Data Recovery Digest

WinUndelete is a recovery application offered by Undelete for many Windows systems. It has an impressive range of support, starting with Windows 98 all the way through to Windows 8. Of course, in order to accurately know the usefulness of the software it is important to cover all of the feature available. So what does WinUndelete have to offer?

The answer, an impressive range of supported situations in which it functions. It allows files that were either purposely deleted through the recycle bin or those which bypassed it all together. It also can recover files that were cut and never pasted, or files deleted by malicious viruses. Of course, a main selling point is the fact that it recovers files deleted before the application was installed.

It can also scan more than just Hard Drives. Amusingly, it supports many outdated storage mediums, including the floppy disk (if you still have a drive for one!). Winundelete also offer recovery functions on USB flash drives and Digital Camera cards. When restoring files, it restores original information such as last modified and creation data. The GUI is easy enough to use with straightforward sorting options to help users quickly locate missing files. Sorting options include name, type, size and date. Another great features is that it lets you preview images before recovering them, to make sure they are the files you want (because file names are not always indicative).

Winundelete boasts a very broad coverage of file recovery, but are there any aspects in which it falls down? Unfortunately, the answer is yes, albeit the issue is not a major caveat. Having previously used the software when a user account was delete, it was not able to fully recover that said user account and reinstate it into windows. While this might be a big ask, it was not ideal. An identical account was created and some information was recovered, but it is worth noting that all deleted video files and WMM (Windows Movie Maker files) were corrupted and entirely unwatchable.

So while the recovery software has a lot to offer, it is usually unlikely to be able to fully restore an video formats (it will on occasion work, but around one in three files will be lost). Fortunately, the creators allow users to try the program before they buy it, however, expect to be met by a demand for payment before restoring files that it discovers (users may preview them but not restore without providing payment). On the plus side, the website does include a tutorial, which is useful for users who are not used to recovery software or aware of all of the functions.

To Conclude, WinUndelete is a pretty impressive program overall, offering a surprisingly large range of Windows Compatibility, due to the age and legacy of the Software. The most important thing here is to approach the software not expecting all of your problems to be solved and then be pleasantly surprised if they are. If it is just documents you are interesting in recovering, or you still use Windows 98 then Winundelete will do exactly what it says on the tin.