DiskGenius Professional is a Windows application for recovering files and partitions, changing disk layouts, and copying or backing up storage devices. It works with internal and external drives, SSDs, USB drives and memory cards, bringing file recovery and partition-table operations into the same disk-oriented interface.
File recovery
DiskGenius searches a selected drive or storage area for missing files. A deleted-file scan targets accidental deletions, while Complete Recovery covers cases such as formatting, RAW partitions and unallocated disk space. Results can be browsed as files and folders, previewed, selected and copied to another drive.
When damaged file records no longer identify the missing data, Search For Known File Types looks for recognizable file content. Those results appear under Recovered Types with numbered names, so the original filenames are not retained. A separate Orphaned Files group holds items whose parent folders cannot be established.
Professional removes the small-file recovery restriction of the Free edition. The free software can scan and preview results before a license is purchased; larger-file recovery and saving recovered partition tables require Professional. DiskGenius can also create a WinPE bootable USB environment for recovery when the installed Windows system will not start.
How DiskGenius rebuilds lost partitions
A missing partition involves the disk’s layout information as well as the files inside it. DiskGenius searches boot sectors and other partition data to establish the location, type and size of lost FAT, NTFS, exFAT and Ext partitions. It can then rebuild the partition table so the operating system can recognize the recovered partitions again.
Automatic mode searches the whole disk and assesses the partitions it finds. Advanced mode lets the user restrict the search to unallocated space or a chosen range, inspect files inside each discovery, and reserve or ignore that partition. The search itself does not write a new table. The user can copy files out of a discovered partition first, or save the table after selecting the partitions to retain.
Resizing and converting partitions
DiskGenius Professional can shrink, extend or split a partition, with its boundaries adjusted by dragging or by entering an exact size. Space released from a partition can remain unallocated, become a new partition or be added to another one. Operations involving the Windows system partition may run in the WinPE environment.
Creation and formatting tools support file systems including NTFS, FAT32, exFAT and Ext2/3/4. Separate conversion commands change MBR and GPT partition-table styles, switch primary and logical partitions, or convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk. Selecting a new file system through formatting replaces the partition’s existing contents.
Cloning, Windows migration and image backups
Cloning transfers a disk’s partitions and contents onto another device.
| Cloning method | What is copied | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| All-sector copy | Every sector | At least as large as the source |
| Valid-sector copy | Only valid data sectors | At least as large as the source |
| File-based copy | Files, after analyzing each partition’s file system | Can be smaller if it has space for the used data; partition sizes can be adjusted |
Cloning replaces the target disk’s existing partitions and files.
Windows migration transfers the operating system, installed applications and settings to another drive without rebuilding the installation. For work on a running system, the Hot Migration mode uses a snapshot; another execution mode locks the source partitions during copying.
An image backup stores disk or partition data in a file for later restoration instead of immediately populating a replacement drive. DiskGenius provides compressed image backups and can open partition images to browse and extract individual files. This allows a folder to be retrieved without restoring the entire partition. For troublesome source drives, sector-copy controls include retries, skipping bad sectors, reverse copying and a specified copy range.
Diagnostics and data erasure
DiskGenius displays S.M.A.R.T. attributes and scans for bad sectors to investigate storage problems. Its alignment check identifies whether partitions are aligned on 4K boundaries. For analysis below the file-system level, the sector editor displays raw disk and partition data in hexadecimal and ASCII and allows it to be edited directly.
Erasure tools work at several scopes: selected files, a partition or disk, and unused space containing remnants of deleted files. Overwrite options include zeros, random data and specified patterns. The scope selected determines whether current files are removed or only free space is overwritten.
Virtual disks
DiskGenius can load virtual disk files such as VMDK, VHD, VHDX and VDI without starting their virtual machines. The opened disk becomes a source for file access, partition operations, cloning or recovery. It can also assemble a virtual RAID from component drives to scan the reconstructed array for lost files.
