What Data Recovery software recovers partition(s) if drive has been formatted?

nyhk · 03-08-2008, 08:01 PM

The talk was about recovering data from sectors that has been overwritten. And then is doesn't matter where and and who stored it there.

The profs have other ways of getting data out of a drive. They don't need a fully working rotating platter

SirKenin · 03-09-2008, 02:05 AM

I'm not sure who feeds people these lines of nonsense. Harddrives can be recovered from three formats ago. I've done it, whether it was overwritten, partitioned, formatted or whatever. I have tools that enable me to do it.

The only way to prevent something like that is to do file shredding, minimum 7 passes. Otherwise, chances are decent that the data can be pulled. We even have the ability to pull data off of broken or burned platters in many cases.

nyhk · 03-09-2008, 02:41 AM

You cannot possible recover data that has been overwritten.

First off, it requires very special equipment. The electronics in a harddrive is not capable of doing it, and therefore you cannot possible recover anything with simple software.

Second, the data density and precision of moderns harddrives makes it impossible for even specialists to recover a drive that has been overwritten just one time.

Overwriting a disk is not the same as formatting it.

douche · 03-09-2008, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlarkin

Just because you haven't written any user data to a sector it doesn't mean the OS hasn't threaded or cached something there.

Doesn't the OS cache also disappear when power is off? If not, where is it stored?

Quote:

Also, if you have many different copies of the same file an older version can be restored, well with other filing systems.

Just how old? Let's say i have 6 versions of a file, wouldn't it be MORE likely to restore the latest 3?

Quote:

How are you going to put back together a cracked platter?

Well, unless it's in bits & pieces, i suppose it can't be too hard

Quote:

Originally Posted by SirKenin

The only way to prevent something like that is to do file shredding, minimum 7 passes.

How can you do file shredding?

Quote:

We even have the ability to pull data off of broken or burned platters in many cases.

That's quite an impressive claim. How do you even begin doing this? Yet, file shredding, as you call it, prevents this? How so? Apparently, you must be a Data Recovery-ONLY specialist, then, like SalvationData.com or something?

Quote:

Originally Posted by nyhk

You cannot possible recover data that has been overwritten.

First off, it requires very special equipment.

What equipment would that be?

Quote:

therefore you cannot possible recover anything with simple software.

So, is Active@ Partition Recovery considered "simple?" What software, then, is able to recover partitions than have been formatted over? (I believe that's the title of this thread, anyway.) I haven't had time to try A@PR, yet. I'll report back here the results.

hermeslyre · 03-09-2008, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by douche

How can you do file shredding?

There are a bunch of apps out there, and i believe with a bit of effort you can easily create your own file shredder.

http://www.fileshredder.org/

I personally use this on the earsing setting, 8 pass, but it sees' a 35 pass setting as well. It's also very unintrusive and resource light, a simple right click is that is required.

nyhk · 03-09-2008, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by douche

What equipment would that be?

a magnetic force scanning tunneling microscope

tlarkin · 03-09-2008, 05:45 PM

Modern OSes are journaled filing systems. They leave bits and pieces of data all over the place. Not everything is always cleared out of memory, and when solid state becomes the standard it will be even more so the case.

I am not saying it is always possible, but I am also saying its not impossible either. It just depends on a case by case basis. It all depends on how much it has actually been overwritten. Which is why secure delete programs do random write 0s over 8 times in a row just to be sure.

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03-08-2008, 08:01 PM	#11 (permalink)
nyhk Silver Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 152	The talk was about recovering data from sectors that has been overwritten. And then is doesn't matter where and and who stored it there. The profs have other ways of getting data out of a drive. They don't need a fully working rotating platter

03-09-2008, 02:05 AM	#12 (permalink)
SirKenin banned Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 4,711	I'm not sure who feeds people these lines of nonsense. Harddrives can be recovered from three formats ago. I've done it, whether it was overwritten, partitioned, formatted or whatever. I have tools that enable me to do it. The only way to prevent something like that is to do file shredding, minimum 7 passes. Otherwise, chances are decent that the data can be pulled. We even have the ability to pull data off of broken or burned platters in many cases.

03-09-2008, 02:41 AM	#13 (permalink)
nyhk Silver Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 152	You cannot possible recover data that has been overwritten. First off, it requires very special equipment. The electronics in a harddrive is not capable of doing it, and therefore you cannot possible recover anything with simple software. Second, the data density and precision of moderns harddrives makes it impossible for even specialists to recover a drive that has been overwritten just one time. Overwriting a disk is not the same as formatting it.

03-09-2008, 05:45 PM	#17 (permalink)
tlarkin VIP Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 5,944	Modern OSes are journaled filing systems. They leave bits and pieces of data all over the place. Not everything is always cleared out of memory, and when solid state becomes the standard it will be even more so the case. I am not saying it is always possible, but I am also saying its not impossible either. It just depends on a case by case basis. It all depends on how much it has actually been overwritten. Which is why secure delete programs do random write 0s over 8 times in a row just to be sure.