A data recovery software can make a huge difference after a data loss. A readily available data recovery software can help you restore data and workflow in the time of crisis especially when the backup isn’t available or obsolete.
Today, we are going to review one such data recovery software for Windows that promises to recover the deleted, formatted, and lost data in just a few simple clicks. We have tested and reviewed the Stellar Data Recovery software in different test scenarios and thus, can comment that the software indeed stands up to its promises!
Below is the detailed review of the software with test cases and their results. We hope this helps you get the better insights about the software and decide if the software can be helpful for your data loss recovery.
Stellar Data Recovery Software—a Comprehensive Review
If you search for a data recovery software on Google, you will find a list of endless results. But not all data recovery software works the same. Also, some are free while others are paid. But why is that so?
That’s because data recovery is a complex process and different data loss situations require different solutions. For instance, data loss from a complex RAID or NAS server requires a specialized data recovery solution such as the Stellar Data Recovery Technician. Similarly, data loss due to partition loss requires tools and options that can help restore the data from deleted partition.
Moreover, data today plays an integral role and has more value in life—whether it’s an organization or an individual.
Test cases:
Case 1: We ran the software on our Windows PC to find out if it can restore deleted data from the drive
Case 2: Then we formatted the drive and tested the software
Case 3: Further, we deleted the partition containing data to see if it can restore the files
Results:
Case 1: Recover Deleted Data
We created a 4.5GB (4.46GB to be precise) partition on our hard drive to test the software. Here are the containing files on the drive.
Figure 1: Drive containing the files and folders
We started by deleting all the files permanently with CTRL+SHIFT+DEL key combination. And below are the screenshots of the software and recovered files after running a ‘Deep Scan.’
*Deep Scan thoroughly scans each individual sector on the drive for traces of lost and deleted data based on unique file signatures. Thus, deep scan significantly improves the chances of deleted and lost data recovery. Further, the deep scan option facilitates recovery from a severely corrupt drive.
Figure 2: Running ‘Deep Scan’ on the drive after deleting the files
Figure 3: Recovered 100% files and files can be previewed
Surprisingly, the software recovered 100% files without any corruption. Also, we were able to preview the recovered files before saving them on the storage drive.
Case 2: Formatted Drive Recovery
While files are already deleted from the drive, we went ahead and formatted the same drive using the right-click. And then, we format it again with Disk Management tool. Please note that we did ‘Quick Format’ both the times.
Here are the findings:
Figure 5: Running ‘Deep Scan’ on formatted drive
Figure 6: Software recovered 95% of actual deleted data successfully
Figure 7: Able to preview files recovered from a formatted drive
With ‘Deep Scan’ enabled, we were able to retrieve more than 95% of the data from the formatted drive (formatted 2 times)—around 630 MB while in case 1: it was 658 MB. We were able to preview the files as well.
Case 3: Deleted Partition Recovery
In this case, we used Disk Management tool to deleted the E: drive partition, which is already formatted in case 2:
While a system can’t recognize or access the deleted partition, Stellar Data Recovery Promises to restore the deleted data even from a deleted or lost drive partition.
So first, we deleted the volume and then the partition (see screenshot).
Figure 9: Deleted Partition isn’t accessible and thus, not visible under ‘Connected Drive’
Since partition is deleted, it won’t be visible or accessible. So we chose ‘Can’t Find Drive’ under Other locations and clicked ‘Scan’
Figure 10: Using ‘Can’t Find Drive’ to check if software can restore data from the partition we just deleted
- Then selected the drive that contained the deleted partition and clicked ‘Search’
- The software was able to find the deleted partition of size 4.46GB. SO we selected it and clicked ‘Scan’
Figure 11: Searched the drive for the deleted partition- Partition found
The scan was quick and thus, ran ‘Deep Scan’ to see if we can get our data back. And here are the results:
Figure 12: Ran scan on the found partition that was deleted
As you can see, interestingly, the software retrieved more than the data recovered in formatted drive recovery (Case 2 :). However, when we analyzed the files, some of the files were missing and we concluded that the software was able to restore around 90% of the files from a partition—that was also formatted.
Figure 13: Software restored files from the deleted partition successfully and recovered 90% usable files\
Besides above three cases we tested, it also restores data from corrupt or severely corrupt drive volumes.
However, as we mentioned earlier, every data loss situation is different and results can vary. We did immediate recovery and therefore, were able to restore most files successfully with the help of Stellar Data Recovery software.
Points to Remember for a Successful Data Recovery
- Immediately stop using the PC, Laptop or the storage media after the data is deleted or drive partition is formatted. Continued usage of the system or the drive can lead to overwriting that can cause data corruption and may destroy recoverable data beyond the scope of recovery.
- Check backup (if available) for the files that were deleted or formatted and restore them. In case files aren’t there in the backup, use a data recovery software such as the Stellar Data recovery to recover lost data. The sooner you act, the better are the chances of successful data recovery.
- Only use a reliable data recovery software to avoid any damage to the deleted data or the drive.
- Data recovery requires a lot of time, if the size of drive is large, create disk image and perform recovery on the image instead of the drive. This helps in faster recovery and saves damaged or corrupt drive from any further damage.
- Understand the data loss situation and use the data recovery software than can help you get the maximum data back. For instance, if RAID volume is damaged, use the Technician version of Stellar Data Recovery. Never run scan on individual RAID drives to avoid permanent data loss.
For more help, you can always reach out to us via comment section down below.
Conclusion
Overall, the software performed well and did stand up to its promises of being able to recover deleted and lost data from formatted and deleted drive partitions. We were able to recover almost all our deleted data from formatted and deleted hard drive partition. Thus, based on our tests and results, we recommend the software. Also, it’s free to try and the free version allows you to preview the recovered files and restore up to 1GB data.
Read: Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery – Home (Review)
