Recover any file on hard drives connected to your Mac, and protect deleted files from being overwritten. Disk Drill Pro offers a complete suite of file recovery and protection tools for your Mac, and we’re giving away 25 copies valued at $2225!

Disk Drill Pro ($89) isn’t just a data recovery tool: it also does everything it can to ensure files you delete remain recoverable for as long as possible. It’s not an alternative to backing up your data, but it does offer an additional layer of security over if your computer includes files you cannot afford to lose.

If your files are your livelihood it’s time to look into Disk Drill Pro.

How File Recovery Works

To begin: there’s nothing magical about file recovery. When you “delete” a file from your hard drive it’s not instantly overwritten – instead, all references to the file are removed from your computer. The file is still there, you simply cannot see it without special tools.

So that’s what file recovery software is: a special tool you can use to recover files hidden from the directory structure on your computer. Assuming your operating system hasn’t written another file on top of your deleted file there’s no reason you can’t recover it.

So Disk Drill Pro can recover deleted files, but that’s not all it can do: it can also be set up to prevent your computer from overwriting deleted files for as long as possible.

Using Disk Drill Pro

So how is Disk Drill Pro different from most file recovery software? For one thing, it’s very easy to use. The main interface is extremely “Mac”, for lack of a better word: the first time you launch it there’s an easy-to-follow tutorial. Once you’re done with that you’ll see the main window:

You can begin recovery immediately by clicking “Recover”. Pick the kind of deleted file you’re interested in recovering:

You can add other filetypes easily in the options. Once you’ve selected your file type you can start scanning.

Disk Drill Pro will look through the “empty” space on your drive and try to find in-tact files. It will list them as it goes, meaning you can quickly recover files:

These are all programs I deleted one week before running the scan. Once I recovered them, they worked exactly the way they did before.

File Recovery Vault

Of course there’s nothing Disk Drill can do if a deleted file is overwritten, which is why Disk Drill Pro also offered “Protect” options.

Turn on the Recovery Vault if you want to ensure deleted files aren’t overwritten. This basically gives you a failsafe beyond the “Trash” on your dock, saving your from otherwise fatal mistakes.

There are two levels of protection: the Recovery Vault and Guaranteed protection. Which to choose depends on the value of your files and the amount of hard drive space you have to spare, so consider carefully.

Still confused? This video outlines things well, albeit from a marketing perspective:

Of course, recovering and protecting files isn’t all Disk Drill Pro can do. There is a variety of other functions included.

• Full access to SMART data
• Back up any drive or partition to a DMG image
• Search for lost partitions on any drive

Backing Up: Still Important

You may be wondering: with software like Disk Drill Pro is it really necessary to back up? My answer: yes. Disk Drill Pro won’t help much if your hard drive dies completely; it can’t recover from a completely broken drive.

That’s not to say Disk Drill Pro is useless for backing up: it can even make an image of your computer hard drive for restoring should the worst happen. In my opinion, however, it should only be one part of an overall backup plan.

We’re giving away 25 copies of Disk Drill Pro this week! Join the giveaway to be in the running to win a copy for your Mac!

How do I win a copy?

Step 1: Fill in the giveaway form

Please fill in the form with your real name and email address so that we can get in touch if you are chosen as a winner. MakeUseOf giveaways are open to readers worldwide.

The giveaway code required to activate the form is available from our Facebook page, Twitter stream and Google+ page.
 

(Note: no points will be awarded.)

Alternative entry method: Use your points!

Exchange your MakeUseOf points for an entry into the competition. First, create a MakeUseOf account, earn points and exchange your points for an entry! Learn more about our Game system and Rewards program.

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By participating in this giveaway, you agree to the giveaway rules.

This giveaway begins now and ends Friday, November 16th. The winners will be selected at random and informed via email.

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