05 · Support
Before you give up on the scan
Symptom-first fixes, and when to stop betting on software alone.
Preview looks wrong
Recover out, open in the real app; try another viewer for images. Partial overwrites often look “almost right” in preview but fail checksums—trust the destination file, not the thumbnail.
Scan crawls
Bad sectors + cloud sync fighting the disk: pause sync, exclude the volume from antivirus real-time if policy allows, and avoid running other heavy I/O on the same bus.
All “unrecoverable”
Overwrites or TRIM: pivot to backups, File History, or previous cloud versions. Labs can help with hardware failure—not usually with TRIM’d SSD blocks.
AV blocks installer
Trusted sources only; verify signatures; skip mirrors. Temporarily allow the known-good binary if your vendor flags a false positive—never disable protection to run a random “crack.”
Drive vanishes mid-scan
Try another cable, port, or powered hub. If it drops repeatedly, image or clone before another long pass—each reconnect can stress a failing controller.
BitLocker or “access denied”
Unlock the volume with your key or recovery password first. Undelete tools read decrypted blocks; they cannot guess encryption for you.
Files list as 0 bytes
Often a stub after overwrite or cloud placeholder. Try another candidate with similar size from deep scan, or confirm the app never synced a full local copy.
Wrong drive after unplugging USB
Letters reshuffle; you may have scanned an empty card reader. Open Disk Management, confirm capacity and label, then rescan the correct volume.
Before you ask for help
Jot down: OS build, disk type (SSD/HDD/flash), approximate time of delete, quick vs deep results count, and whether BitLocker or sync was involved. That single note speeds up any forum post or handoff to a pro.
Still stuck after two passes?
Change one variable at a time: different USB port, powered hub, another machine, or a read-only clone. If SMART errors climb or the drive clicks, stop scanning and talk to a lab about imaging—continued DIY attempts can widen damage.
When results list thousands of generic files, narrow by size and extension, recover a handful, and test them before exporting everything—saves time and destination disk space.
Pro checklist
Quick wins
- Image first if the drive clicks or SMART warns.
- Generic names after deep scan are normal.
- Backups win for anything critical.
- Note the build you installed; UI labels move between versions.
- Run as admin if whole volumes are invisible to a standard user.
- One change at a time—cable, port, then deep scan.