HDD RESCUE 0.14.0 - WINDOWS x64

Extract the entire ZIP using Windows "Extract All". Keep every file together.
Extract the app to a healthy physical drive, separate from the HDD you want
to recover. Double-click HDDRescue.exe inside the extracted folder.

The app includes its runtime and recovery tools. No Python installation,
engine download, terminal commands, account, or internet connection is needed.

Click Browse folder… to open the normal Windows folder picker. Select the
source folder (for example E:\Photos\September) and use Choose source folder.
The folder appears immediately; choosing it does not read the drive. You can
browse directly without choosing an HDD first. The app checks its physical
disk and source partition only when you click Start scan. Cancelling keeps your current
selection. Subfolders are included; other folders are skipped.

Use Change on Restore to to choose a folder on another physical drive. Choose
All dates or a modified/creation date range, then click the large blue Start scan button.
The central progress panel shows the current step, a wide progress bar,
elapsed time and Cancel. The scan bar moves without showing a percentage
until the amount of work is known. Recovery progress uses actual file counts.
Windows disk queries stop after 30 seconds; directory lookups stop after
90 seconds without new data. Existing NTFS folders are opened directly,
without first browsing the parent directories.

Use Deleted / image folders for a folder inside a disk image or an entirely
deleted folder whose name survives. Open folders in its list and use Use this
folder. Browse in Windows remains available at the top if the source list is
empty or cannot be read. The text field only filters the listed folders.

For a whole disk or disk image, use Change on Recover from, detect partitions
in Scan settings, and select the correct partition. Keep Entire drive if you
want to search that full partition.

The footer shows your selected file count and bytes. Use Restore N files or
Restore all matching. Recovered files and a report appear in a new HDDRescue_
folder at your destination. Use Open recovered folder when finished.

Previews support raster images and plain text up to 16 MB. Temporary preview
bytes are created at your selected safe destination and removed immediately.
Preview availability does not guarantee intact original content.

For physical HDD access, use the app's Restart as Administrator button or
right-click HDDRescue.exe and choose Run as administrator. Administrator
permission comes from the normal Windows prompt.

This portable beta is unsigned. Windows may show a publisher warning.

Date filters refer to file modification or creation, not deletion dates.
Folder paths can only be rebuilt when that metadata survives. If the source
folder is missing from the picker, use Entire drive to look for lost paths. Some files may
be lost or damaged. A successful extraction does not prove intact content.
Check recovered copies. The source and destination must be different disks.

Start with a disposable disk image. Recovery on controlled NTFS/FAT images has
been tested. Real physical-drive access still needs native Windows validation.
Windows 10/11 x64 is the intended platform. Do not scan mechanically failing
drives repeatedly; use appropriate recovery assistance for hardware failure.

RECYCLE BIN FILES
Scans check current and deleted Recycle Bin records and match original paths
to your chosen folder. Existing items are marked In Recycle Bin. Deleted
pairs are marked Deleted from Recycle Bin when their metadata survives. Restore copies
them to your selected destination and leaves the source Recycle Bin intact.
Do not empty the Recycle Bin for a test. If no files are found, read any scan
warnings. Overwritten data or missing metadata cannot always be recovered.

If you deleted files normally and then emptied the Recycle Bin, choose your
original source folder in Browse folder and scan with All dates. The app
checks surviving deleted bin records for that original folder automatically.
You do not need to create an image or restore anything inside the bin.
If the original-path metadata has been overwritten, a folder-only scan cannot
reliably associate the remaining content with that folder.

RESTORE PROGRESS AND PERFORMANCE
The current step now shows whether the app is checking file records, copying
data, checking the completed file or saving it. Current-file bytes and a
measured copy rate appear during transfer. The main bar follows copied bytes;
the counter shows completed files.
NTFS bin recovery uses exact record checks instead of repeatedly listing the
same parent directories for each file. Hashes are calculated during writing.
No fixed finish time or hardware speed is guaranteed.
Cancel removes the current incomplete output and keeps completed copies.

SOURCE VOLUMES (0.13.0)
After choosing a physical drive, wait for its volume list. C: is a volume
inside a physical disk. The app selects the only data volume automatically.
If several are listed, select the one containing your deleted files, for
example C: - NTFS, before Start scan. The app uses the actual sector size.
If discovery fails, use Scan settings > Detect partitions to retry.
Do not enter a guessed offset. Sector zero remains available for partition
images; it is not assumed to contain the filesystem of a physical drive.
Browse folder continues to locate the selected folder's volume when scanning.
This version cannot decrypt BitLocker partitions. A filesystem-read error can
also indicate an unsupported filesystem or damaged metadata.

NTFS SCAN UPDATE (0.13.0)
Cancel and close the old version before opening this update. Extract the whole
new ZIP onto the recovery drive (E: in the reported test), then run the new
HDDRescue.exe as Administrator. Select the source volume and keep the restore
destination on a different physical drive.

NTFS discovery now reads the file table once and rebuilds surviving paths from
that metadata. The progress panel shows the current step and records processed.
Percentages apply to the current step; they do not predict the total scan time.
The source stays read only. A temporary metadata index uses the chosen recovery
destination and is removed after scanning, cancellation or an error.

A stalled file-table read stops after 90 seconds without new data. Files with
complex extension attribute lists, torn records or missing metadata may be
skipped with a warning. Candidate counts do not prove file contents are intact.
This update passed controlled-image and generated-record checks. Native Windows
physical-drive speed and your C: recovery results still require a retest.

FAT USB CHECKS AND SELECTION (0.13.0)
Results are candidates; a copied file is not proof that its original contents
survived. Original paths are shown first. "Unknown original folder" means a
candidate's former parent path was not identified; these files go to _LostPaths.
The Folders selector can show only candidates whose original paths were found.

The table checkbox selects the visible page only (up to 200 candidates).
Use "Select all N matching" for every page. You may exclude individual rows
or pages afterwards. "Restore all matching" copies the entire filtered set.

For troubleshooting a USB with missing files/folders, scan it with the recovery
destination on another physical drive. Click "Save scan report" before another
restoration. A small JSON report with all candidate metadata and FAT directory
diagnostics is saved to that destination and selected in Windows Explorer.
Send that report for investigation. You do not need to restore everything just
to obtain it. Invalid FAT directory records are skipped with a scan warning.
These checks do not guarantee recovery of missing data or original folder names.

FAT32 DELETED-FILE ADDRESS RECOVERY (0.14.0)
Close the old app and extract this complete update to the recovery drive.
Rescan the USB with Entire drive and All dates. Existing scan results do not
contain the new starting-address checks. Keep the destination on another disk.

Windows deletion can clear the upper portion of a FAT32 starting address.
This release tests the possible addresses against surviving folder links or
supported file structures. A unique match can restore the original folder
path and locate data that older versions copied from the wrong position.
Ambiguous or missing supported-format matches show Data not located and are
skipped during restoration. Located does not mean content verified.

Initial file checks cover PDF, MP4/MOV/M4V, EXE/DLL, MSI, PNG, ZIP and 7z.
Unsupported formats retain the earlier unverified extraction method. Deleted
chains remain an approximation, and fragmented or overwritten data can still
be damaged. Short names with an erased first character may retain an underscore.
A folder without a unique surviving directory match cannot be rebuilt safely.
Save scan report includes the address and folder reconstruction decisions.
Restore into a new job, then open the files and compare with known originals.
