Data Recovery on the Mac
I’ve recently been trying out Data Rescue 3 from Prosoft Engineering for the Mac. This software package is intended for anyone who wants to recover accidentally deleted files, access data on a damaged drive with a view to restoring it, or simply examine files to see if they can be rescued. The program works with both internal and external hard drives, usb sticks and even flash cards from digital cameras.
You get a number of recovery options – ranging from a quick scan, to a search for accidentally deleted files and on to a deep scan for the most demanding of recovery jobs. Be prepared for the fact that some of these scans can take a long time to run, particularly if you are performing say a deep scan on a sizeable hard drive. Might be worth setting it up to run overnight.
However, the package is very easy to use, recognizes a large number of common file types and the results are impressive. On a recent deep scan of an old external drive, I recovered a whole bunch of family pictures I’d completely forgotten about from years back.
Data Rescue 3 isn’t that cheap, currently selling for around $99. However, when it gives you the opportunity to recover those precious files you thought lost forever, then it might just be money well spent. It’s one piece of Mac software I certainly wouldn’t be without.
Check it out over at www.prosoftengineering.com