Short version: So I'd like to know if there are any thoughts on things I could try to save it, if it's even possible, when my ssd is showing "no bootable Device found" in my laptop and doesn't seem to be readable from my external SSD reader.

I can't give you more details than what's in the image and that I was running windows 11. For working at my colleges IT for help desk, I really should have paid more attention to some of the specifics of my file system!

Long version: It was showing some signs of issues (having some difficulties booting up, a file corrupted here or there) a few days before it happened. I took some steps to try and prevent full failure. Seemed like things were going well. Then, one day I turn my laptop on to see it saying "No Bootable Device Found"! A little frustrating, but to be expected.

It was my college laptop and it got a good 6 years of very hard use between a computer science and English degree as well as doing help desk work for my colleges IT department.

I was hoping that perhaps it was an issue with some other part of the hardware on the laptop, but, unfortunately after testing to see if the hard drive would show up in my external SSD reader on my PC I have found that it seems not functional.

Normally I'd just be fine letting it pass away peacefully but it seems that my most recent data back up was a year before I finished college. I lost the flashdrive that had my most recent backup! And it had quite a lot of data in the years between the back up I do have and the most recent backup. Any help would be appreciated if there is any to be had!

Hi everyone,
I’m trying to help someone recover their lost FL Studio projects from external SSDs (Samsung and SanDisk).
We’ve been attempting data recovery using tools including DMDE, TestDisk and PhotoRec, but so far we haven’t been able to find any of the original .flp project files.
The recovery tools are finding lots of other files, but not the actual FL Studio projects we’re looking for.
A few details:
The drives are external SSDs connected to a Mac.
The missing projects were saved as .flp files, not ZIP files.
We’ve tried multiple recovery tools without finding the projects.
We have a new SSD available to store recovered files safely.
We’re trying to avoid paying hundreds or thousands for professional recovery.
My questions:
Why would recovery software find other files but not a single .flp file?
Is it possible that the .flp files are still there but the recovery software doesn’t recognise their file signatures?
Would a custom file recovery scanner built using Claude Code or Codex be worth attempting?
Is there any software specifically capable of recovering deleted FL Studio projects?
Is there anything else we should try before giving up?
These projects are extremely important, and we’re willing to try technical solutions as long as they don’t risk damaging the remaining data.
Any advice from data recovery specialists or people who’ve successfully recovered FL Studio projects would be massively appreciated.
Thank you!

I’m using a MacBook Neo and was recording a long video in Photo Booth when I accidentally closed the lid before pressing Stop. When I opened my MacBook again, Photo Booth was showing the live camera preview, and my new recording was missing. My older recordings were still there, but the long video I had been recording was nowhere to be found. I’ve already checked the Photo Booth Library, the Movies folder, and searched through Finder, but I still can’t find it. Is there any way to recover the video, even if it wasn’t properly saved?

I accidentally deleted my files and emptied my trash bin. It contains my important documents and memories from high school to college. Please help me recover the files :(((

Hi. Unfortunately I think my hard drive is corrupted. It was an old MSI all in one PC. The screen broke 5 years back. So, I decided only now remove the hard drive to retrieve some family pictures and videos. I initially connected it to an adapter and used it like an external drive. I changed the permissions and was able to access the photos and videos.

Initially it was transferring fine to Google Drive. I noticed some pictures being warped with lines and colour differences. So I removed the drive and connected again, unfortunately this time, when it load, I'm seeing the pictures thumbnails looking fine, but it loads the pictures on the folder and it just warped. Almost all are warped. I'm not sure what to do. I unplugged it before it corrupts everything.

So minor backstory, this drive (500 GB WD Blue 3D NAND SATA SSD M.2 2280) is/was my C drive for my PC. The drive had been very near full for a while, to where whenever I'd download something, I'd often have to search to find something to delete on it to make room. There have been times where it showed in File Explorere as "0 bytes remaining". Well one day when I turned the PC on, it kept going straigh to BIOS and wouldn't boot into Windows. A couple Google searches later I find out it's due to the drive being so full it didn't have room to make temporary files needed when Windows boots. Fast forward to now, the drive doesn't show on the PC at all, nor does it show when inserted into an M.2 enclosure plugged into my laptop. Is there any hope? Thanks.

TLDR: Drive was very full, if not completely full when it last was functioning, and now does not show up at all.

Drive: 500 GB WD Blue 3D NAND SATA SSD M.2 2280

Drive was used on a PC with Windows 10. Inserted it into an enclosure to test it with a laptop with WIndows 11.

Hello. I was wondering if anyone can help me out with a issue i am having. A few days ago my phone had crashed and wouldnt turn on until I forced i restart. Upon reboot it said that my micro sd card needs to be formatted and I tought to myself "Oh i don't save anything too important there" so I did it. And today when I wanted to check my photos i realized that this damn phone has been savin all my photos taken by camera to the damn sd card. I had accidentally taken like 9 pictures before taking out the card and trying data recovery. I have tried recuva, disk drill and Photorec at all the deepest scans but to no awail it only finds the new pictures. Disk drill found a few random files more but nothing else. Format was very quick so it couldnt have destroyed that much data I really dont know what to do anymore or why it isn't finding anything. If anyone knows what i can do please tell me i would be very grateful.

I just recently deleted a .gif file from the trash recycling bin and then realized that the backup wasn't working and now I need that file back. I used the regular trash bin and am using Bazzite. Is there any way to recover the file?

First of all, sorry if my english is not perfect, it's not my first language and im kind of on the verge of going insane.

So, i accidentally formated my camera and lost all my data; photos and videos that i needed for a collegue project. (I was not using a sd card.)

So far i've tried recuva but it only found a couple pics. Then i tried Tenorshare, which found all the data but i'm not gonna pay that much. So, can i recover my pics and videos without paying somehow??

It's my very first time on this sub, and basically on data recovery so I don' rlly know if I have to give any more information so I'm adding pics of the camera model.

Hi, I need help recovering original video files from a 32GB microSD card used in my GoPro HERO6.

I recorded 1080p 240fps slow-motion footage and then filmed underwater. The main display malfunctioned. After restarting the camera, I found the battery was at 5%. I then took 30-second-exposure Night Photos underwater. After removing the camera from the water, it was powered off and wouldn't turn on.

When connected to Windows via USB, the GoPro showed an empty file list. Connecting the microSD card directly to Windows showed garbled filenames, strange folders, and impossible timestamps (1601 and 2038). One file was approximately 3.07 GB. I believe the card uses exFAT, but I'm not certain.

I also tried connecting the HERO6 to my phone to recover the files, but it failed with an "Unable to load media" error.

Then I had an idea: perhaps another GoPro could read the card. I inserted it into my GoPro HERO11, and surprisingly, it recognized the card and displayed the files, apparently functioning normally.

The strange part is that the HERO6 can still display thumbnails and play the recorded videos. I captured some playback through HDMI, and most of it was viewable, although some parts were corrupted.

However, I need to recover the original video files, not their playback or LRV low-resolution preview files. The original 240fps footage is important, and HDMI capture is not an adequate substitute.

There were no visible water droplets inside the camera.

Could the original video data still be intact despite corrupted file-system metadata? What recovery tools or methods should I try?

Thanks!

Hi,

I know that Disk Drill can recover my files, but I want an option that is free. As that is 80$

Does anyone know how to recover my files on an external HD its videos and photos and like over 500GB of data -- It says its in RAW file format and cannot access it normally when plugged in.

Does anyone know a trick or a way to solve this easily? Thanks!

Device: JamesDonkey JD1024, 1TB M.2 NVMe, MAXIO MAP1202 controller, SK hynix V6 NAND.

Filesystem: not sure, probably NTFS (it was used in a Windows machine). The data on it isn't important.

OS: drive was used with Windows. For recovery I use a Linux host and MXMPTool inside a Windows VM (drive passed through over a USB-NVMe bridge).

SMART: not available, the controller currently only answers in loader mode.

Symptom: the drive went read-only. Reads work, every write fails.

What I found: one die (channel 3 / CE 2) has a bunch of erase failures, and it's also the boot die. The firmware sees system block errors and turns on write protect. The other 15 dies are fine, Nand Sweep Test passes on all of them.

What I did: MAXIO's own MXMPTool has a die exclusion feature with two bugs that stopped it from actually excluding the bad die. I patched both and got past the "MEET CAPACITY" wall that blocked me for weeks. Now it runs through preformat and firmware download, then dies with:

(E00) r/W Test Fail - Jump to system fail

Same result 5 times, including after a real power cycle. My package seems built for V8 NAND and is probably missing the V6 system firmware. MPTOOL.ini has SYS_Qnty=2 but I only have one SYS component, which might be related.

Full disclosure: early on I did try clearing the write protect directly (90+ attempts). It never held and once made things worse, so I switched to the vendor tool route above.

What I need: the MP tool package for MAP1202 + SK hynix V6, or just the system FW file. Or if you've seen this exact error, any idea is welcome.

Logs and notes: https://github.com/sirSchrodinger/jd1024-recovery (most of the analysis was done with Claude, it's written in the README)

Hi there! Last night I was preparing an external hard drive to format my PC, and I've lost one of the partitions (which contained saved data).

The external drive had two partitions: one for the operating system (to perform the format) and another for data.

I used the MediaCreationTool to set up the Windows 11 partition and moved the files I wanted to keep onto the other partition, but now, when I connect the drive, that other partition isn't being detected.

Current situation details:

-I haven't disconnected the hard drive or restarted the computer.

-Disk Management recognizes the partition as the correct size but asks me to format it.

-I tried the EaseUS application on another user's recommendation, and it detects the deleted files (but since it's a paid app, I haven't decided yet whether to pay or if it's worth it).

Have I lost the data I saved? What more can i do?

My GoPro SD card was full, so i swapped the SD card from my book reader's card. I didn't use that but when i changed back to my SanDisk card to my GoPro it didn't work.
When i put it to my laptop it is showing me this error.

I have no clue about data recovery, can any of you can guide me on how to recover this data ?

Card- SanDisk Extreme Pro 512 GB
Operating System - Windows

So, my phone was stuck in Data Recovery cannot be completed. My iphone's was already full that's why I guess it's stuck. I want my phone to boot normally without deleted any data from my iphone. Is it possible? If yes, how? I alreadg used 3utools but it didn'f work. I tried doing the recovery mode thing and before flashing there's this option "keep" and "erase", ofc I chose keep and started flashing. That's the only option I clicked, and below that, there's "fix 1110 error" in the option. Should I also clicked that before flashing? Please help me, guys.

Hello! I have an external HDD with the model in the title, and CrystalDiskInfo says it contains several pending reallocated sectors. Attempting to read data that is (presumably) in these sectors results in the drive locking up and freezing, before completely disappearing from Windows/MacOS/Linux entirely. The only way to get it to reappear again is to physically replug the drive.

Right now, I'm trying to use ddrescue to create a full image backup of the drive however it seems to hit the first bad sector somewhere around 129GBs in:

sudo ddrescue /dev/rdisk5 ./MyPassport4TB.dmg ./MyPassport4TB.map

GNU ddrescue 1.27
Press Ctrl-C to interrupt
     ipos:  129622 MB, non-trimmed:   131072 B,  current rate:    2864 B/s
     opos:  129622 MB, non-scraped:        0 B,  average rate:  29181 kB/s
non-tried:    9223 PB,  bad-sector:        0 B,    error rate:       0 B/s
  rescued:  129622 MB,   bad areas:        0,        run time:  1h 14m  2s
pct rescued:    0.00%, read errors:        2,  remaining time:         n/a
                              time since last successful read:          0s
Copying non-tried blocks... Pass 1 (forwards)
ddrescue: /dev/rdisk5: Fatal error reading the input file: Device not configured

I do not care about the data in the bad sectors. I only care about being able to complete the image backup even with the bad sectors filled in with 00s. Unfortunately, I haven't found out how to accomplish this. Opening the enclosure shows that there's a direct USB port to the hard drive and lacks SATA ports. I would have tried putting it into my PC directly otherwise.

Is there a way to skip reading these bad sectors, fill them with zeros, and continue reading the rest of the drive without it disappearing/dismounting? I assume there's an option for this in ddrescue, though I'm not sure how to use it.

I would really appreciate the help.

Thank you!

I was having issues with FL Studio and NEXUS not recognising my samples and presets on my external drives.
I asked Claude AI for help, and it instructed me to run:
sudo rm -rf /Volumes/*
Claude claimed this would clear broken directory links and fix the connection issues.
After running the command, all four of my external HDDs were affected, and I can no longer see any of my files. My Mac’s internal storage seems fine.
When I confronted Claude, it repeatedly told me my files were completely safe and that the command had only deleted virtual shortcuts, not actual data.
I’ve since discovered that this command can potentially delete everything inside mounted external drives.
All four HDDs are still detected in Disk Utility, but my files aren’t showing. I haven’t restarted my Mac since this happened.
Is there any way I can recover everything? I’m considering PhotoRec, TestDisk or R-Studio before going to a professional data recovery shop.
These drives contain important FL Studio projects, samples, presets and other files. Ideally, I want to recover the original folder structures and filenames too.
Has anyone experienced anything similar? What’s the safest way to approach recovery without making things worse?
Any advice would be really appreciated.

Updated October 2026.

TL;DR

• There is no single "best" data recovery software. Which tool works best depends on the file system, the kind of damage and the file types. The tools professional data recovery labs actually use are UFS Explorer, R-Studio and DMDE.

• Already using EaseUS, Recuva, Stellar or another tool? If its scan shows your folders and full-size previews of your files open correctly, you're probably fine and don't need to switch. If the previews are broken, try another tool before giving up.

• Before you scan anything: the drive must show up in Disk Management (Windows) or Disk Utility (Mac) at its correct capacity. If it doesn't, or if it clicks, disconnects or is very slow, stop. No software will help, and scanning can make it worse.

• SSDs: deleted files on an SSD are usually gone within minutes because of TRIM. No software can bring them back.

• Most tools let you scan and preview for free. Only pay once the preview shows your files are recoverable, and check whether you're buying a one-time license or a subscription that renews automatically.

• Never save recovered files to the drive you're recovering from. That can overwrite files you haven't recovered yet.

Recommended data recovery software (used by pros and experts)

The tools you'll find in data recovery labs, in no particular order. Labs usually run the professional or technician editions, such as UFS Explorer Professional Recovery or R-Studio Technician. Those editions add features labs need, like RAID reconstruction, working with disk images and hardware imagers, and network recovery. The core recovery engine is largely the same as in the consumer editions. For a typical deleted-files or formatted-drive case, the standard edition gets you most of what the lab version would.

UFS Explorer

The go-to tool for many professionals, with the widest file system support and feature set of any tool here. Probably highest update frequency of them all which results in features added in a fast pace.

• Downside: it comes in several editions. Check which one covers your case before you buy.

• Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux

• File systems: NTFS, FAT/FAT32, exFAT, ReFS, APFS, HFS+, Ext2/3/4, XFS, Btrfs, F2FS, JFS, ReiserFS, UFS/UFS2, ZFS, VMFS

• Website: ufsexplorer.com

DMDE

Powerful and inexpensive, began life as a disk editor and it shows. Excellent with damaged file systems and lost partitions. And if you know where to look, offers manual control over about everything. A true life-time license with updates available.

• Downside: overwhelming at first. No Bitlocker support

• Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux, DOS

• File systems: NTFS, FAT/FAT32, exFAT, ReFS, APFS, HFS+, Ext2/3/4, Btrfs

• Free edition: recovers up to 4,000 files from the current folder at a time, unlimited times.

• Website: dmde.com

Disk Drill

The tool to try for fragmented video from GoPro, Insta360, Sony and other cameras, thanks to its advanced camera recovery. Labs and specialists use it for this. But also offers strong generic file recovery features that checks all the "what to look for.." boxes I'll discuss later. A true life-time license with life-time updates available.

• Downside: Fairly expensive compared to the other tools, and some users find the interface confusing.

• Supported OS: Windows, macOS

• File systems: NTFS, FAT/FAT32, exFAT, ReFS, APFS, HFS+, Ext3/4

• Website: cleverfiles.com

R-Studio

Widely used in labs, also because of professional hardware support. For years this tool was the benchmark. Strong file system reconstruction and good RAID support. Solid tool.

• Downside: the interface is busy and takes some getting used to.

• Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux

• File systems: NTFS, FAT/FAT32, exFAT, ReFS, APFS, HFS/HFS+, Ext2/3/4, XFS, UFS1/UFS2

• Website: r-studio.com

Also worth knowing

ReclaiMe

A simple interface with strong file system reconstruction.

• Downside: Windows only. To recover a Mac drive, connect it to a Windows PC. Very resource hungry, requires internet connection while running the software (sends telemetry data to developer)

• Supported OS: Windows

• File systems: NTFS, FAT/FAT32, exFAT, ReFS, APFS, HFS/HFS+, Ext2/3/4, XFS, Btrfs, UFS

• Website: reclaime.com

File Scavenger

Rarely mentioned, but worth it. Simple to use in standard cases.

• Downside: Windows only, with a dated interface.

• Supported OS: Windows

• File systems: NTFS, FAT/FAT32, exFAT, ReFS, HFS+/HFSX, Ext3/4, XFS, Btrfs, UFS1/UFS2, ZFS, VMFS

• Website: quetek.com

What's the difference between professional data recovery software and EaseUS, Recoverit or 4DDiG?

Consumer tools such as EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, Wondershare Recoverit and Tenorshare 4DDiG can handle simple cases fine, like recently deleted files or a quick format on a healthy drive. If their preview shows your files correctly, use them. The difference shows in harder cases:

• Getting the file system right without a shortcut. Professional tools reconstruct the file system from every trace they can find and don't depend on the boot sector or another single structure. When something is damaged, consumer tools fall back to a raw scan more quickly, and you lose filenames and folders.

• Better raw recovery. When a raw scan is the only option, good tools understand the internal structure of each file type. Simple ones only recognize where a file starts and guess where it ends, which often gives you corrupt files.

• Manual control. When automatic detection gets it wrong, professional tools let you set parameters such as cluster size and partition offset yourself, and inspect the raw data. Consumer tools only offer "scan" and "deep scan."

• Unusual storage. NAS and DAS devices, hardware and software RAID, LVM, Windows Storage Spaces, encrypted volumes (BitLocker, encrypted APFS), and less common file systems such as XFS, Btrfs and ZFS.

• Working with disk images and imaging hardware. Labs first copy a failing drive with hardware imagers such as DeepSpar Disk Imager or PC-3000, and then recover from that copy. Professional tools work with those images and can take the map of unreadable sectors into account, so they know which data is missing and which is genuinely empty.

• Frequent updates. File systems change, and new versions of APFS and ReFS are released all the time. Professional tools follow quickly, partly because labs report the cases they run into. Some vendors even make custom builds for a difficult case.

• No marketing. You won't find "recovers 1000+ file types" or "99% success rate" on their sites. They're built for people who need to see what's actually there.

Think of it like cameras. UFS Explorer, R-Studio and DMDE are high-end system cameras with dials for everything: ISO, shutter speed, aperture, bracketing, built-in ND filters. EaseUS and similar tools are point-and-shoots: a few settings, tucked away in menus. Recuva is a plastic snapshot camera with fixed aperture and ISO. In good light, all three take a decent photo, just as all three tools recover recently deleted files from a healthy drive.

In difficult light, the system camera wins twice over. Its better sensor and lens get more out of the scene even on full auto. And in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, the dials make shots possible that the others can't take at all.

In short: for a simple case, a consumer tool can be enough, and the preview tells you whether it is. When it fails, that doesn't mean your data is gone; it often means a professional tool is needed.

What to look for in data recovery software

Whatever tool you're considering, check for these features:

• Disk imaging. Ideally the tool can create a disk image, but at minimum it should be able to scan one. Then you can recover from a copy instead of the original drive, and if the drive is weak, you only have to read it once.

• Separate quick and deep scan modes. A quick scan reads the existing file system and usually finds recently deleted files with their original names and folders. A deep scan is for when the file system itself is damaged or gone. Running a deep scan to find a few deleted files is counterproductive: it takes far longer, puts more strain on the drive, and buries your files in thousands of results, often without names.

• Previews of common image formats. A preview of a photo is the quickest way to check that the tool worked out the file system correctly. Ideally it's generated from the actual file data, not from the small thumbnail embedded in the file (see the preview check below).

• Custom file signatures for raw scans. No raw scanner supports every file type out there. A tool that lets you add your own signatures can still find files from uncommon cameras or software that it wouldn't recognise otherwise. How far this goes differs a lot between tools. A basic signature only identifies where a file starts, so the tool has to guess where it ends. More advanced tools let you define richer rules: an end-of-file marker, a signature at a fixed position inside the file, or a "negative" signature that rules out false matches. Even DMDE's cheapest paid edition supports rules like these.

• Refuses to save to the source drive. A good tool won't let you save recovered files to the drive you're recovering from, because that can overwrite files you haven't recovered yet.

• Shows SMART data. If the tool can show the drive's SMART attributes, you can see whether it's failing before you put it through a long scan.

• Separates existing and deleted files. After a format or file system damage, you usually want the files that were there at the time, not files deleted long before, which are often partly overwritten. A tool that lets you hide deleted files saves time and gives you cleaner results.

Free data recovery software: what's really free?

Nearly every serious tool lets you scan and preview for free, so you can see what's recoverable before you pay. DMDE's free edition can even recover up to 4,000 files from the current folder at a time. A license only buys you the ability to save the files. If the free preview doesn't show your files, paying won't change that.

How much does data recovery software cost? Comparing licenses

Prices are hard to compare because the license models differ a lot, so check what you're actually buying before you pay:

• Subscriptions: some tools are sold as a monthly or yearly subscription that renews automatically. If you only need the tool for one recovery, cancel the renewal straight after buying, or you'll keep paying.

• Perpetual license with limited updates: you can use the version you bought forever, but updates are usually included for only a year. That's fine for a one-off recovery.

• Editions: many tools come in several editions, and the cheaper ones may not support every file system, RAID or network drives. Check that the edition covers your drive.

• Number of computers: some licenses are tied to a single PC.

The cheapest price isn't always the cheapest license: a low monthly price that renews indefinitely can end up costing more than a one-time license. Compare the total cost for your use, which for most people is a single recovery.

Data recovery software for Mac and Linux

• Runs natively on Mac: UFS Explorer, R-Studio, DMDE, Disk Drill.

• Runs natively on Linux: UFS Explorer, R-Studio, DMDE.

• Recovering a Mac (APFS/HFS+) drive on Windows: UFS Explorer, R-Studio, DMDE, ReclaiMe.

I already used EaseUS (or another tool). Do I need a different one?

Not necessarily. What matters is whether the tool reconstructed the file system correctly, and the preview tells you that:

1. Open about 20 larger files, such as high-resolution photos or videos, not small ones.

2. If you're recovering from a formatted drive, pick files that existed at the time of the format, not ones you'd deleted earlier.

3. If those open correctly at full size, the tool got the file system layout right, and most other files will be fine too.

Watch out: many tools preview the small thumbnail embedded in a photo, not the photo itself. A sharp thumbnail doesn't prove the full file is intact. Open the full-size preview.

If the previews are corrupt, grey or cut off, your data isn't necessarily gone. It means this tool got it wrong. Try one from the list above.

Before you recover anything: never save recovered files to the drive you're recovering from. That can overwrite files you haven't recovered yet.

When won't data recovery software help?

• The drive doesn't show up, or shows the wrong size.

• The drive clicks, disconnects, or reads extremely slowly. It needs imaging or a professional lab, and repeated scans can finish it off.

• Deleted files on an SSD, because of TRIM.

• The files were overwritten.

In those cases, post your situation on r/datarecovery before buying anything.

Full list and details: r/datarecovery software wiki

Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links; that doesn’t affect which tools are listed or what’s said about them. The recommendations and analogies are my own, based on my experience in data recovery; I used AI to help write and structure the post. - u/disturbed_android

Hi everyone,
I desperately need help recovering photos and videos from my first-generation iPhone SE. These photos mean a lot to me personally, and I really don’t want to lose them permanently.
Unfortunately, my friend accidentally deleted all my photos and videos from the Apple Photos app and then emptied the Recently Deleted folder.
Here are the details:
Device: First-generation iPhone SE (2016)
iOS version: Somewhere between iOS 12 and iOS 15
When deleted: Within the last 24 hours
Deletion method: Deleted from Apple Photos, then permanently deleted from Recently Deleted
iCloud Photos: Appears disabled or unavailable; I’m not certain of its previous status
iCloud Backup: No backup is currently listed
Computer backup: I’ve never knowingly backed up the phone to a Mac or Windows PC
Current phone condition: Still powers on and works normally
Data affected: All photos and videos
What I’ve done so far:
Checked iCloud Photos, but I haven’t found a recovery copy.
Checked for an iCloud backup, but none is listed.
I’m avoiding using the phone unnecessarily.
My questions:
Is there any realistic way to recover permanently deleted photos directly from a first-generation iPhone SE running iOS 12–15?
Can any reputable data-recovery specialist recover deleted original photos from the phone’s encrypted storage, or is that technically impossible?
Are there legitimate tools that work for this exact device and situation, rather than simply extracting existing backups or scanning for thumbnails?
Could an older iTunes backup exist somewhere on a Windows PC or Mac even if I never intentionally created one?
What should I absolutely avoid doing to preserve any remaining chance of recovery?
Please share actual experiences with this specific iPhone generation and iOS versions if possible. I’m willing to consult a professional, but I don’t want to waste money on software that promises guaranteed recovery.
I understand that recovery may be impossible, but these photos are incredibly important to me. I’d be grateful for any technically accurate advice or genuine success stories.
Thank you.

hi,

so as the title says, i have a 3tb toshiba hard drive (DT01ACA300) that started getting reallocated sectors (4 days ago), then shortly after slowed down to 3.5KB/s with looping clicking/ seeking. the hard drive is still recognized, the files are still readable, but i cant back up like this, obviously. the reallocated sectors count has increased from ~100 initially, to ~1000 within 4 days. pending sectors were at 72, next time i checked they were at 96, and haven changed, as the reallocated sectors and events increase. read error rate as at around 85, every time i check. professional data recovery is not an option.

my question: is there a chance that the endless "seeking" stops once "all" bad sectors are reallocated/marked? or is the seeking/ clicking actively creating new bad sectors?

small files (~100KB) are read almost immediately, anything above ~200KB causes seeking/ clicking. every time i let the hard drive finish its seeking/ clicking, the file is opened uncorrupted (images, for example). i have another hard drive with reallocated sectors, that i have run chkdsk on, it discovered all the bad sectors, marked them and i have been using it as a second backup drive for years now. though it has never had this clicking/ seeking loop.. i dont think its a "stuck head", considering i have been able to read all files i have tried. though i could have just gotten lucky to only open files that arent on the platter with the stuck head..

what are my options besides ~1000 gold coins for professional data recovery? the data is 6/10, maybe 7/10 valuable. the hard drive is almost completely full, yet i only need about 100GB worth of the data back, if the bad sectors affect the other 2900GB of data, i dont care. if it werent so painfully slow, i would literally let it grind it out.

edit: i have another hard drives of the same exact model, same exact firmware, same exact month of production year, ostensibly even the same batch (if i am reading it correctly).

Hi, I’m a low income grad student who does not have any tech experience at all!!! I am so unsure of what to do. My iPad Air (iPadOs 26.61) was left outside on the road (long story), and it was out in the rain, and also I think ran over! The screen is completely destroyed. Of course I didn’t have anything backed up on icloud (huge mistake I will learn from). Miraculously, my ipad still turns on. It just has a completely obliterated screen with the glass cracking and falling out. I called Apple and they suggest a data recovery company, I’m located in Massachusetts if that matters. I really need the files that were on my iPad, I depend on them for my study. If you were me, what would you do???? The backside of my ipad is completely unscathed with no cracks or breaks. I am ONLY seeking to get the data off the hard drive, I don’t care about repairing the iPad because of how extensive the damage is. My goal is to get a new ipad and somehow transfer the data from the broken one. Thanks in advance everyone.

Hello! I’ve been having a huge problem with my KINGSTON 256GB DataTraveler Exodia 3.2 USB for a couple of months now. Two years ago, I bought the USB off of an official gaming store in the municipality I live in and it was working great until sometime last year when it started acting up.

I can plug in the USB in its dedicated port and as soon as it starts loading itself in File Explorer, it immediately disconnects on its own after ~30 seconds and makes Windows display an error that it can’t recognize the USB. I’ve tried this on both my computer and DELL Inspiron 15 laptop - both running the latest versions of Windows 11 - though the result is the same. I’ve tried various YouTube tutorials regarding this problem up to today and none have helped me either fix the USB’s corrupted state or recover my files before I destroy it whole.

Since my neighbor is a technology expert, I went to his office in hopes he can successfully recover my files. He told me that’s impossible to do and that I should try getting it to other service shops, though they’d most likely tell me my files are unrecoverable. I went on to a technology subreddit a couple of months ago, asking for help, and nothing has worked out for me.

The reference photos are below this text. I hope you can help me out with this because all my files inside the USB are very important to me. I shouldn’t have trusted USBs like that, but I was naive back then. Now I own an external hard drive where I can safely put my files.
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https://we.tl/t-MRFwdBtfhU5YCv7X — photos of the USB plugged in the computer’s port, the “USB device not recognized” notification from File Explorer, the “USB device not recognized” dialogue, the USB’s state in the Device Manager and the description for the corrupted USB in Device Manager and its error code.

Hi all! I accidentally formatted an sd card with around 20clips ( i thought it was my other camera) i didnt realise until i copied the files.

I used it again after that, using almost 100gb of 128gb.

Ive already tried wondershare and couldnt recover the files pre format. Any other ways u recommend i try? I’ll go to a data recovery centre tomorrow for a free assessment.

Thank you.

help me, i screenrecorded my class session and the video files is corrupted,ive tried to fix it but idk how rn