Why Avoid OnTrack's EasyRecovery DataRecovery 6.12
What is EasyRecovery DataRecovery?
EasyRecovery DataRecovery is OnTrack’s special software for recovering data from accidental deletion and software failures stemming from corrupted MFT tables (partitions storing data appearing as not formatted), virus infections and unbootable operating systems for example.
OnTrack’s data recovery software used to be a top brand, but at the time of this writing in August 2009 the software doesn’t even support Windows Vista. Even if you have an OS older than Vista I recommend you look elsewhere for data recovery software because not only is the EasyRecovery DataRecovery software outdated but also documentation obsolete or incomplete.
You find some data recovery products mentioned in Bright Hub’s article How to Recover Data from a Crashed External Hard Drive if you like.
The lack of support for Windows Vista, and other shortcomings are the reasons for the low ratings you find below, e.g. one star for price to value. Who is going to buy an outdated product with such a price tag?
System Requirements (2 out of 5)
EasyRecovery DataRecovery’s web page and available documentation says that you can install the software on Windows 98SE, Me, 2000 and XP, as well as on the Windows Server editions 2000 & 2003 Server with RAM and CPU requirements of the year 2005.
Installation (3 out of 5)
The installation procedure is standard and involves the following steps: Setup Language, Welcome Screen, EULA, Install Path, Program Folder, Start Copying Files-Summary. When the install wizard has completed click Finish to start using the data recovery software on XP and older.
I have been able to install the trial version of EasyRecovery DataRecovery Professional on the Windows Vista test system, but the software wouldn’t work properly, not even the help file was compatible with Windows Vista.
Interface (4 out of 5)
The GUI of EasyRecovery DataRecovery is nice and logically organized. The Interface allows for easy navigation in the available menus depending on the edition and version under consideration.
Features & Performance (3 out of 5)
EasyRecovery Professional can restore accidentally deleted data and repair Zip files. EasyRecovery DataRecovery Professional edition also supports Raw recovery, that is recovering without any file system structure which is what you need in case your MFT (Master File Table) gets corrupted.
EasyRecovery DataRecovery 6.12 found the deleted files on the Windows XP machine. The recovery process worked perfect. What a petty the software and documentation is not up to date!
Help & Support (2 out of 5)
The help file, viewed in Windows XP, shows plenty of information. On the vendor’s website there is a FAQ section and contact information, but I haven’t found the information I have been looking for in a reasonable amount of time, and I don’t think there is much use contacting them given the impressions I have.
Price to Value (1 out of 5)
EasyRecovery Professional Lite, which you can use to perform recoveries on up to five drives, limited to recover 25 files per recovery session, costs $89.00;
EasyRecovery DataRecovery Standard Edition for recoveries on 20 drives costs $199.00. The Business Edition for recovering 50 drives is $319.00;
EasyRecovery Professional, which also has file repair features not limited to Zip archives, starts at $499.00 for the Standard Edition recovering 20 drives. The Business Edition for recovering 50 drives carries a price tag of $799.00
Conclusion
Avoid EasyRecovery DataRecovery 6.12.
References
- Author’s own experience
