StrongRecovery is a Windows data recovery program for retrieving deleted or inaccessible files from hard drives, SSDs, memory cards and USB storage. It analyses the source in read-only mode, using surviving file-system information and file signatures to locate data. Recovered files are saved to a separate destination rather than written back over the source.
Folder reconstruction
StrongRecovery can rebuild a file browser from information left in NTFS, FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 and exFAT file systems. When that information survives, the results can include original filenames and the relationships between folders. An inaccessible volume can then be browsed by its contents, including files that Windows no longer displays normally.
The analysis also handles damage to the structures that describe a volume. NTFS boot-record backups and FAT or exFAT allocation information can contribute to recovery. For damaged FAT32 and exFAT storage, surviving directory entries help reconstruct the folder tree even when boot information or allocation tables are missing. The tree develops as background analysis processes the scan results, so browsing can begin before the entire scan finishes.
Signature scanning
When directory information is missing, StrongRecovery can search the stored contents for patterns associated with particular file formats. These results appear under “Files to recover +”. Signature analysis can run alongside file-system analysis, offering another route to a photo or document whose folder entry is no longer usable.
Supported signatures cover files such as JPG and PNG images, PDF and Office documents, MP4 video and ZIP archives. This method identifies file contents independently of their original directory records, so a found file may lack its former name or folder location. Professional expands the signature engine with additional formats, including specialist camera, design and project files.
File selection
The file browser includes a thumbnail view for reviewing several photos together and a larger preview for a selected image. A hexadecimal preview exposes the underlying file bytes for closer inspection. These views help distinguish wanted contents from similarly named or incomplete results before choosing what to recover.
Search accepts parts of file and folder names as well as the wildcards * and ?. A search such as *.JPG brings matching images from the available analysis results into one view. Files or folders can then be selected for recovery to another storage device.
StrongRecovery also allows a file’s recovery size to be adjusted virtually. This changes the range of data the program reads for that item without editing the source entry. It can help when a damaged entry reports an incorrect length, but it cannot restore bytes that have already been overwritten.
Scan sessions
A scan session preserves the analysis state and can be reopened to return to its results without scanning the source again. This includes reconstructed FAT32 and exFAT folder relationships and file-location information.
Disk images
StrongRecovery can create a sector-by-sector image of a selected partition or an entire physical disk, with a chosen filename and destination. It can then open an IMG or DSK image as the recovery source, allowing subsequent analysis to work on that copy.
Fragment recovery
Professional includes “Recover (DEFRAGMENTATION)” for files whose pieces are scattered across storage and whose allocation information has been lost. The action uses rules about how file systems arrange data blocks to attempt to assemble the file during recovery. It is particularly relevant to large files found through signature scanning when their original fragment map is unavailable. Reconstruction depends on the remaining fragments and is more feasible when relatively few pieces are involved.
Photo thumbnails
Professional also offers “Recover photo thumbnail”. If a damaged JPG still contains an embedded preview, the program can extract that smaller image even when the main picture cannot be recovered intact. The output is a reduced-resolution image rather than a replacement for the original photograph.
StrongRecovery editions
The free version permits recovery of up to 50 files with a total limit of 5 GB. Lite provides 14 days of use, while Personal and Professional licences have no expiry date. Professional adds the extended signature formats, fragment assembly and photo-thumbnail extraction, and permits providing commercial recovery services.
Recovery limits
All editions depend on data that remains readable on the source. Overwritten contents and SSD data made unavailable through TRIM cannot be reconstructed by scanning. StrongRecovery handles logical loss on storage Windows can access; typical Android or iPhone internal storage is not scanned as an ordinary disk, although a removable microSD card connected through a reader can be a recovery source.
