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Help Guide

Help Guide

FileRestorePlus Quick Tips

The following are some quick tips to maximize the chances of recovering your files successfully.

  • FileRestorePlus' Default Scan Technology is a very fast and efficent way to recover your file(s) in most scenarios. If you have trouble opening the files recovered by the Default Scan please use the SmartScan.
  • WebMinds recommends using FileRestorePlus from a removable USB thumb drive. This will prevent any deleted files from being overwritten on your main drive.
  • WebMinds recommends recovering all files to a different drive than where they were originally located. You can recover your files to a removable USB drive, thus preventing the recovered files from overwriting any other deleted information.
  • If you cannot view your recovered photo in Windows Photo Viewer, then we suggest to use a different program to view it. Right click on the recovered file and choose "Open With", then choose a different program. We recommend trying Internet Explorer first. If that fails, there are some free photo viewers available to use such as Irfanview, Photoscape, or FastStone Image Viewer.
  • If you have attempted recovery and you were unsuccessful, please enable the SmartScan Technology under "Settings".
  • If you are attempting to recover a file for a 2nd time, be sure to recover the file to a different location than it was recovered to the first time.

FileRestorePlus Advanced Tips

The following are some more advanced tips to maximize the chances of recovering your files successfully.

  1. Immediately after you realize you deleted a file and it is no longer in the Recycling Bin, stop using the computer and/or drive that contained the deleted file. This prevents the file from being overwritten.
  2. Download FileRestorePlus and install it on a removable media such as a flash drive or USB hard drive. Again this prevents the file from being overwritten.
  3. Bring the removable media to the computer with the deleted file and run FileRestorePlus from the removable media. To save time, only select the drive letter for the drive that contained the deleted file.
  4. When the scan completes narrow down the scan results by selecting the category and file type that pertains to your deleted file.
  5. When you have located your deleted file, select it.
  6. Before clicking the recover file button, be sure to change the recovery location for the file just above the Status pane on the main FileRestorePlus screen. Be sure the location you select does not point to the drive that the deleted file used to be stored on. This prevents overwriting some or all of the data you are trying to recover.
  7. Now click the "Recover File" button.
  8. Once recovery is complete click the "View Your Files Now!" button to open the folder containing your recovered file.
  9. SUCCESS! You have now successfully recovered your file.

Having trouble locating your file or files in the scan results? Use these tips to help you locate your file quickly and easily:

  1. Use the File Categories and File Types in the left pane to narrow your search results.
  2. Sort the results pane by name in alphabetical order before looking through the results for the filename.
  3. In some cases when a file is deleted, the original filename is lost. If you can't find your file by name, be sure to follow tip 1. then sort the results pane by size, so that the largest files are at the top of the list.
    • There are many small deleted images on your hard drive that were placed on your drive while you were viewing web pages, reading email, or installing and removing applications.
    • Most of the images that you would be looking for are much larger, therefore they would also take up more space. Start at the top of the list (the largest files are now at the top) and work your way down until you locate your file.
  4. Use one of FileRestorePlus' Advanced Scan Technologies the SmartScan or the DeepScan. Visit the support section of the website to learn more about these two Advanced Scan Technologies.

Having trouble viewing a recovered image or photo? Is your image or photo opening in the built- in Windows photo viewing application known as "Windows Picture and Fax Viewer", "Windows Photo Gallery", "Windows Photo Viewer", or "Preview"?

If so, the file is not likely to be corrupt. The built-in photo viewer that goes by the above names is very limited. There are many cases where this built-in viewer just simply won't display a particular image or photo properly.

If you are experiencing this problem try opening your image or photo with one of these popular applications:

Included with Windows:

  • Internet Explorer
  • Paint or mspaint

Free Download:

  • Mozilla FireFox
  • Irfanview

To open your image or photo with one of these programs right click on the file and click "Open With". If the program you wish to use is in the list, click it. If the program you want to use is not in the list click "Choose Program..." for more program options.

Unable to open the recovered file?

Check to see if the type of file you are trying to recover is supported by FileRestorePlus' SmartScan Technology. If your file type is supported by the SmartScan Technology, enable the SmartScan Technology under "Settings" and select the file type of your deleted file. Selecting just the file type of your deleted file will save scan time.

Remember, when recovering your file, recover the file to a drive other than the drive that it was deleted from.