There is a need for adopting more flexible approach when designing business continuity schemes. The increased reliance on advanced storage technology has caused organizations to suffer from data loss over and again. In order to help you escape the limitations of inefficient storage solutions, various data recovery applications have hit the market that provide greater resilience against data disasters and reduce significant downtime. One of these applications is Stellar Windows Data Recovery v6.0. The software eases the data recovery task by providing speedy and scalable environment to fit the needs of all groups of Windows users, i.e. home users, professionals, and technicians.
Overview
Due to the number of choices available, it is difficult to determine the right data recovery solution that should be funded. Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery is certainly worth a try given its ability to restore larger disks and partitions, short data recovery procedure, and high degree of flexibility. The tool makes data recovery viable for any kinds of data loss situations, including accidental file deletion, media formatting, disk corruption, system crashes, and more. The software incorporates data recovery modules that have been completely reworked in the latest version to provide a new level of comfort and performance.
UI Design
The software features a consistent and understandable design that helps to keep errors at bay. The preview window comprises three panes to display files before final recovery. You will find different data recovery options on a flying pane that emerges to the right of the interface. Given the easy-to-use controls and simple instructions to run different modules, it is fairly easy for anyone to get started with this application without a hitch.
Tests
In order to get a deep insight into the functioning and behavior of the software under various data loss scenarios, we ran different tests on its modules.
Test Environment
We prepared a new system running Windows 7 and having a lacie 500 GB external hard drive. The external hard drive was NTFS-formatted and had 200 GB worth of files. The hard drive contained two partitions, i.e. 250 GB (containing data) and 200 GB (empty).
Advanced Recovery
Test 1: By executing a few commands at the command prompt, we reformatted the 250 GB partition on the external hard drive. We used ‘quick format’. Run ‘Advanced Recovery’ of Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery on this partition
Results: The recovery procedure took five minutes and showed the results in the main interface. The process uncovered almost every file that was present on the partition before reformatting. This was expected though as a quick format doesn’t write 0’s and 1’s over and over, and the software had a pretty good chance at retrieving the partition data intact.
Test 2: We reformatted the 250 GB partition again, but following a different approach. This time, we used full format and were vaguely curious for the results. Again, used the ‘Advanced Recovery’ option to recover the data
Results: The software won the test this time too, showing the complete partition with all the files that have disappeared due to reformatting.
Deleted Recovery
Test: We deleted 5 GB worth of files (rarely used) on that partition, and then copied a few files residing on the internal drive to the 250 GB partition on external drive. Ran ‘Deleted Recovery’ to scan and recover the deleted files only
Results: The software was able to recover data around 4.6 GB of the total deleted 5 GB. This was possibly due to the overwriting that took place because of the copy operation. The files were recovered with the exact names.
Searching Lost Volumes
Test: We initially copied some data to the 200 GB partition (previously empty) on the external drive, and then deleted the partition. Next, expanded the 250 GB partition to make it 450 GB and installed Windows Vista (that took only 3.5 GB) on the external drive. Ran the tool and scanned the external drive with ‘Click Here to Search Lost Volumes’ option.
Results: The software was unable to search the 200 GB partition that existed on the external drive, even after scanning the drive for full 20 minutes. Next, we ran ‘Raw Recovery’ on this drive in order to reclaim some of the data. With this module, the software showed a few files that were there on the deleted partition. Though the tool failed the test, we were able to retrieve files by running ‘Raw Recovery’.
Photo Recovery
Test: We added 4 GB worth of photos of different types (JPG, BMP, PNG) to the external drive, and then deleted them using ‘Shift+Delete’. Ran ‘Photo Recovery’ for recovering the lost pictures lost pictures.
Results: The scanning process stopped momentarily, and then took just a few seconds to finish. The software displayed files under a ‘Classic Tree’ in the left pane according to the file types. Fortunately, we could see all the files (4 GB data) that were added to the external drive.
The software provides options to customize the recovery process to the desired level of flexibility. Once the tool displays files in the main interface, you can use these options to trim down the list of items to be recovered. The left pane contains three tabs: ‘Classic Tree’, ‘File Type List’, and ‘Filtered Tree’. Use ‘File Type List’ to organize files into different groups according to file types. Select ‘Filtered Tree’ to filter the tree-structured list displayed in the left pane.
When you select ‘Filtered Tree’ and click on the ‘+’ button, you will get the following dialog as shown. You can apply a file mask based on file type, file size, date range, and other criteria. The software will trim down the list according to the specified masking criteria.
Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery also incorporates ‘Email Recovery’, ‘CD DVD Recovery’, imaging, cloning, and other features. These tests were skipped due to time constraints.
Pros
Easy-to-use application for enhanced productivity
Fully integrated set of data recovery modules
Shows preview without opening a separate application
Cons
A little pricey product
Scanning may takes longer for complex recoveries or for large capacitive storage devices.
The Verdict
This piece of software is produced out of a desire to make data recovery a cinch on Windows. You can fall back on this data recovery solution in times you are hit by serious data disasters like formatted/reformatted drives, permanent file deletion, disk corruption, and more. The tool can recover files, photos, partitions, and any type of data from your Windows system. The software is a complete package of data recovery options that can be customized to improve performance and recovery time. The inherent disadvantage of the tool is its price. Sometimes, you may not get what you expect in the worst-case data loss scenarios.
