The Details

USB Thumb Drives use flash memory to store and transfer data. These little guys have been around for awhile, and are a quick and effective means of transferring data. There are a couple factors to keep in mind when purchasing a USB thumb drive. The first is speed. The era of slow-as-molasses thumb drives is gone but not forgotten, and many of today’s USB 3.0 drives still leave something to be desired.

You also want a drive with encryption. The sad truth is that USB drives are easy to lose, especially if you use shared computers. Get a device that can encrypt your files so strangers can’t access them if they find your drive.

Finally, you want a durable device. While the exact level of ruggedness you want may vary, make sure to get a well constructed product that doesn’t overheat or jam up in a slide.

The Best Overall Thumb Drive: SanDisk Extreme CZ80 64GB

For the pasts few years, California-based SanDisk has produced the best USB 3.0 thumb drive. Their 64GB Extreme CZ80 is fast, affordable, and secure.

This drive delivers read and write speeds at a significantly faster clip than most competitors. SanDisk advertises read speeds up to 245MBs and write speeds of 190MBs, and user benchmarks confirm that these speeds are mostly accurate. This means you can transfer a full-length SD movie in about 10 seconds. That’s 50x faster than old USB 2.0 drives (and double the speed of many 3.0 drives). This drive is ideal for transferring large files, both due to its capacity and speed relative to other options on the market.

The drive also protects your files with AES 128-bit encryption and a secure access vault that works on both Macs and USB. It also includes RescuePRO data recovery software. The Extreme is made with durable plastic, not the most rugged USB drive on the market, but it is solidly constructed and comes with a limited lifetime warranty. It’s also not the most discrete, coming in at 2.8 inches long. But the speed and value of this device cannot be beat for most users.

The Fastest USB Thumb Drive: Lexar 128GB JumpDrive P20

USB drives get a bum rap for their slow speeds. Earlier models had read and write speeds in the low teens, while even many of today’s USB 3.0 drives take twice as long as an external hard drive. But the Lexar 128GB Jump Drive P20 delivers an impressive read/write speed of 400/270MBs. That speed is fast enough to transfer an HD movie in less than the time it takes a Netflix video to load and buffer.

The JumpDrive P20 is housed in a sturdy metal alloy case with a glossy black mirror finish. It’s a retractable drive, which made me suspicious at first, as retractable drives are prone to jamming or otherwise breaking. But the P20 slides along solidly (if not a little stiff) and is protected by a lock mechanism that keeps it safe when extended. At 25 grams, it has a nice heft to it. Lexar includes a limited lifetime warranty. I also like the 256-bit AES encryption via EncryptStickTM Lite software.

The main draw is the drive’s USB 3.0 capacity. This drive runs faster than many external HDDs. While it doesn’t touch SSD speeds, it gets the job done fast enough to be a viable option for large data transfers. Transfer 1000 photos in 1 minute 15 seconds or a full-length HD movie in 36 seconds.

The Most Secure USB Thumb Drive: Apricorn Aegis Secure

The Apricorn Aegis Secure Key is the perfect storage device for a small amount of data. There are two steps to protect your data. First, it requires you to enter a 7-15 digit code on an alphanumeric keyboard.

The second layer of security comes from 256-bit AES Military Grade Hardware Encryption. The Secure Key is tested by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and receives a FIPS 140-2 Level 3 cryptography specification. It doesn’t need any software or firmware to run. That means there’s no risk of a firmware hack. Finally, it protects against brute force attacks with a mechanism that deletes the encryption key if an incorrect PIN is entered too many times.

You can set up an Admin PIN as well as individual user PINs, so companies can recycle the keys if they are granted to new users. The keypad is powered by a battery and is convenient to use. It also resits dust and water ingress. The rest of the device is also solidly constructed in water-resistant aluminum casing. This version uses USB 2.0. A USB 3.0 version exists, but has a few issues (like overheating) that this version doesn’t have.

The post The Best USB Thumb Drive Of 2016 appeared first on Reactual.

We’ve researched websites such as V3.co.uk, PC World, Recovery-Review.com, Computeractive, Download.com, About.com, CNET, and PC Magazine. Here is the top rated data recovery software for USB drives:

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Edition (Free)

Pros:

• Effective USB drive data recovery
• Ability to perform Windows hard drive data recovery

Cons:

• 1GB limit on recovered data

Top Review Sources:

• V3.co.uk: 4.0/5.0 “An ideal solution for those seeking to recover lost data on all forms of removable media”
• PC World: “EaseUs Data Recovery Wizard Free actually works and it’s not a glorified undelete program like some you’ll encounter”
• Recovery-Review.com: “The program has proven to be a reliable, stable and fast tool”

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Edition is a full-featured undelete program with options for USB flash drive data restoration. No matter how you lost the files—accidental deletion, software crash, damage from malware, or even reformatting—Data Recovery Wizard will almost certainly be able to help. This program has advanced capabilities such as sector scanning and file name restoration. The only catch is that the Free Edition only allows you to recover 1GB of data. You’ll be able to scan for and see all the data that EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard finds and can restore, but without spending $70 for the paid edition, you can’t recover more than a gigabyte. With USB flash drive capacities commonly well above 1GB, it is likely you will need the paid edition. However, you may not, and even if you do, there isn’t any investment required to try out this solid performer.

Visit the publisher’s site to download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Edition, as well as EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard ($70).

BadCopy Pro ($40)

Pros:

• Dedicated removable media recovery
• Fast

Cons:

• Only recognizes FAT file systems

Top Review Sources:

• PC World: “If you’ve ever inserted a CD, floppy, Zip disk, or thumb drive only to have Windows cough up an error message telling you it isn’t there, isn’t formatted, or some such, you’ll appreciate BadCopy Pro”
• Computeractive: “If you need to recover a file, it’s definitely worth giving BadCopy a try”
• Dowload.com User Reviews: 3.0/5.0 (35+ reviews)

BadCopy Pro is a dedicated removable media recovery program. USB flash drives commonly use the FAT32 file system. FAT32 allows data to be written and read between Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems, so it is useful to have removable media formatted with FAT32. However, it is possible to format a USB drive with another popular file system, such as NTFS (used by modern Windows operating systems). If you don’t work with FAT32, look elsewhere for your USB flash drive data recovery software. However, if you are using FAT32, BadCopy Pro is worth a close look. BadCopy Pro is built to restore data on USB drives and other removable media. It works in a few simple steps to scan for deleted or corrupted files, and its interface is clean and simple. If you download the free trial version of BadCopy Pro, you’ll be able to preview the files it finds but not save them. If you are happy with the results, you can purchase the paid version in order to restore your data.

Jufsoft’s Bad Copy Pro is available for download as a free evaluation version, or as the paid, full-featured edition.

Recuva (Free)

Pros:

• Great performance
• Helpful interface
• Free

Cons:

• Some paid programs offer more features

Top Review Sources:

• About.com: 5.0/5.0 “Contains a simple wizard and advanced options – perfect for everyone”
• CNET: 4.5/5.0 “An excellent choice for anyone in need of reliable file recovery”
• PC Magazine: 4.0/5.0 “An attractive interface that you can navigate easily even when you’re distracted by the fear that you’ve lost precious data for ever”

Piriform’s Recuva is a well-known and respected name in the data recovery game. Its main draw is its ability to save data from hard drives, but it also has the capability to rescue USB drive data. Recuva’s friendly wizard guides you through the process in a step-by-step fashion. You will be able to preview your results before saving. In tests, Recuva performs very well in finding and saving lost data. Advanced options included a deep scanning mode, sector-based recovery, and secure file deletion.

Download Recuva for free on Piriform’s website.

The post The Top Rated Data Recovery Software For USB Drives appeared first on Reactual.

By reviewing sources such as Maximum PC, PC World, About.com, Recovery-Review.com, Download.com, and CNET, these are the top rated data recovery software for PCs:

Recuva (Free)

Pros:

• Good results
• Friendly, step-by-step recovery wizard
• Free

Cons:

• Not as full-featured as some paid programs

Top Review Sources:

• Maximum PC: 7/10 “We have no trouble recommending Recuva as our favorite free file recovery app”
• PC World: “If you just want a good un-delete program with a small disk footprint at no charge, then Recuva is what you’re looking for”
• About.com: 5.0/5.0 “Recuva is, without a doubt, the very best free file recovery software available today”

Piriform’s Recuva guides you through the recovery process in a simple, non-intimidating fashion. It does a good job recovering files when you use the step-by-step wizard, and a great job recovering files when you explore the program’s advanced options. Nice features include a preview pane and the ability to re-establish a file’s folder structure. Recuva provides plenty of detail about the files it recovers so you can quickly find the one you are looking for. Recuva also includes a sector-based recovery tool, useful when you’ve had a serious crash and can’t boot your operating system. Recuva’s file shredding tool allows you to delete a file beyond recovery.

Recuva is available for free on Piriform’s website.

Quetek File Scavenger 3.2 ($50)

Pros:

• Superior scanning
• Preserves original file names

Cons:

• Cost

Top Review Sources:

• Recovery-Review.com: “Quetek…managed to create a program that is easy to navigate, even for beginners.”
• Download.com User Reviews: 4.0/5.0 (170+ reviews)
• Maximum PC: 9/10 “If you’re willing to pay for file recovery, this is your program”

Reviewers are impressed by File Scavenger 3.2’s huge list of file types from which you can select to narrow your search. This element is just one example of the program’s robust feature set. You can search very specifically for files in certain areas of the drive, plus you can choose from different scan types—from the instantaneous Quick to the time-consuming and very thorough Long. Its recovery performance is top-notch. You can view results in a convenient tree structure as well as sort them by common attributes like type, date, location, etc. Unlike many file recovery programs, Quetek File Scavenger 3.2 reconstructs original file names, rather than return results that still have the additional characters added by the Recycle Bin.

Quetek File Scavenger 3.2 is available for purchase on the manufacturer’s product page.

Pandora Recovery (Free)

Pros:

• Straightforward interface
• Great performance
• Free

Cons:

• Beginners may be confused by advanced options

Top Review Sources:

• CNET: 4.5/5.0 “File recovery has never been easier thanks to Pandora Recovery”
• PC World: 3.5/5.0 “For restoring files that you’ve deleted from your hard drive, Pandora Recovery is one solid option”
• About.com: 4.0/5.0 “The wizard included with the program is the easiest to use and understand wizard that I’ve seen in an undelete program”

Pandora Recovery’s interface is exceptionally clean and straightforward, yet reviewers are even more impressed with the program’s file recovery wizard. This intuitive, step-by-step guide leads you through the recovery process, anticipating your needs along the way. As you proceed, its interface changes to accommodate your selections. You’ll be able to narrow the search down as best you can before initiating a scan. Once a scan starts, you won’t have to wait long for results. Pandora’s speed is not at the expense of its accuracy, however; the program impresses with its successful restoration of deleted files.

Download Pandora Recovery for free on the official site.

The post The Best Data Recovery Software For PCs appeared first on Reactual.

By surveying reviews on sites such as Macworld, Mac|Life, CNET, MacWorld UK, ExpertReviews.co.uk, MacNation.org, and MacUpdate, we’ve created this list of the top rated data recovery software for Macs:

Data Rescue 3 ($85)

Pros:

• Excellent results
• Slick interface

Cons:

• Will not recover original file names

Top Review Sources:

• Macworld: 4.0/5.0 “Data Rescue 3 is a program that every Mac user should at least know about, if not own outright”
• Mac|Life: 4.0/5.0 “We easily recovered deleted files, and were even able to recover the contents of files that we deliberately made unreadable”
• CNET: 4.5/5.0 “Friendly interface, good documentation, and impressive recovery capabilities”

Prosoft’s Data Rescue 3 offers a slick interface and effective data restoration. For an immediate idea of the type of problems you are facing, Data Rescue 3 is able to perform a quick diagnostic test. But for the real work—deeply scanning and attempting to recover files—Data Rescue 3 will probably need a few hours. This isn’t unusual in data recovery, but worth noting nonetheless. The wait typically pays off, however, because Drive Rescue 3 does a great job finding and restoring deleted files. The program recognizes a remarkable number of file types and even has the ability to learn previously unknown file types. Two things to keep in mind: you’ll need to connect a second drive (external or internal hard drive, USB flash drive, etc.) for Data Rescue 3 to use for data caching purposes, and you’ll probably be spending a while manually sorting through the results of a scan, as Data Rescue 3 will not recover original file names. Data Rescue’s user interface is modern, functional, and blends in with the Mac aesthetic.

You’ll find Data Rescue 3 for sale on Amazon.

FileSalvage 7 ($90)

Pros:

• Great results
• Can also scan external drives, memory cards, and optical discs

Cons:

• Scans can take hours

Top Review Sources:

• MacWorld UK: 4.0/5.0 “FileSalvage is part of a range of recovery tools and is the most comprehensive consumer offering of the lot”
• ExpertReviews.co.uk: 4.0/5.0 “In the end…it’s the results that count, and FileSalvage did what it claimed to do”
• MacNation.org: 4.0/5.0 “A very promising piece of software and the support department is top-notch”

SubRosaSoft’s FileSalvage 7 is the most recent version of the company’s Macintosh data recovery software. FileSalvage recognizes an impressive number of file types and provides options for narrowing your search in cases when you have good idea what you are looking for or where it may be. Like other data recovery software, FileSalvage uses a separate volume to save recovered files. After an easy installation, you’ll be presented with the main window, where you can choose to Recover Deleted Files, Salvage All Files, or Explore A Drive. Recover Deleted Files examines the free space of your drive for recently removed information. Salvage All Files is a more extensive operation to be used on faulty or corrupted disks. It attempts to copy all useable data from the disk to another volume. Explore A Drive allows you to initiate precise search and rescue operations rather than attempt to recover all the data on a disk. In Explore A Drive mode, you can teach the program to recognize file types it doesn’t currently know. In all three modes, you’ll be able to preview your results before undeleting. Be prepared for extensive scans to take hours, and know that FileSalvage won’t typically be able to recover file names along with the data.

You can purchase and download SubRosaSoft’s FileSalvage 7 on the official website.

Disk Drill Pro ($90)

Pros:

• Recovers data on HFS/HFS+, FAT, and NTFS drives
• S.M.A.R.T. disk monitoring
• Recovery Vault enhances data recovery

Cons:

• Scanning is free, but recovery requires upgrade

Top Review Sources:

• CNET: 4.0/5.0 “A good option for getting [data] back, especially for less technically inclined users”
• MacUpdate User Reviews: 4.0/5.0 (20+ reviews)
• MacWorld UK: 4.0/5.0 “Disk Drill’s interface is bright and bold and helps you through every stage of the recovery process”

Disk Drill Pro by Cleverfiles is a powerful utility for do-it-yourself undeletion. There is a free edition of Disk Drill, but it only performs lost data scans; to recover deleted files, you’ll need to purchase the Pro edition. With the Pro edition, you get a user-friendly interface and helpful documentation, making it one of the best data recovery programs for those unsure about the process. For the tentative, it is worth downloading the free edition for a thorough test-drive, then upgrading if you are happy with what you see. In the Pro edition, you’ll find flexible scanning and recovery options, as well as a long list of known file types. Disk Drill’s innovative Recovery Vault acts a bridge between backup and recovery; turn it on and Disk Drill starts monitoring and preserving deleted files, making it quick and easy to get them back if you need to. Recovery Vault-restored files will have their file names preserved, a rare accomplishment in the world of Mac data recovery software. Recovering erased files not protected by Recovery Vault takes longer and won’t restore your file names, but the results are still excellent. S.M.A.R.T. disk monitoring is included, meaning Disk Drill Pro will be scrutinizing the health of your hard drive and alerting you to overheating and other impending calamities.

Cleverfiles’ Disk Drill Pro is for sale on the official website.

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