• Introduction to File Rescue Plus
  • Product Features
  • Requirements and Recommendations
• Downloading and Installing File Rescue Plus
  • Downloading File Rescue Plus
  • Installing File Rescue Plus
  • Launching the Program
  • Licensing the Software
• Scanning for your Lost File(s)
  • Introduction to Scanning
  • Initiating the Scanning Features
  • Choosing which device to Scan
  • Choosing Which Scan to Run: Quick vs. Cluster Scan
  • Running the Scan
• Locating the File(s) you wish to Recover
  • Introducing the Recoverable File List
  • Using the File Category Tabs
  • Using Picture Thumbnails
  • Sorting Found Files
  • Searching Found Files
  • Checking the Odds of Recovering Your File(s)
  • Excluding Temporary Files
  • Saving or Printing a List of Recoverable Files
  • Customizing the File Category Tabs
• Recovering and Saving File(s)
  • Selecting a File and Recovering it Safely
  • Recovering Multiple Files
  • Rebuilding a Folder Structure
  • Overwrite Options when Duplicate File Names Exist
• Clean Free Disk Space
  • Introduction to the Clean Free Disk Space Utility
  • Running the Clean Free Disk Space Utility
  • What is the DOD 5220.22-M Standard?
• Electronic Updates
  • How to Electronically Update File Rescue Plus
  • How do I Renew or Add Maintenance for Further Electronic Updates
• Troubleshooting File Rescue Plus
  • Common Issues and Fixes
  • Contacting Technical Support
  • How to Recover a Lost Download or License Key
• Licensing and Legal Information
  • Licensing File Rescue Plus
  • Legal Information

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Introduction to File Rescue Plus

Product Features

File-Rescue Plus provides a fast, thorough and easy way to recover deleted files that works on Windows® Operating systems (XP/2003/2000/NT/Vista/7).  It can bring back files that would otherwise be lost forever, including files deleted from the Recycle Bin, deleted by application programs, deleted with removed directories, deleted because of virus damage, or through a "quick format" on a drive.

 

Requirements and Recommendations

File Rescue Plus – Workstation Edition
Operating Systems Support: Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista/7 Workstation Only
Hard Drive Space: 2 Megabytes
CPU: 500 Mhz Pentium II equivalent or better
RAM: 128 Megabytes or more

File Rescue Plus – Server Edition
Operating Systems Support: Windows NT/2000/2003 Server
Hard Drive Space: 2 Megabytes
CPU: 500 Mhz Pentium II equivalent or better
RAM: 128 Megabytes or more

 

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Downloading and Installing File Rescue Plus

Downloading File Rescue Plus


File Rescue Plus can be download from Software Shelf International.  You  can download the trial version from the link below.  This version can be turned into the full version by entering your license key. 

http://www.softwareshelf.com/files/downloads.asp?ID=11

When downloading, if prompted whether to Open or Save the file, choose Save.  Choose a location on your computer where you’ll be able to easily locate the download.  The windows Desktop is the recommended location.

 

Installing File Rescue Plus

File Rescue Plus is easily installed.  Below are step by step instructions on how to get this product installed on your system and ready for use. 

1.       Double click on the FileRescuePlusSetup that was download.

Note: If this is a CD Install, double click on the File Rescue Plus CD Icon in My Computer.

 

For Download Install Icon: Double click on The Install Icon

For CD Install: Double click on the File Rescue Plus CD in My Computer

 

 

2.       A dialog will appear welcoming you to File Rescue Plus, click ‘Next’ to proceed.

 

3.       This next page shows the license agreement for File Rescue Plus, once agreed to, click ‘Next’

 

4.       Next the install will prompt you for a license key.

·         Evaluation Version: If you are evaluating, leave the license blank and click ‘Next’

·         Full Version: To install the full version, enter your license key obtained at purchase.

 

5.       The Install will now show you where File Rescue Plus is being installed to. You can click ‘Next’ to continue, or click ‘Change’ if you wish to install this to a specific directory.

 

6.       The last screen prompts you to click the ‘Install’ button to finish the Software Installation.  You can also Cancel the setup, or click Back to change any of the setup options.

 

7.       Once the program is done installing, click ‘Finish’. 

 

You are now ready to use the software.
 

Launching the Program

Now that File Rescue Plus has been installed, you are ready to run to Program.  You can start File Rescue Plus one of three ways.

Recommend Methods:

·         Locate the File Rescue Plus Shortcut on the Desktop and Double Click on it.

·         Click Start and Open your All Program Menu, choose File-Rescue Plus under the File Rescue Plus folder.

 

Alternate Method:

·         Open My Computer and browse to your C:\ Drive.  Within C:\, open the Program Files directory.  Within Program Files, open the File Rescue Plus directory and double click on the Icon named FileRescuePlus.exe.

 

Licensing the Software

File Rescue Plus requires a license to be purchased for each workstation or server it is used on, otherwise the trial version can be used to allow the drive to be scanned and any files that can be potentially recovered will be listed..

Once a license has been purchased, you can unlock the full version of the software with these steps:

1.       Start File Rescue Plus

2.       Cancel out of the initial scan.

3.       Choose ‘Edit License’ from the Help menu

4.       A dialog will appear allowing you to enter your license key.

5.       Enter your license key all capitals with the dashes

Example Key: NS6HD-F2Y34-A97LV-NHBXT
 

 

Important: If you are running Windows NT/2000/2003 Server, you will need a Server license key to unlock the program.

Note: NS6HD-F2Y34-A97LV-NHBXT is not a valid license, it is used purely for demonstration.

 

 

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Scanning for your Lost File(s)

Introduction to Scanning

File Rescue Plus can scan a variety of Hard Drive and Camera devices for deleted and lost files.  The scan does it’s best to find as many removed files as possible.

 

Initiating the Scanning Features

When the File Rescue Plus software is run, you will automatically be prompted with the option to scan available drives.  If the program is already open, you can start the scan by selecting ‘Run Drive Scan’ in the ‘File Menu’ or by clicking on the Run Drive Scan Icon.

Run Drive Scan Icon:

 

Choosing which Drive or Device to Scan

File Rescue Plus allows you to choose which drive or device to scan:  You can also choose ‘Search All Drives’ if you are uncertain which drive had your files.

Supported Drive and Device Types:

·         Hard Drives ·         Floppy Drives ·         USB/Firewire/SCSI Drives

·         Digital Cameras ·         Memory Cards ·         CD/DVD Drives.

Note: If it is an external device such as a digital camera or USB Drive, this device must be properly connected and powered on.
 

 

Choosing Which Scan to Run: Quick vs. Cluster Scan

After selecting the drive or device, you need to choose which type of scan to run. The Quick scan is a fast scan that will show most of the deleted files that can potentially be recovered; the Cluster Scan is a more thorough scan that will locate everything that can potentially be recovered.

Quick Scan is For:	Cluster Scan is for:
·       Recently Deleted Files ·       Files still possibly in the Recycling Bin ·       Getting a quick preliminary view of deleted files ·      Seeing what will be cleaned up if using the Clean Free Disk Space tool	·       Recovering files from a Reformatted drive ·       Scanning any type of CD media ·      Rescuing lost files due to virus damage or hard drive corruption ·      Files not found by the Quick Scan

 

Running the Scan

Once the device and type of scan is selected click on the ‘Scan’ button.

Quick Scans:
Will normally take just a few moments, but can take up to 15 minutes depending on the size of your drive.

Cluster Scans:
Will take anywhere from a few minutes up to hours depending on the size and condition of the drive being scanned.

Once the scan is complete, File Rescue Plus will display the results of your scan and tell you if there were any errors.  Click Close on this dialog to view the found files.

 

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Locating the File(s) you wish to Recover
 

Introducing the Recoverable File List

Once the scan is complete, File Rescue Plus will provide you a list of all files which can potentially be recovered.  You can sort and search the found files using the tabs and search feature at the top of the program.

Clicking on ‘Exclude temporary files’ will help reduce the number of files displayed, making finding the correct files easier.

Note: Once you have found the file you wish to recover, you can double click on it to save it.

 

Using the File Category Tabs

File Rescue Plus divides the files into different categories and let’s you view each category of file using six tabs across the top left of the program.  To view a category, simply click on the category of files you wish to see.

·        All Files: This shows a list of all deleted files of all types.

·        Documents Displays the most common types of document files.

·        Images: Displays most types of images with a thumbnail where possible

·        Audio: Displays most types of audio files found.

·        Video: Displays most types of video files found.

·        Recycle Bin: Displays all files of all types currently in your recycle bin.

 

Using Picture Thumbnails

File Rescue Plus can let you view thumbnails of potentially recoverable images to help you locate the correct image or images you wish to recover. To do this click on the Images tab once your scan is complete. It will load a thumbnail of the images. It may take the system some time to load all of the thumbnails; it’s strongly recommended that you Exclude Temporary Files to keep the list of thumbnails displayed to a minimum.

 

Sorting Found Files

File Rescue Plus also includes sorting features to help sort files by File Name, Folder, Size, Type, Last Modified and the Odds of recovering it.

To sort the found files, simply click the appropriate gray title section at the very top of the list.  In example, to sort by Size, you would click the gray title section named ‘Size’.

 

Searching Found Files

You can search for files by entering part, or all of the file name into the Search field and clicking find.

For example, if you wanted to find images with the word wedding in it, you would click wedding into the search box and click find.  All images named ‘wedding’, or including the word ‘wedding’ would be shown.  Once your search is complete, you can click Clear to revert back to showing all files.

 

Checking the Odds of Recovering Your File(s)

 When viewing the details of potentially recoverable files, File Rescue Plus will show you the estimated odds of recovering each file.

You can see these approximate odds next to each file in the Odds column:

• Excellent: These files appear to have an 80% or better chance of recovery
• Good: These files appear to have a 40% to 80% chance of recovery
• Poor: These files have less than a 40% chance of recovery
• Hopeless: These file have less than a 1% chance of recovery.

Important: The program estimates are not necessarily accurate, it is possible that even if a file shows high estimated odds of recovering, the file is not recoverable or may be corrupt once recovered.

 

Excluding Temporary Filess

Windows and other applications often store and delete large numbers of temporary files such as images viewed on web pages as one example.  File Rescue Plus will see these as deleted images, but gives the option to easily not show such files. 

To remove these files from being shown click the ‘Exclude temporary files’ check box.

 

Saving or Printing a List of Recoverable Files

You may wish to save the list of recoverable files to review outside of the application.  You can do once the scan is complete.

To do this, go to the File menu at the top of the program and choose ‘Save List As’.  You will be prompted for the location and file name you wish to save this list to.  You can also save the list by clicking the 'Save List' icon.  You have the option of saving the list in a Text, CSV or XML file.

Save List Icon:

 

Printing the list can be done by going to the File menu at the top of the program and choose ‘Print’.  You can also do this by clicking the 'Print List' icon.

Print List Icon:

 

Customizing the File Category Tabs

File Rescue Plus has settings allowing advanced users to customize what files are shown under the Documents, Images, Video and Audio category tabs.  You can view, edit and add to the current list for each tab by going into the Tools menu and selecting Options from the drop down.

In the Options dialog that appears, you can select each category from the drop down menu to see and edit the current types shown in each category. 

Types are displayed separated by a semi-colon and formatted such as *.doc; for Microsoft Word Documents.

Example of adding a .dot file to the Document List:

 

Documents	Images	Audio	Video
*.doc *.xml *.txt *.wri *.rtf *.pdf *.ppt *.pps *.123 *.xls *.mdi *.pub *.lwp *.lwd *.eml *.msg *.mdb *.dbf *.csv *.tsv *.mdf *.ai	*.jpg *.jpeg *.gif *.bmp *.png *.tif *.tiff *.psd *.eps *.tga *.cam *.crw *.cr2 *.emf *.img *.jp2 *.jpc *.kdc *.pcd *.psp *.raw *.wmf	*.wav *.mp3 *.ogg *.wma *.ra *.aif *.aiff *.m4a *.m4p *.mp4 *.acc *.au *.midi	*.avi *.mpg *.mpeg *.wmv *.rm *.mov *.mp4 *.asf *.qt

 

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Recovering and Saving File(s)

Selecting a File and Recovering it Safely

Once a scan has completed, you can attempt to recover the found files.  You need to first locate the file you wish to recover, once located select it which will highlight the file.

Once the file is selected, you can recover the file by clicking on the ‘Recover File’ icon or by going to the File menu and selecting ‘Recover Selected Files’.

The Rescue Options dialog will now appear.  Here you can choose where to save the file(s) you are recovering.  Its recommend you save them to a different drive or device if possible.  This prevents you from overwriting other files you have not yet recovered.  Once you have selected the location and options, click OK. 

Examples:

If you are recovering files on your C:\ Drive, it’s recommended that you save to a separate hard drive, partition or other storage device.

If you are recovering files from a digital camera, or other external file source then you will want to save them to your local hard drive, and not back to the digital camera.

 

Note: For more details on what recovery options are available, please read on to the next sections.

 

Recovering Multiple Files

File Rescue Plus allows you to select multiple files at one time and recover them all at once.  You can select multiple files using any of these three methods:

• Holding down the [CTRL] key, click on each file you want to recover.
• Holding down the [SHIFT] key to help select a whole list of files.
• Holding down the left click on the mouse, and select the files you wish to save by creating a rectangle around them.

Once you have selected the multiple files you wish to recover, you can save them by clicking on the ‘Recover File’ icon or by going to the File menu and selecting ‘Recover Selected Files’.

 

 

Rebuilding a Folder Structure

Often a file is deleted, the original folder it was in is still detectable.  File Rescue Plus gives you the option of restoring the files in the original folder format when you go to recover it.  You can turn this option on by checking the ‘Recover Folder Structure’ option.

In Example:

If a file was originally stored in C:\My Documents\My Pictures, and you tell File Rescue Plus to ‘Recover Folder Structure’ with C:\Rescued Files\ selected as the location, then the files will get saved to C:\Rescued Files\My Documents\My Pictures .

Important: Sometimes the folder location can not be determined.  In this case, files will be placed directly in the destination fold you select, regardless of whether or not you turn on Folder Structure Recovery.

 

Overwrite Options when Duplicate File Names Exist

Sometimes you will want to recover more than one file, that have the same file name.  By default, File Rescue Plus will ask you if you want to rename the file.  This can become time consuming if you are recovering a large amount of files, all with the same name.

It may be most convenient to select the option ‘Automatically Rename’ if the filename is a conflicting or incomplete.

  

 

Example:
If you are recovering two files, each with the name outlook.pst, you can select automatically rename and File Rescue Plus will give the second file a different name:
 

Before Recovery:

After Recovery (with Automatic Renaming On):

 

 

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Clean Free Disk Space

Introduction to the Clean Free Disk Space Utility

When a file is deleted, it is usually just left intact in a blank area of the hard drive.  The Clean Free Disk Space utility provides you the ability to remove all traces of these files.  This is often necessary for security reasons if you need to permanently delete sensitive files for security reasons.  This process can be set to clean up deleted files Department of Defense 5220.22-M Security Standard.

This utility does not remove any current files, only the traces and remainders of files still on the hard drive after they have been deleted.

Warning: Once the Clean Free Disk Space utility is run, not even File Rescue Plus will be able to recover those previously deleted files.

 

Running the Clean Free Disk Space Utility

Running the Clean Free Disk Space utility can be done by going into the Tools menu and selecting ‘Clean Free Disk Space’.

 

A new dialog will appear giving you the option to select which drive you wish to clean deleted files from, and what type of cleaning.  First select the drive you wish to clean, and then select Quick or Thorough depending on what type of cleaning you wish to do.   Once selected, click the Clean button.

 

Note: If your organization or contracts require you to meet the DOD 5220.22-M Security Standard for removing deleted files, then you should always select the Thorough clean option.

 

What is the DOD 5220.22-M Standard?

The Department of Defense has created a Security Standard for thoroughly permanently removing deleted files thoroughly so that they can not be recovered.  This standard was created because when a file is deleted, often the entire file, or most of the file is left intact in empty space on the hard drive.  In most cases not even a full reformat will remove all traces of files left on a hard drive.   It is because of this that File Rescue Plus is able to recover deleted files.

However when working with sensitive data for the government and many other organizations, you may be required to use a special remove process which permanently overwrites and scrambles anything left on the hard rendering it 100% unreadable.

The Clean Free Disk Space gives you the option of permanently removing all deleted files from a hard drive in this manner, allowing the necessary security to safeguard deleted data.

 

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Electronic Updates

How to Electronically Update File Rescue Plus

Periodically updates and upgrades are released. If you have purchased a yearly maintenance contract for File Rescue Plus, you will be able to easily get these updates using the Electronic Update System. 

            To Update:

1.       Open File Rescue Plus.

2.       Go to the File Menu, and choose ‘eUpdate – Electronic Update’

3.       Within the eUpdate dialog, check under Update Status to see if an update is available.

4.       If updates are available, click the Update button.

5.       The software will update itself, and close and reopen.

Note: If you do not have maintenance for free upgrades, the Update System will show no Maintenance available.

 

 

How do I Renew or Add Maintenance for Further Electronic Updates

If you are interested in getting free electronic updates for File Rescue Plus, you need to purchase maintenance with the product.  Maintenance provides you with support and free updates and upgrades for a year.

If you own the product, and would like to purchase maintenance, you can do so at or contact us:

http://www.softwareshelf.com/files/products.asp?ID=11&page=_renew_maintenance

Americas, Australia, ASIA sales@softwareshelf.com Software Shelf International, Inc. 601 Cleveland Street, Suite# 710 Clearwater, FL 33755 United States Phone: (800) 962-2290

Europe, Middle East, Africa  sales@softwareshelf.co.uk Software Shelf International, Inc., Vitality House, 2 - 3 Imberhorne Way East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 1RL United Kingdom Phone: +44 1342 310950

 

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Troubleshooting File Rescue Plus

Contacting Technical Support

Americas, Australia, ASIA support@softwareshelf.com Software Shelf International, Inc. 601 Cleveland Street, Suite# 710 Clearwater, FL 33755 United States Support Phone: (800) 962-2290

Europe, Middle East, Africa  support@softwareshelf.co.uk Software Shelf International, Inc., Vitality House, 2 - 3 Imberhorne Way East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 1RL United Kingdom Phone# +44 1342 310950

 

How to Recover a Lost Download or License Key

If you have already purchased File Rescue Plus, but have lost your download link or License Key, these are easily recoverable at the Software Shelf Web Site.  Below are steps on how to recover these:

1.       Open a web browser, and go to our support lookup page at:
Support Lookup Page: www.softwareshelf.com/files/supportLookups.asp
 

2.       Under Invoice Number, enter in your 10 digit invoice number, as well as the e-mail address you purchased under and click ‘Process Request’
 

3.       After a moment, the page will reload giving you a download link, and license key for File Rescue Plus.

 

Note: If you are unable to get your download or license key from our online system, please contact: Support@softwareshelf.com

 

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Licensing and Legal Information

Licensing File Rescue Plus

File Rescue Plus 5.0 Workstation is licensed per workstation installation running on Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP Workstation.

File Rescue Plus 5.0 Server is licensed per server installation running on Windows NT/2000/2003 Server.

Roaming Enterprise Edition allows an Administrator to run File Rescue Plus from a CD or floppy on a specified # of machines up to an unlimited machine site license.

Maintenance is not included and should be added to your order. Maintenance covers Updates and Upgrades for One Year from the date of purchase. The Roaming Enterprise Edition license is good for one year and must be renewed each year fully.

 

Legal Information

This document describes the installation and operation of Software Shelf File-Rescue Plus software.

Software Version: Version 5.0

Operating System: Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows 2003

© 2006 Software Shelf International, Inc., Clearwater, FL.

The Software described in this document is owned by Software Shelf International, Inc. and is protected by United States copyright laws and international treaty provisions. Therefore, you must treat the Software like any other copyrighted material (e.g. a book or musical recording) except that you may either (a) make one copy of the Software solely for backup or archival purposes, or (b) transfer the Software to a single hard disk provided you keep the original solely for backup or archival purposes. You may not copy the user documentation provided with the Software, except for your own authorized use.

RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND

The Software and documentation are provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS. Use, duplication, or disclosure by the government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 or subparagraphs (c)(1) and (2) of the Commercial Computer Software-Restricted Rights at 48 CFR 52.227-19 as applicable.

Manufacturer is Software Shelf International, Inc., 601 Cleveland Street, Suite 710, Clearwater, Florida 33755 USA.

The following are trademarks owned by Software Shelf International, Inc in the United States and other countries:

Software Shelf

File-Rescue Plus

Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows 2003 and Windows XP are trademarks owned by Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.