Luckily, there are some reliable ways of recovering lost photos. Below are some valuable tips that will help you recover your photos.
Impulsive and unwise choices are sometimes made when panic sets in, therefore making any decision in haste is not a wise move. Take the time to browse the leading sites dedicated to new technologies and forums to find the best solution. In case of doubt, it is better to ask a professional to recover deleted photos.
In the case of physical damage to the hard drive or memory card (impact, fire or liquid damage), disconnect it immediately and do not do anything else. Any other action may increase the risk of no longer being able to successfully recover deleted photos. You should instead contact a specialist company such as Ontrack that has the experience and equipment to recover deleted photos.
There are many software packages available on the internet, like PhotoRec, but you must be careful with which software you choose to avoid causing more damage and the chance of never being able to recover your photos.
For a more practical and less risky solution, look for software published by experts in the recovery field, such as Ontrack EasyRecovery. This software offers both a simple, easy to use interface along with outstanding performance.
If you have stored your family photos or professional shots on a hard drive that has suffered from any of the issues mentioned above, don’t despair, because there is still a chance to get them back. Depending on the severity of the problem, it is possible to use a software to recover the photos, like Ontrack EasyRecovery for Windows or for Mac. For an effective recovery of your photos, choose one of Ontrack’s data recovery solutions – either remotely or in a lab.
Ensure you disconnect the key safely. Forced removal can sometimes make the data loss situation worse. If the disconnection does not work, turn off your computer before you remove the USB key. After you have installed the recovery software of your choice, choose the partition that will host the images you need to recover. The partition must have enough space, preferably larger than the size of the USB key.
If you are on a laptop, remember to connect it to a power supply to ensure you can start the image data recovery operation – you don’t want your laptop running out of battery halfway through!
If you have accidentally deleted some of your photos stored on an SD card, remember that not everything is lost yet. You can actually use a software to recover your deleted photos. Ontrack EasyRecovery is an excellent software choice; easy to use thanks to its simplified interface, the software will allow you to recover your photos in a few clicks.
Launch the recovery software. When you have started it a selection of images will be displayed: hard drive, USB key, CD, mobile device, RAID. Choose the media that is applicable to your recovery.
Choose the storage device with the deleted files and initiate the search.
The software will display all the recoverable files. Simply select the data you want to restore and click on "Recover" to start the process. Once the data has been recovered, you should get into the habit of backing up your sensitive data.
It is critical to shut down the device completely as soon as you realise you need the photos back. If you have an SSD, the longer a device is left running, the higher chance the data will be zeroed out (this is due to the trim function) and you risk making the deletion permanent. If you have a HDD, ongoing usage of the device will eventually overwrite the deleted files, also rendering the loss permanent.
The data recovery software will recognise a signature of 8-10 characters that identifies the file type. The drive continues the scan and will then recognise the signature for the next file; this allows the software to identify all the data held between these two signatures as belonging to the same file and is then able to reconstruct the deleted file.
Remember: it is always best to have an up to date backup copy of your files so no matter what happens to your photos, you always have a reliable backup you can revert to when necessary.
Digital photos can come in a variety of formats:
And can also be stored in a wide array of devices:
There are now software programs available that can fully recover deleted photos, including Ontrack EasyRecovery for iPhone. To recover the deleted photos on an iPhone, simply follow these few steps: