Recover Photos and Videos with Disk Drill 6: New Features and Improvements

Photographs and videos capture life’s moments, making them invaluable. When you experience the frustrating loss of these memories due to a damaged or corrupted storage device, the recovery process can lead from despair to elation when your media is successfully restored.

This article is brought to you by CleverFiles. The views and opinions expressed herein reflect the author’s insights, maintaining editorial independence regardless of the sponsorship.

Understanding Disk Drill 6: The Recovery Solution

Disk Drill 6 is the latest data recovery software from CleverFiles, crafted to assist both professionals and casual users in retrieving lost photos and videos from devices, including cameras, drones, and damaged drives. It supports both Windows and macOS systems, and this review focuses on the Windows iteration.

This updated version of Disk Drill enhances data recovery capabilities, specifically addressing a common limitation of competing tools: the reconstruction of fragmented files. Many tools struggle to restore intact files, often only retrieving bits and pieces. Disk Drill, however, excels at reassembling fragmented data from formatted SD cards and damaged drives in various cameras. Notably, it can also recover files from GoPro cameras, though this requires physically removing the SD card and connecting it to a computer rather than directly connecting the camera.

For optimal recovery results, users can specify their device type and parameters, which is not mandatory but can significantly enhance the chances of successful data retrieval.

Capabilities of Disk Drill

While Disk Drill 6 does not claim to be a miracle solution, its array of improvements and features makes it a powerful tool for recovering various types of media. Here are some key highlights:

Enhanced Camera Recovery: Effectively retrieves deeply fragmented files from major camera brands.
Compatibility with Microsoft’s ReFS (Resilient File System).
Remote RAID detection and SSH recovery capabilities.
APFS recovery support even on Windows systems.
BitLocker-encrypted partition recovery available on Mac.
Byte-to-byte backup functionality offering up to a 60% improvement in recovery success for failing drives.
Accelerated scan times with up to a 25% increase in speed.
Enhanced recovery performance—up to 20% more files retrievable from exFAT, NTFS, and APFS partitions.
Versatile recovery options for HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, SD cards, and iPhone/Android devices (Mac only).
Supports a wide range of file types beyond just media files.

In addition to file recovery, Disk Drill also offers:

SMART Drive monitoring to assess drive health.
Data Shredder feature (available on Mac).
File cleanup and duplicate file finder tools (on Mac).

Getting Started with Disk Drill

Disk Drill 6 offers a free version to help assess its suitability before purchase. On Windows, users can preview up to 500 MB of recoverable data and access unlimited previews. Mac users can access files safeguarded by Recovery Vault or Guaranteed Recovery along with limitless previews.

For Windows, ensure your system runs on Windows 10 x64 or newer (or Server 2016 or later).Mac users will need macOS 10.15 or higher, including support for Sequoia, Ventura, and Sonoma, along with Apple Silicon (M1-M4) compatibility. Additionally, the system requirements include at least 1 GB of storage, 4 GB of RAM, and a 1 GHz x64 CPU or better.

Initiating the setup is straightforward: download the version applicable to your OS and proceed with installation. The website efficiently detected my system specifications without issue.

The interface is user-friendly, displaying all connected drives, including internal drives. Users can filter devices under Storage Devices, including network drives. If a drive is not visible, activating the Show Hidden Items option may help.

Exploring the interface and choosing a drive.

Initiating the Recovery Process

For testing, I loaded an SD card with 22 files, including wallpapers and video files, and then formatted it multiple times. This SD card had previously hosted files and was reformatted as part of my testing procedure.

In the software, I selected the drive and opted for Search for Lost Data, choosing Universal Scan since this was not a camera or drone storage.

After initiating the scan, results began populating within seconds, with most files detected on my 8 GB SD card and even a lost partition identified.

Scanning a device and viewing results during.

The complete scan took only seven minutes, significantly quicker than previous tools I’ve employed. Generally, expedited scans compromise quality, yet my expectations were exceeded with Disk Drill’s effective performance.

The software provides file previews to verify correctness before recovery, along with chance indicators for successful retrieval. While my images indicated a low recovery probability, my videos showed average to high chances.

Users can select specific items for recovery or opt for Recover All. Given that I was on the free version, I selected three files totaling 424 MB.

Next, it’s crucial to specify a different location for storing recovered files to avoid overwriting the original, potentially irretrievable data. For me, the recovery time was just around a minute for the three smaller files.

Data recovery complete notice in Disk Drill 6.

Despite the low recovery probability indicated for my images, they were restored perfectly, alongside flawless video retrieval.

Utilizing Advanced Camera Recovery

Even without a digital camera, I still use SD cards. For those recovering files specifically from cameras, it’s beneficial to use the Advanced Camera Recovery option. This allows users to select their camera type, cluster size, and cluster start. If these parameters are unknown, there’s no need to worry; the software will still function effectively.

Selecting options for the Advanced Camera Recovery.

The scanning process mirrors that of any other device, allowing users to preview and recover desired files, often yielding superior results due to its focused approach on cameras, drones, and compatible SD cards.

Exploring Additional Features of Disk Drill 6

Disk Drill excels in file recovery, but it also provides useful additional utilities. The Clean Up feature allows users to visualize data usage on their drives, pinpointing files consuming the most space. This feature quickly generates a clear overview of your system’s storage.

Creating a Recovery Vault establishes a dedicated space functioning as an extended Recycle Bin, providing a safeguard against accidental deletions. This feature preserves metadata, simplifying future file recovery.

The Byte-to-byte Backup feature is another key tool, allowing users to back up data from failing drives, albeit with a caution that it may worsen drive conditions. Despite the risk, if essential data preservation is prioritized, the trade-off can be worth it. Following the backup, users can utilize Disk Drill 6 to recover any corrupted files from the backup image.

Plans and Pricing Overview

The free version of Disk Drill, while somewhat restrictive, is valuable for assessing whether the software meets your requirements. I found the preview functionality useful for determining potential recoverable files.

For those who find viable recovery options, considering the Pro Plan for $89 is advisable; it offers unlimited recoveries across up to three devices but is limited to a single user. Additionally, lifetime upgrades can be purchased for just $19 more.

If multi-user capabilities are essential, the Enterprise Plan is available for $499, supporting up to 10 users, with lifetime upgrades offered for an additional $99.

In conclusion, my experiences with Disk Drill 6 highlight its status as one of the fastest and most effective data recovery tools available. I was highly impressed with its capabilities, particularly in retrieving files from an SD card with a tumultuous history of usage and formatting.

If your camera, SD card, or hard drive is damaged or corrupted, consider trying Disk Drill 6 for free and reclaim your treasured memories.

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