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In my series of reviewing free data recovery software, this is the third software. I will review Disk Drill 6.0 today and assess its performance. I am going to review the Basic/Free version of Disk Drill on my Windows computer.
I have already used Disk Drill many times before, and I am always astonished by its scanning capabilities. However, we provide only 100MB of free storage space for recovery. If you wish to recover more data, the Pro version is available for $89.00 USD for a lifetime. The Pro version comes with unlimited data recovery for a single user. It comes with additional features, such as data loss protection.
However, the free plan is great for checking its scanning capabilities and even recovering your data if it is under 100MB. If you have more data and it is essential to you, you can upgrade to the Pro version at any time.
So, without any delays, let’s get started with our review.
User-Interface and Ease-of-Use
The program’s initial appearance is sleek and modern. Functions are easy to understand. In the left sidebar, we get all the features and options available for recovery, along with some extra tools. We can use Disk Drill to recover data from Hardware disks, logical volumes, RAID, NAS, and other storage devices, such as flash drives and SD cards.
We simply need to select the drive from which we want to recover the data and click ‘Search for lost data’. The scan starts immediately, and we are directed to a new page displaying all the details about the recovered data.
While the scan is running, we can click on a specific section, such as Pictures, Videos, or Documents, and view what is being recovered. We also get a preview of the recovered files and information on whether they can be recovered or not.
You can also examine the file’s hex code if you prefer.
Disk Drill Features
Disk Drill offers 100MB of free data recovery, which isn’t impressive compared to other alternatives, such as EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard and Stellar Free Data Recovery software. However, besides recovery, it also offers additional features, including data protection with Recovery Vault, Free byte-level backups, lost file previewing, and recovery predictability. It can recover data from laptops, PCs, HDDs, SSDs, USB Drives, SD/CF cards, digital cameras, RAID arrays, NAS devices, and Android/iOS devices (in macOS versions).
It can recover most types of files, including videos, audio files, images, document archives, and other file types such as OTF and SQL files. The company promises that the software can recover files from empty recycle bins, crashed hard drives, formatted external drives, infected files, lost partitions, raw file systems, and corrupted memory cards.
The free version is suitable for scanning your data and seeing if there are chances of recovery. Make sure to verify the data before going for the paid plan for recovery. In some cases, this software can display file information based on available metadata, rather than the actual file contents. Check the refund policies as well before making a purchase.
Before we proceed
In the case of NAND flash-based storage with TRIM enabled, there is a chance that the data may be lost entirely and cannot be recovered. When we delete data from SSDs or flash drives, the TRIM command marks it as invalid immediately; however, the physical erasure isn’t immediate. Therefore, the data remains intact and can be recovered. However, once the process of garbage collection is run, your data is completely gone. Now, how long the garbage collection will take to run depends on the SSD usage and the controller. So, you never know if it is recoverable or not. Software like EaseUS can help you identify and, if possible, recover it for free. To increase the chances of data recovery, it is better to disconnect your drive from the computer so that these clearing processes don’t run in the background.
For the test, I will utilize my secondary Gen 3.0 NVMe SSD and a USB 2.0 flash drive. To prepare them for this test, I secure erase them using KillDisk. This should clean any residual data in them, and I will ensure that only the test folder is present during the scan.
Scanning Capabilities
Generally, I test data recovery software using flash drives or SSDs, but this time, I am using an old hard drive that I previously used for system backups. I formatted it some months ago, and now I am seeing how much of the data Disk Drill can recover from it.
Since it is an ancient 1TB hard drive and we are scanning it thoroughly, the scan took 1 hour and 35 minutes to complete. The software found 118922 files with 120 GB of data, most of which was recoverable. I would say it is excellent at scanning files, but the speed will depend heavily on the performance of your drive as well. You can choose to run a quick scan or a deep scan by right-clicking your disk volume. You can also load the last scan if you have any saved progress. You can view your drive in hex format or utilize the data protection feature as well. However, I have found the deep scan feature to be particularly effective in locating hidden files.
However, I have found that some files were not recoverable, and not all files are detected in every scan. I even tried running a deep scan, and it still misses some files every time. In some cases, I get previews of the files, but when I recover them, they get corrupted.
Test Setup
I am using a Gen 3.0 NVMe SSD, a 5200 RPM 2.5″ hard drive, and a USB 2.0 flash drive for these tests. The operating system is Windows 11 Home, and the software is Disk Drill 6.0 Basic.
We will use mixed files and create a folder containing everything. The files include images, icons, videos, documents, PDFs, zip folders, etc. All the drives are securely erased before we move the data on them. The recovered files are manually verified to ensure the accuracy of the recovery.
Scenario 1: Deleted files (Accidental deletion)
First, I moved the test folder to my clean internal SSD and deleted it after a minute. Then, I cleared the recycle bin.
I waited for another minute and then started the scanning process. I chose the quick scan first and then proceeded with the deep scan for this test. It took approximately 10 minutes to complete the scan, and the program identified 1.16 GB of data, which exceeded the size of the test folder. I discovered that, for some reason, it scanned the entire recycle bin and retrieved all the deleted data. However, I was able to locate my test folder and most of the files were there.
I also attempted to recover some images, and I was able to save them on my computer and open them without any issues. But, keep in mind that 100MB is a tiny file size, and if you have to recover some images, be careful to select them properly and recover selectively.
I would say the program works perfectly and provides proper details on the items found in the scan, along with options to recover them. However, some files were not available for recovery, and the scan results just gave me the metadata of those files.
Scenario 2: Formatted flash drive
Now, it’s time to check the data recovery capabilities on a USB flash drive. I securely erase the flash drive as well before moving the test folder. Then, the data was transferred to it, and I formatted the entire drive. I proceeded with the scan the next day, and the drive was connected to the computer for many hours before I ran this scan.
I just chose to run the quick scan this time to see how well it works.
I was able to find most of the deleted data without any issues. So, I can say the software works pretty well with the formatted drives as well.
Scenario 3: Partition Recovery
I also attempted to scan a drive with lost partitions. I removed those partitions manually and used the FAT32 file system knowingly. It scanned and found the lost partitions perfectly without any issues.
Recovery Performance: Good and Bad
The user interface and scan speed are pretty good. I personally like the Deep Scan feature. The scanning speed is pretty well. It shows the recoverability and a preview of the found files as well.
However, the only issue I found is that it identifies some unusual files that are not even on the drive. The recovery size estimates are mostly wrong. Additionally, the free version should have a higher data recovery limit, allowing users to verify the recovery capabilities. Some extra features, such as backup, are provided, but they are hardly related to data recovery and feel like a waste. However, it lacks some essential features, such as recovery media creation.
Conclusion
Disk Drill is a reliable data recovery software, and I would recommend it to individuals seeking comprehensive deep scans with a user-friendly interface. However, it is essential to check for the scanned files and their recoverability before proceeding further. The 100MB free recovery limit can be used to confirm whether it actually works. The paid plan is a little expensive as compared to other data recovery software in the market. But, given its extra features, it should be worth it.
