How to Use PhotoRec and the Best Alternative of It

PhotoRec is a reliable file recovery tool that allows you to recover different file types including documents, multimedia, archives, and more from a wide range of storage mediums such as USB drives, hard disk drives, memory cards, etc. Apart from these, the tool is also capable of recovering data from digital cameras and it works with all common file systems.

Part 1: How to Use PhotoRec

Follow these instructions to know how to use PhotoRec:

Step 1: First, download install, and launch PhotoRec on your computer. Run the program as administrator.

Step 2: Use Up/Down arrow keys to choose the disk you wish to work with and then press Enter.

Step 3: Now there will be three options to choose from i.e. Search, Options, and File Opt. For data recovery, select Search to proceed.

Step 4: Next, you must select a Partition of the hard drive which you wish to scan for deleted files. The information of the file system will be required. Choose Other unless the file system is ext2, ext3, or ext4.

Step 5: Once you have selected the partition, you have two options to choose from i.e. Free and Whole. Choose the Free option if you wish to recover your deleted files or Select the whole options if the file system is corrupted.

Step 6: The next step is to choose the folder/directory where your files were located before deletion. Use Up/Down arrow keys to navigate to the folder of your choice.

Step 7: Once you have selected the folder, the restoring process will begin. Wait for it to complete.

Step 8: Now see the outcome of the restoring process. You should also scan the recovered files with your antivirus/anti-malware program as PhotoRec might have restored some Trojans.

Part 2: The Best Alternative of PhotoRec – iMyFone AnyRecover

If you think that PhotoRec is a bit difficult to use and you are looking for an easy but similarly effective alternative, then we recommend you to have a try of iMyFone AnyRecover. iMyFone AnyRecover is the best alternative of PhotoRec due to many reasons. One of the primary reasons to use AnyRecover is its user-friendly interface. 

You won’t have to struggle when choosing a recovery mode, selecting the folder for recovery, previewing recoverable files, etc. when you are using iMyFone AnyRecover. Apart from this, this tool is just as effective as PhotoRec because it can recover virtually all kinds of files from different file systems.

Steps to Recover Deleted/Lost Photos from Computer:

Step 1. Download, install, and launch iMyFone AnyRecover on your computer.

Step 2. From its list of recovery modes, click on ‘Deleted Files Recovery’.

Step 3. Now navigate to the location that you wish to scan for deleted photos, select file type and click the Start button. AnyRecover will start the scanning process.

Step 4. Once the scan is completed, you can preview the photos and selectively to recover them. After selection, click the ‘Recover’ button to recover them.

Part 3: Comparison of PhotoRec and AnyRecover

While both PhotoRec and AnyRecover are reliable data recovery tools, there are some differences between them and these differences can help you determine which one is better and more suitable for you. 

Features	AnyRecover	PhotoRec
Deep Scan
Trash/Recycle Bin Recovery
Preview Data
Multiple Files Recovery
Partition Recovery
Multiple Files Recovery
Scan Specific Path
Scan Specific File Type
User-friendly Interface
Multiple Recovery Modes Available

As far as the features are concerned, both tools are equipped with powerful and advanced features and recovery modes. However, iMyFone AnyRecover is a better option for most users.

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