- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista
- Date added: February 04, 2009
- Total Downloads: 795,374
- Downloads last week: 10,356
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 323 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET staff on June 30, 2009
File recovery has never been easier thanks to Pandora Recovery. The program's wizard-like approach to finding and retrieving lost files will appeal to all users.
The user interface is about as straightforward as it gets. Clean and simple menu and command buttons run across the top of the paneled window, while a tree-menu containing hard-disk folders to browse resides in a sidebar. But what stood out the most was the program's wizard, which walked us through the process of locating long-lost files. It first prompts you to check your Recycle Bin, which sounds obvious, but is a necessary time-saver. The program has three search settings (Browse, Search, Deep Scan) and each has its own description so that you'll know which to choose. Depending on the search setting you select, the program's interface changes to accommodate the search. We started with a Deep Scan, which detects deleted file types. Once we selected the file types to include in the scan (All, Images & Photo, Archived Files, Music & Sounds) the program immediately went to work scanning our hard disk. Considering the task at hand, the program quickly pulled up deleted files.
We liked the quick help links located throughout the interface to answer specific questions, but the program does included a very thorough built-in Help file. Our only complaint is that it left files that had to be manually deleted during uninstallation. However, we highly recommend this free program for any user looking to quickly locate a lost file.
Publisher's description
From Pandora :Pandora Recovery is a powerful free tool that provides its users an effective way to attempt recovery of permanently deleted files. And that does not mean restoration of a file from Recycle Bin. The software recovers files removed from Recycle Bin, deleted using Shift + Delete keys bypassing Recycle Bin and files deleted from DOS prompt. Pandora Recovery lets its user browse, search, preview and recover files deleted from NTFS and FAT volumes, supporting hard drives, flash drives and memory cards. It successfully handles archived, hidden, encrypted and compressed files and recovers Alternate Data Streams (ADS). Pandora Recovery features classic interface wizards, hints and context-sensitive help. Pandora Recovery allows user to browse and search the tree of deleted files where show deleted items only button comes handy. Finally, it has ability to scan drive clusters, picking up files whose MFT record has been reused by OS, damaged or recreated (it can restore files on formatted drives).
Version 2.1.1 supports Data carving (surface scan) of Adobe PhotoShop PSD and MS Outlook PST.
What's new in this version:
Data carving (surface scan) of Adobe PhotoShop PSD and MS Outlook PST supported, access to Recycle Bin and GUI improvements.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 4.2 stars out of 323 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 103 user reviewsSee all 103 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Pandora Recovery 2.1.1
"It is not yet a fully functional recovery program."
Pros: It is good enough recovery program to at least recover otherwise lost files. But there are a lot room for improvement.
Cons: It is a pity it can only recover currently lost files. How about lost files stored in HDD that cannot be opened because of damaged MBR etc. You can improved in this direction.
Summary: When I tried this product, I was not able to recover my lost files because it is not programmed to recover lost fles from a storage (HDD) that is not normally running or operationar cannot be opened. At that point it was useless. It is a selective r... read more >>
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0 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Pandora Recovery 2.1.1
"Perfect! Worked WAY better than expected!"
Pros: It can restore even corrupted files on a flash drive. It was as simple as using windows explorer. I don't think they make any file restore program better, and it is completely free!! Oh and it can run from a flash drive!
Cons: Only if you count that it cant restore DoD standard deleted files, but that is kind of the point.
Summary: I would recommend this over any other recovery software. i had to try 4 different ones before i found one that could restore a big PowerPoint project i had been working on for 3 days, and forgot to back up, my file was lost due to corruption on my f... read more >>
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0 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Pandora Recovery 2.1.1
Pros: - Good interface
- Easy to use , and understand
- Gets the job done in good time
- Many good functionsCons: I couldn't really find any cons
Summary: I recommend this program. Very good free ware program
-Haventh -
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Pandora Recovery 2.1.1
Pros: nothing great about this program
Cons: wherever i wish to search, browse or perform deep scan for the overwriting files n deleted files..it says no file can be open n then a screen comes out n says pandora has encountered some problem n bra bra bra...... tell me what to do then?
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1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Pandora Recovery 2.1.1
"Highly recommended, worked better than anticipated."
Pros: Managed to recover about 80% of the files from a C: drive of a virus infected PC. The remaining 20% were probably so extensively corrupted that they would have beyond the scope of any reasonably priced commercial software to recover.
Cons: Nothing that I could find.
Summary: Pandora Recovery is a really 'user friendly' program and is quite straightforward to use. Unfortunately it can't be expected to recover all missing files, this may require some really expensive software and even then 100% recovery may be unlikely.... read more >>
- See all 103 user reviews Write review
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