"Top Free Linux Data Recovery Tools for EXT2/EXT3 File Systems in 2022"

EXT2, EXT3, and EXT4 are the most prevalent Linux file systems. When you experience data loss on your Linux system and wish to recover it, you'll need a trustworthy Linux data recovery tool. Below, I've compiled a list of the top 5 free Linux data recovery software options, along with their advantages and disadvantages. Choose the one that best suits your requirements.

Part 1. What Are the Best File Recovery Tools for Linux

It's accurate to say that many of us have lost crucial data on our computers due to virus attacks, accidental deletion, formatting, and so on. Most individuals feel helpless, believing that these files are permanently lost. In this article, we will explore some of the best data recovery options available for Linux systems. These tools can help you salvage your data from Linux hard drives.

• data recovery software
• R-Linux
• TestDisk
• Ddrescue
• PhotoRec

Top 1. Tool - Data Recovery Wizard (Free & Easy)

It is recommended to use the Data Recovery Wizard tool. It can effortlessly unformat files and execute partition recovery to salvage your data. You can easily retrieve all your deleted and lost files. The free data recovery software supports data recovery in any situation involving logical data loss.

Pros

• Restore data after re-installing the OS.
• Recover files deleted, formatted, or damaged from Linux volumes.
• Recover data erased by using "Shift + Delete" keys.
• Support EXT2/EXT3 Linux hard drive data recovery.

Cons:

Data Recovery Wizard cannot be executed on a Linux computer. You need to remove your EXT2/EXT3/EXT4 HDD and connect it to a Windows computer. Alternatively, you can create a bootable disk on a Windows PC. Then, you can proceed to recover data without an operating system.

Top 2. R-Linux - Linux File Recovery Software

R-Linux is a free file recovery tool designed for the Ext2/Ext3/Ext4 file systems utilized in the Linux Operating System and various Unix variants. It comes in handy for retrieving data lost due to virus attacks, power outages, or system crashes. The software is available in both Linux and Windows versions, enabling you to perform Linux data recovery on both Windows and Linux-based computers.

Pros:

• Support for Ext2/Ext3/Ext4 file systems (Linux only).
• Display S.M.A.R.T. attributes for hard drives to indicate their hardware health status.
• Recover Linux data even after files have been reformatted, corrupted, or deleted.

Cons:

R-Linux cannot recover data over the network, reconstruct RAIDs, or provide object copy.

Top 3. TestDisk - Open Source

TestDisk is an open-source Data recovery utility primarily used for retrieving lost partitions. Despite being a command-line tool, it's relatively user-friendly. If you've lost data on Linux due to malware, viruses, or accidental file deletion, give this software a try.

Pros:

• Recover lost partitions on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.
• Create backup partitions for EFI GPT partitions.
• Recover various file types from a Linux partition.

Cons:

You need to familiarize yourself with the commonly used file command options in Linux. If you lack technical knowledge, it is recommended to use data recovery software like tools and R-Linux.

Top 4. Ddrescue - Data Recovery Utility

Ddrescue is another command-line utility. It's developed by GNU. You can run this data recovery software when a read error occurs. Additionally, it highlights the bad sectors on a drive. You can use it to recover Linux data from a drive with bad sectors.

Pros:

• Efficiently recover essential data despite disk errors and bad sectors.
• Allows users to pause or stop an ongoing process and resume it at any time.
• Data rescue is highly efficient, with only the necessary blocks being read.

Cons

You need to learn about the commonly used file command options in Linux.

Top 5. PhotoRec

PhotoRec is a free and open-source utility software specialized in data recovery, particularly designed for retrieving deleted photos and other graphic-oriented media from SD cards and hard drives. It operates through a command-line interface.

Pros:

• Recover files even if the hard drive is severely damaged.
• Support a wide range of file formats.
• Uncover hidden or untouched data to retrieve photos.

Cons:

1. Sometimes, it is unable to retrieve all file formats.
2. You need to be familiar with commonly used file command options in Linux.

Part 2. How to Recover Files with Linux Data Recovery Software Tools

Tools offer the optimal solution for performing Linux data recovery on Ext2/Ext3 drives. Download the data recovery software and follow the guide below to retrieve your lost files: 1. **Download Data Recovery Software**: First, visit the official website of a reliable data recovery software such as tools, Recuva, or TestDisk. Choose the appropriate version for your Linux distribution and download it. 2. **Prepare a Live USB/DVD**: Since you need to access the affected Ext2/Ext3 drive from outside of the possibly compromised system, create a live USB or DVD with a Linux distribution like Ubuntu or Linux Mint. 3. **Boot from Live USB/DVD**: Insert the live USB or DVD into your computer and restart it. Set your BIOS/UEFI settings to boot from the USB/DVD. 4. **Mount the Drive**: Once you've booted into the live Linux environment, locate the Ext2/Ext3 drive that needs recovery. Use the 'Disks' utility (also known as 'palimpsest') or command line tools like 'fdisk' or 'lsblk' to identify the drive's mount point. 5. **Install Data Recovery Software**: Open a terminal and install the downloaded data recovery software using the package manager. For example, if you downloaded tools, use commands like: ``` sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install gdebi sudo gdebi path/to/tools-recovery-software.deb ``` 6. **Run the Data Recovery Software**: Launch the installed software, and it should detect the mounted Ext2/Ext3 drive. Select the drive and initiate the scan. 7. **Scan the Drive**: The software will perform a deep scan to locate lost files. This process may take some time depending on the size of the drive. 8. **Preview and Recover Files**: After the scan is complete, preview the recoverable files. Select the files you want to save and choose a safe location on another drive to store them. 9. **Save the Recovered Files**: Click on 'Recover' or a similar option to start the recovery process. Wait until the software finishes saving your files. 10. **Verify Files**: Once the recovery is done, check the recovered files for completeness and functionality. Remember, prevention is always better than cure. Regularly back up your important data to avoid potential data loss situations.

Step 1. Install and launch the file recovery software on your Windows computer. Select the precise location where you lost the files and click the "Scan" button.

Step 2. The software will instantly begin scanning the drive, and the erased files will be displayed shortly. If you locate the files you need while the scan is in progress, you can stop the scan. To swiftly locate the target file, you can utilize the file format filter.

Step 3. Select the files you want to recover, such as Word documents, Excel files, PDFs, photos, videos, or emails, and then click the "Recover" button. You can choose a different location to save the recovered files.

Part 3. How to Safeguard Your Linux Data

To protect your PC from data loss issues, the ideal solution is to create a backup of your data beforehand. You can manually copy the data to another location, or you can utilize a file backup software like Todo Backup. This tool allows you to back up your system, files, and folders, and restore them effortlessly. It's a Windows application, but you can also create a WinPE bootable disk. This way, you can backup your data without booting into Windows. Simply boot from your emergency disk and follow these steps:

Step 1. When you use Todo Backup for the first time to back up files, click Create backup on the home screen, and then click the big question mark to select backup contents.

Step 2. Since you're going to back up files and folders on your computer, proceed with the "File" backup mode. Here, you can choose to back up pictures, videos, documents, and all other file types.

Step 3. Follow the paths to find the files, folders or directories you want to back up, select them all and click "OK".

Step 4. Next, you need to choose a backup location to save and store the backup.

Step 5. Todo Backup enables users to save backup files to any device that is convenient for you, such as a local hard drive, external USB drive, SD card, network drive, or NAS drive, along with the brand's cloud drive. Personally, we recommend selecting the cloud drive before a physical drive to store important backups, due to its greater accessibility, flexibility, and security.

To access the Tools Cloud, all you need is an email registration and login.

Step 6. If you're interested in an automatic and intelligent backup schedule for the next file backup task, proceed with the "Options" setting. Here, you can encrypt a confidential file backup, compress the backup image size, or customize a backup scheme to instruct the software on when to initiate the subsequent backup.

Customize an advanced and automated backup task here:

Step 7. Click "Backup Now" to initiate the file backup process. The completed backup files will be displayed on the left panel in a card view format.

Conclusion

You have now learned about the five free Linux data recovery software options, and you can easily restore data from EXT2, EXT3, and EXT4 file systems. Among the top choices, I highly recommend the data recovery software. This tool not only enables you to recover data from a Linux partition but also helps in retrieving lost files on Windows and Mac operating systems.