very long time, and you’d like
to save it so you can come back later, pause the
scan, then click “Save Session” at the top of the screen,
and enter a name for the saved session [Image E]. You can
return to this at a later date by selecting the “Continue”
option from the main drive selection screen.7
BROWSE SCAN RESULTS
Once the scan is complete, any files that have
been found are grouped by type. You can browse
these results just as you would files and folders in
Windows Explorer, and you can mark individual items
for recovery by checking the box next to them. You can
also treat file types that are grouped together as a folder,
checking the relevant box to select all of a particular
type of file [Image F].8
FILTER AND SEARCH RESULTS
If you are having trouble locating a particular file
by browsing, there are various ways to home in
on them. You can use the “by size” and “by date” options
to the left [Image G] to filter files according to how big
they are and when they were created—useful if you know
when you saved a file. You can also use the search box to
the left to look for specific files by name.9
RECOVER DATA
With one or more files selected, click the folder
icon to the right of the blue bar. You can then
select the folder—ideally on a different hard drive or
partition—to which the recovered files should be saved.
Click the “Recover” button at the upper-right of the
program window, and your lost files will be restored,
ready for you to view and work with again [Image H].10
DISK DRILL PROTECTION
Disk Drill includes a handy feature that can be
used to secure your files against loss in the
future. On the main screen, click the “Protect” button to
the right of a drive, and click “OK” when asked. To the
upper-right of the screen, toggle the “Recovery Vault”
switch to the “On” position. Your “Documents” folder is
protected by default, but you can add more if you want. ©^DISK^ DRILL64 MAXIMUMPC MAR 2020 maximumpc.com
R&D