Tags: Linux, Microsoft

Pandora Corp. launches free “Pandora Recovery” software.

Pandora Corp. has recently launched free “Pandora Recovery” software. That means free help for all those who have deleted that ‘important file.’

The problem is common. We’ve all been there: You’re working on your PC and decide to permanently delete a file you think you don’t need anymore.

Then - sometimes immediately, sometimes not for weeks - you realize you shouldn’t have done that. Or maybe your computer crashes one day when you are in the middle of an important report - or maybe a virus attacks through an unfamiliar email.

These are all times when easy-to-use data and file recovery programs are essential. Fortunately, Pandora Corp., a leader in PC security, has come to the rescue.

“As computers now run almost everyone’s everyday life, more and more mistakes are bound to happen, and these mistakes can become more and more damaging” says Pandora Corp. co-founder, James Leasure. “I can’t tell you how many times I have deleted a file only to regret it soon thereafter. This program was designed with average computer users like me in mind.”

The Solution:
Pandora Corp’s newest offering, Pandora Recovery, allows PC users to find and recover deleted files from NTFS-formatted volumes (New Technology File System, the default file system in all modern operating systems from Microsoft). The program scans your hard drive and builds an index of both existing and deleted files and directories. Once the scanning is complete, you have full control over which files to recover and what destination to recover them to.

On top of that, Pandora Recovery allows you to preview deleted files of certain type (images and text files) without performing the full recovery.

“We wanted to create a program that would recover as much as possible for our users,” adds co-founder Manuel Coats. “It can recover not only ‘regular’ files, but also archived, hidden, system, sparse, encrypted and compressed files. It’s really effective - a helpful tool for anyone, and always available when you least expect it but need it most.”

That’s because - it’s free!

“Everyone makes mistakes. You shouldn’t always have to pay for them,” says Leasure.

How Data Recovery Works:
When a file is deleted, the disk space once occupied by the file is set to be reused by file system. The file system reallocates the space for data of newly created files. Once the operating system does that, the deleted file becomes partially or completely overwritten.

“In reality, nothing is deleted,” explains Chief Technical Officer, Bojan Gajic. “You are just telling the computer, ‘OK, I don’t need this space anymore, you can use it for something else now.’ It’s really just the PC recycling its memory.”

Pandora Recovery handles files regardless of their type, size or any other attribute. As long as the deleted file’s space has not been reused yet, the program can successfully recover content of any deleted file. Overwritten files can still be recovered, but they most likely will not be usable.

“We designed the program to be not only incredibly user friendly, but user-helpful too,” says Leasure. “It gives you a full display of file properties, which includes an estimate of recovery success. It will tell you the files availability percentage, such as ‘Overwritten: 50%’ or ‘Overwritten: 0%.’ The higher the percent of overwriting, the lower the chance of successful recovery.”

A Necessary Tool:
Data and file recovery programs are increasingly in necessity. Over 3,000 people downloaded the program within the first 72 hours of availability. Whether it’s a file you accidentally deleted, or using the program in conjunction with the company’s PC Pandora program to recover suspicious or accidentally lost files deleted by your children or other family members, the need is great and ever-present. One source reports that there are 4.6 million cases of lost data each year.

According to Coats, “It most likely will not be a program you use daily… but when you need it, you need it. And it may really save you a lot of stress and headaches in your computer usage.”

The program is available as a free download at http://www.pandorarecovery.com/download.

What’s Next?
So what’s the next step in data recovery?

“We’re going to keep expanding the realm of possibilities of where to locate lost data,” concludes Gajic. “We’re working on making it possible to get corrupted or lost data off old Windows 95 and 98 drives, as well as old floppy discs and even memory cards from digital cameras.”

How Does It Disappear?
Statistics on data loss is sparse, as most research is conducted independently by companies who specialize in data recovery. Here are a few statistics that illustrate the spectrum of data loss from a few years ago…

Miscellaneous stats about computer data loss:
· A hard drive crashes every 15 seconds
· 32% of data loss is caused by human error
· 25% of lost data is due to the failure of a portable drive
· 44% of data loss caused by mechanical failures
· 1 in 5 computers suffer a fatal hard drive crash during their lifetime

A national Harris Interactive survey of 597 computer users revealed:
· Nearly 3 out of 5 personal computer users have lost an electronic file they thought they had sufficiently stored
· Only 1 in 4 users frequently back up digital files, even when 85% of computer users say they are very concerned about losing important digital data

System Requirements: Pandora Recovery requires Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server or Windows Vista for installation. Pandora Recovery currently only recovers deleted data from NTFS formatted drives. There are no plans at this time to create a version compatible with the Mac, Linux, or any other non-Microsoft Operating System.

About Pandora Corp.: Pandora Corporation was formed with one goal - to help our customers monitor, control and protect their families and themselves online. From keeping children safe from predators and shielding them from potentially harmful or mature content, to ensuring the integrity of your relationships, online records, accounts and personal information, Pandora Corporation’s flagship PC Pandora program is an essential tool in the fight against the potentially catastrophic consequences of having your privacy (or that of your family) breached. Pandora Corporation continues to innovate and integrate features our users want and request. Pandora Recovery comes as a proof of our commitment.

Note: This story is being brought to you directly from the Pandora Corporation. Software is available for free and unrestricted use; interviews can be conducted via phone. More information can be found online at www.pandorarecovery.com.