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levmc

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 18, 2019
687
25
I tried to use DiskDrill but it was about $100 to upgrade to the Pro version to recover files.
 
How valuable are those files to you? I've never heard of file recovery software that's free. Backing up regularly is free however.
 
Free - TestDisk https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Download
“TestDisk Step By Step” https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Step_By_Step

Free trial - Ontrack EasyRecovery https://www.ontrack.com/en-us/data-recovery/software
“Recover up to 1 GB* of data ...For files sizes less than 25 MB”
It says:

  • Linux.png
    Under Unix/Linux/BSD, you need to be root to run TestDisk (ie. sudo testdisk-6.13/testdisk_static)
  • Macosx.png
    Under MacOSX, if you are not root, TestDisk (ie testdisk-6.13/testdisk) will restart itself using sudo after confirmation on your part.
  • Os2.png
    Under OS/2, TestDisk doesn't handle a physical device, only a disk image. Sorry.
So I opened terminal and put: sudo testdisk-6.13/testdisk_static
and it's asking for a password. I'm stuck.
 
type in your user password that you log in with

you won't be able to see it typed out, so type it TextEdit or a Note and copy it in, should your password be longer than 4 characters which is the minimum allowed characters for modern macOS'

Or simply if you're unsure about the typed characters
 
It says: "sudo: testdisk-6.13/testdisk_static: command not found"
 
It will be instructive to see if the free file recovery app ever works…
Please post if you succeed, or if you give up on it.
 
OP:

What you've discovered is how "data recovery" applications work.

They'll do "a scan" first (for free) to see if there's enough data to be recovered to "make the software worth paying for".

Then, you pay the registration, get a code and enter it, and then the app goes to work on the drive.

Whether the data on the damaged drive is "worth paying for to get back"... is up to you.
 
"How to Easily Recover Lost Files by Using Photorec"
"How To Recover Files Using TestDisk on MacOS"
 
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