CS LABS Data Recovery tool & software compatible User manual

Brand
CS LABS
Model
Data Recovery tool & software compatible
Type
User manual
Data Recovery File Checker Software
Post-Recovery File Discrimination
Introduction
The aim of the Data Recovery(DR) process is to extract as much data possible from damaged
media such as HDDs and Flash devices(USB sticks, Memory Cards, SSDs), or data that have been
accidentally lost by deleting, overwriting, partition formatting, Operation System Re-installation ect
(Logical recovery).
In HDD recovery there could be the need to address hardware problems, such as damaged
heads, bad sectors, or damaged media areas. Usually, after the drive has been stabilized, an imaging
stage is used to extract the data sequentially, in order to cause as less stress on the fragile damaged
drive.
Even if a head stack replacement is successful, there are usually areas of the media that will
not be able to be read, in the form of bad sectors or clusters of bad sectors. This could be due to
mild local media damage, dust particles induced during the head exchange procedure, or slight head
mismatch, or stress during the procedure.
In other cases, there could be severe media damage in one side of one platter, making the
recovery of data from that side impossible.
In logical recovery based on file header, it is frequent the production of damaged files, since
the file searching software usually only checks for headers, while the content could be damaged.
In all of these cases, gaps will be produced in the data image, leading to data loss and damaged
files. Although the filesystem information could be recovered, that info could point to an empty part
of the image, or one with data gaps.
In all the above cases, a post processing of the files is necessary, to clear out the wast files,
from those that are usable.
In some cases, if there recovery is only partial, and depending on the valuing of the data by the
data owner, some mildly damaged but usable files could be accepted, according to specific criteria.
The criteria for the usability of a damaged file differ per file type. For example, a bad sector in
a video file could produce a hardy visible effect on playback. For compressed files though, it
usually renters them useless. A bad sector in a compressed jpeg image file usually produces
discoloration or/and displacement for the part of the image beyond the bad sector position. In this
case, a bad sector in the beginning of the file usually renders it useless, while one near the end of
the file could result in a damaged but usable file. In a case of partial recovery where recovered data
is sparse but highly valued by the user, such files could be considered acceptable, especially in the
case of irreplaceable personal/family data.
The FileChecker Software
The FileChecker Software was developed as a file checking tool that incorporates the
experience of real-world recoveries. It offers full configurability, allowing the user to choose the
action when damage is found to a file, according to the file type, based on the file's extension.
It provides header consistency check for numerous frequently used file extension, while the
known header database can be updated by the user.
Also, it searches for bad sectors, bad zones(clusters of bad sectors ex as a result of a missing
head gap) and bad header (gaps in the header area).
The user can choose the tests to be performed per file type, and the actions to be taken. The
interface provides three(3) groups of extensions, chosen by the user, to be treated separately, plus a
group for the rest of extensions.
The possible actions taken for damaged files can be file marking by file renaming (by adding
a specific extension), auto file deleting, or just reporting. The criteria by which mildly damaged
files are accepted is fully controllable by the user, and chosen by file type (extension). After
checking marked files, those can be mass unmarked or mass deleted. Also, an unmarking and
deleting by file type option is provided.
Proper use of the tool requires some experimentation and experience, to conclude on the type
and extent of damage a file type can endure before it is sorted as unacceptable. Since those criteria
will probably vary by case, different profiles of criteria can be saved as profile files and used in
similar cases.
The tool runs unattended and is fast. File processing speed can be dramatically increased by
choosing to check only the specific file types of interest. In most cases the data owner is interested
in specific file types (photos, videos, movies, documents, spreadsheets, databases etc).
Detailed reports at the end of the processing, provide number of files and damaged files per
file type. Damaged files that pass the check, due to lax criteria are reported separately. A simple
image viewer can be used to check the reported image files, and decide about their usability on the
spot.
Since new file types and extensions emerge every day, a header/extension database manager
allows the addition and editing of new types, complementing the built-in base of frequent file
extensions, to accommodate the users needs now and in the future.
The FileChecker Software is distributed as a shareware. Users can try a fully functional(apart
from disabled multi-instance) 30-day trial, and decide to purchase it if it fits their needs after the
end of the trial period. One PC and five(5) PCs versions are available [The provided code(s) is(are)
functional only on the PC(s) it(they) is(are) issued for, and provided there are no hardware changes
on it(them)].
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CS LABS Data Recovery tool & software compatible User manual

Brand
CS LABS
Model
Data Recovery tool & software compatible
Type
User manual
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