Photo Recovery Freeware

In order to avoid repeating my mistake, I needed to think through what happened and how I managed to lose all of those photos in the blink of an eye. Quite simply, I owe it to using photo software that I was unfamiliar with and simply being in a hurry.

The software I typically use had expired and I had some back up software on my computer that was new to me. I was excited to see my new photos so I inserted my memory card and started downloading. Unfortunately, during the process I clicked on the box that said delete, thinking that like my old software it was asking if I wanted to delete the photos from my memory card after downloading. I always do this because it's the fast and most energy efficient way of clearing my memory card for further use.

The new software simply deleted the photos, not asking a second time. In less than 2 seconds, it informed me they were deleted. In a panic, I tried to download again, and it told me there were no files to download. Still insistent that they were there, I put the memory card back in my camera to check. No, the camera recognized no images.

Denial began to fade away to ugly reality.

Once I accepted that the photos were deleted and had searched my computer to be sure they didn't somehow sneak on to it somewhere, I forced myself to actually think. I thought, there is no way the photos could have been truly deleted so quickly. Then I realized they might still be there, just not easily read or detected by my camera or computer. So, I began to search for answers online where I learned that indeed, those photos were probably still there.

Here's what you have to do/not do:

Set the memory card aside

Do not use or format the memory card.
New images would potentially be written over the old ones.

Find some photo recovery software to restore those photos.
There are paid software programs as well as photo recovery freeware available.

Clearly, there are many photo recovery software products available. However, I wanted to do it free if possible. Here is what I learned when searching for photo recovery freeware.

The majority of photo recovery software options are paid.

There are many recovery programs that lure you in with a free download. You'll spend a few seconds downloading the free software, 45 mintues or more searching for your deleted photos, and they will be successfully recovered. However, when you go to restore the photos, you will be required to pay a fee or your photos are held "hostage". Nice.

There are two primary kinds of photo recovery software you'll find online. Some require you to download the software, which is acceptable but you do face the risk of running into spyware, viruses, and so forth. Others run off of a file and require no downloading, which is better for those of us who are risk aversive.

You need to read the instructions about compatibility. If your operating system isn't supported, the program won't run successfully.

There are a few photo recovery freeware options out there but you may have to search long and hard.

Ok, here is what worked for me. Now, I get nothing for saying this. This is my disclaimer, I know nothing about the people behind this freeware and benefit in no way if you use it. I'm just passing it along because it may help you in a pinch.

I used Recuva. It offers a free photo recovery option among many other things. I experienced no problems with spyware, viruses, and so forth. It was simple to run and, better than any of the four or five paid options I unwittingly tried, it took only 5 minutes or so to discover and recover my photos. The best part of course, is that true to their word, there was no charge for the service and I recovered 100% of my photos.