The Bullet Points: Undelete 2009 is a file recovery tool from Diskeeper Corp. that works by replacing the Windows Recycle Bin with a catch-all Recovery Bin that captures all files regardless of how they are deleted. Undelete 2009 comes in four versions: Undelete 2009 Home, Undelete 2009 Desktop Client, Undelete 2009 Professional, and Undelete 2009 Server. The Professional version is reviewed here.
System Requirements: Windows 2000, XP, or Vista, 32- or 64-bit.
What’s In The Box: Download version – no accessories.
The Competition: WinRecovery WunUndelete, Phoenix UndeletePlus, GetData Recover My Files, others.
The Review: So, have you ever "lost" a file? Or deleted something that you later found out you need? Or emptied the Recycle Bin and 5 milliseconds after pushing the button realized that you had parked something in it that you desperately needed back? No? Never? Right, and you also believe that Santa Claus will bring it back next Christmas, too.
Windows Recycle Bin is an elementary tool to protect you from yourself. It’s just a folder with special attributes where a "deleted" file is stored in case you decide you want it back. Good idea, but what happens when you empty the Recycle Bin? Then it’s really gone – or is it?
First a bit about how files are deleted. They aren’t really erased. All that happens is the first character in the filename is replaced by a character that tells the operating system that the space occupied by that file is available for saving another file. This technique means that it is possible to recover the "deleted" file as long as you haven’t saved something over it yet.
Enter Undelete 2009. It is an undelete tool that is designed to not only recover accidentally deleted files, but to store them where they can’t be overwritten by the operating system when file saves are performed. Undelete 2009 also has several other mechanisms to protect against accidental deletion of files over the network, where the Recycle Bin is ordinarily bypassed.
Installation is straightforward Windows stuff, with one noteworthy distinction: before installing (which would probably overwrite the file you want to recover), it asks you if you need to recover a file, and takes you through a Wizard that allows elementary file recovery before installation. There are also instructions on how to make a bootable CD-ROM that can be used for file recovery offline.
Once installed, the Windows Recycle Bin is replaced by Undelete’s Recovery Bin. The Recover Bin adds file protection and a host of other tools to assist with file protection and recovery.
When opened, the Recovery Bin looks a lot like Windows Explorer. You can navigate in that familiar manner or simply perform a search for the file in question. It also searches for other Recovery Bins on the network, allowing you to recover files on computers across the network regardless of where they were deleted from. You can search on a specific file or type of file to narrow the search. Once recoverable files are located, you can select which ones you want back.
The mechanics of file recovery are pretty straightforward, so why choose Undelete 2009 over the many competing programs, including the maybe free ones? Because many are slow, many waste a lot of disk space in their operation, many don’t work across the network, most don’t have the convenience and feature set of Undelete 2009. If you run your own home or small business network, you value time. Undelete 2009 can save you from hours of replicating a lost file. It’s a matter of efficiency as well as convenience.
Undelete 2009 Professional is one of those utilities that simply fades into the background until you need it. And when you need it, you probably really, really need it. It will save you a lot of grief. Get it. Highly recommended.
Product Information
Undelete 2009 Professional
Web Price $59.00
Diskeeper Corp.
7590 North Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91504
818-771-1600
www.undelete.com
