# Seeking Data Recovery Freeware \*without\* Downloading

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-data-recovery-freeware-without-downloading/346940>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 3, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-data-recovery-freeware-without-downloading/346940 "2006-03-03T19:29:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-data-recovery-freeware-without-downloading/346940/1 "2006-03-03T19:29:42Z")

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A person at my office who is not particularly computer-oriented has a corrupted floppy disk with personal (not business) information. The disk now says it’s unformatted.

This person can’t go to the IT folks for help, as it’s not work-related, and came to me for suggestions.

I’d run the disk through a freeware data recovery program. But we can’t download and install software to these computers, but we could in theory run a web-page based piece of software over the internet. I think I’ve seen diagnostic tools set up like this before; I hope I’m making myself clear.

Does anyone know of a site where we could run some kind of diagnostic, disk repair, or data recovery software _without_ having to download and install?

Thanks! I hope this request is in the right forum and within the spirit of the board rules.

Sailboat

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**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-data-recovery-freeware-without-downloading/346940/2 "2006-03-03T20:20:32Z")

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I think it’s unlikely that such a site exists. Java applets are barred from doing the sort of disk access that a utility like this would require.

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**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-data-recovery-freeware-without-downloading/346940/3 "2006-03-03T20:45:27Z")

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Is there a reason he can’t wait until he’s at home to download & install software? I think that’s going to be a better bet than trying to find a website.

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-data-recovery-freeware-without-downloading/346940/4 "2006-03-03T21:00:21Z")

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I think you’re pretty SOL at work wih no downloading allowed. There may be others, but the old Norton DOS disk utilties had the most comprehensive floppy data recovery tools I’ve run across, most freeware stuff is not nearly as powerful for floppy based stuff.

[See this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=338269&highlight=floppy)

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**Author:** ![the\_PC\_apeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_PC\_apeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_PC_apeman)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-data-recovery-freeware-without-downloading/346940/5 "2006-03-03T21:12:33Z")

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Try the diskette in a variety of drives. I’ve seem some drives have problems with some diskettes - I’ve heard it may be a head alignment problem.