GORDON BELL  Hi Tank,

I just replied to another similar post on another site so i'll use the same message I posted there. Your feedback is very appreciated but I did want to reply to you as we love to interact with our customers...

First off, thanks for looking at Data Rescue 3, as a current Data Rescue II owner.. We know that most customers use Data Rescue typically once or twice and then they put it away, maybe reaching for it again many years later. So we know that for most customers, upgrading isn't really something they're interested in. They used it when they needed it, but don't need it currently and therefore don't need or want to pay for an upgrade...With that said, we do have some staunch followers that always want the latest and greatest version around and we thank them for that continued support--

We could've released Data Rescue 3 as the only version that would be Snow Leopard compatible simply by never releasing Data Rescue II with the Snow Leopard compatibility built in, but that's just not our style ;-) We wanted to have all our Data Rescue II users get a Snow Leopard compatible build before we came out with Data Rescue 3.. I think that's pretty generous and I'm proud we did that, to be honest..

We launched Data Rescue II back in September of 2005 and we've done lots of builds since then.. We added support for Intel Machines, support for Leopard and then Snow leopard, all as free updates to Data Rescue II... I think that's probably a record (4 years of development and updates with no paid upgrades...). That's something I'm pretty proud of too...

So we've been giving away a lot of updates and stuff for free over the years.. This is our first paid upgrade since 2005... But we still know that most customers will only care about what version is available now, buy it, use it once and that's it... For those that want to keep on using Data Rescue II, of course it'll still work, but we're excited about the new features, power and performance increases in Data Rescue 3...

We'll have a new Data Rescue 3 down the road that will be 64-bit, and that'll be a free application update to any owners of Data Rescue 3 .. Making it 64-bit is indeed a substantial change and one that will take quite some time.. But it's on the radar for sure... In the meantime, this new version really is a substantial effort of engineering, worked and perfected over the past few years... We're excited about the new performance features like FileIQ® and improved scans and additional files supported.. It is a huge improvement over Data Rescue II, plain and simple..

We appreciate your thoughts and we know that for some, Data Rescue II will serve them just fine if they already own it... Down the road they may look to upgrade to Data Rescue 3 and we'll be there for them when they do...

Thanks again for the support and please contact us if you need anything--

Gordon from Prosoft--  
(Version 3.0)

TANKKNIGHT  I love this product and I think the company is excellent. That said, I think that $65 to upgrade from v2 to v3 is too much. I have a PPC G5 so I'll stick with v2.  
(Version 3.0)

KENNEWT  My girlfriend died 2 years ago from Breast Cancer. Before she died she had recorded her voice using Apple's Garageband software. She wanted to put together an audio book where she read a book her sister had written. (Her sister is a well known author, and a National Book Award winner). Unfortunately, she was only beginning the project when her deteriorating health prevented her from continuing the work of reading. She was also trying to do a great job, so there were only a few chapters recorded that she was happy with, and the readings that she was unhappy with, she deleted.

I kept her computer, disappointed that there was so little of her voice left for us, and searched the computer many times hoping to find more files. There were none, and that is when I realized she had deleted her readings if she wasn't happy with them. Two years later, I discovered Data Rescue II and decided to give it a try, to see what might be recoverable.

My initial attempt to recover files, was successful, but also disappointing, as there appeared to be no way to unlock the "packages" that the Garageband software created when it stored an audio file.

I contacted Prosoft support, and within a few days, they got back to me with specific instructions on how to find and open the .aif files that had been recovered.

Thankfully, it worked, and I was able to recover files that had been deleted, and initially seemed unrecoverable, and now her friends and family can have these recordings to listen to any time they wish.

I can't express my gratitude sufficiently to Prosoft for creating this incredible program, and for working with me in finding a way to recover files that initially appeared to be not recoverable.  
(Version 1.2.2)

DOUG S.  I could tell you about my 1TB drive and how it died, but there are plenty of stories like that in the reviews already. Instead I will simply say it works better tan you'll expect it to.

That and that to do a data recovery service it will cost you anywhere from $800-$4,000 if you're doing a 1TB drive. Suddenly $99 for an application you can use time and time again doesn't seem so expensive, does it?

I've seen this program recommended on many websites and in many magazines as well as one rather enthusiastic recommendation from an Apple Genius.

When a drive dies it's a heart-wrenching moment. You fear you've lost everything and you'll never get it back. There are certain programs out there that will help you solve those problems. Data Rescue II is on that list and near the top.

—

For anyone who's reading these reviews as a result of a recent failure, my condolences. I know what you're going through there and have been there myself. Try these following programs and one of them will be able to fix it, or at least allow you to get your data back:

1. Disk Warrior.

2. Drive Genius.

3. Data Rescue II.

I usually use them in that exact order as well. The first can fix any, and I do mean any, directory-based issue and can almost always find all your files if a directory is corrupted beyond repair. Drive Genius will help you diagnose exactly what's wrong with your drive if Disk Warrior doesn't work. And finally, Data Rescue II will get your data back.

Even if you buy all three of these programs you've spent less than you would had you paid for a professional service.  
(Version 1.2.1)

OKDA  Today I have all of my files back from a 200G failed external firewire drive. Although everything was already backed up a few days before the crash, I lost a 3 days of work on a critical InDesign file. Disk Warrior wouldn't see the drive, Disk Utility wouldn't see the drive, but Data Rescue found all of my files, just using the Quick Scan feature. That was worth the money. A big Thank You!  
(Version 1.2.2)

DFERRELL  Data Rescue II worked very well in recovering data from a damaged hard drive that would not mount. Their tech support was available and very helpful when I was trying the product as a demo and continued with the same fast response when I was convinced that it would work for me and purchased the full version. Features were easy to use, recovery was nearly 100%. It took only a matter of a few hours to scan and recover my data. Prosoft gets 5 stars from me.   
(Version 1.2.2)

GORDON BELL  Any customer who purchased Data Rescue 3 earlier can contact Prosoft directly to get a new boot DVD download link for free (if you paid to have a Data Rescue 3 DVD shipped to you, Prosoft will re-ship you the latest DVD this time at no additional cost---Just contact Prosoft sales (check prosoft website for contact info)..

Cheers,

Gordon from Prosoft-  
(Version 3.0.1)

ACCOUNTCLOSED  DRII retrieved over 30,000 files for me from a formatted drive, all in their original, usable format. The product outperformed its nearest competitor by a long shot. If you need serious at-home data recovery, I'd encourage you to download the trial and give DRII a go.  
(Version 1.2.2)

DJFK2000  Data Rescue is the best program you can get for file recovery on a corrupted drive. Much better than DiskWarrior 4 or FileSalvage, the program's Thorough Scan feature not only found all my files but it recovered all their metadata, such as names, creation and modification dates, folder structure, permissions, etc. Most helpfully, the company offers a demo so you can see exactly what you're getting before spending your money. Truly excellent product, highly recommended.  
(Version 1.2.1)

JANICE  I have been working on Apple computers for approx 15 years. I run into all sorts of issues in the course of troubleshooting and repairs. One of the most devastating for any computer user is the lost of data. No matter how much I harp, scold, cajole, there are still clients that never backup their computers. I had one such case this past week. A G4 iBook for one of my doctor clients. Without any warning, the hard drive on this computer refused to mount. I tried all the standard things: Disk First Aid, Disk Warrior, TechToolPro, etc., nothing would work! DataRescueII to the Rescue! It retrieved every single piece of information from their hard drive! The client couldn't have been more excited to hear this news!

I've been using Data Resue since it first came out. Not once has it failed to do exactly as it is promoted to do. That is amazing! I cannot recommend this piece of software strongly enough (right along with backing up your data on a daily basis!)

Prosoft, you have me as a lifetime client. I thank you. My clients thank you.

Janice Kempf

Clear Link - Clearlake, Ca.  
(Version 1.2.1)