What to do right now
- Files MiniTool found but could not save are still on the disk unless something overwrote them. Stop using the drive.
- Scan the same drive with FileFix Ultimate, which has no recovery limit and is free for personal use.
- Save only to a different physical disk, separate from the files MiniTool already recovered.
- If Windows no longer starts, use a Windows installation USB and the FileFix Ultimate rescue wizard instead of bootable media.
How to finish the recovery for free
Keep MiniTool's saved files apart
Leave the files MiniTool already saved where they are, on the destination disk. You will put the new recovery in a separate folder so you can compare the two sets afterwards.
Run FileFix Ultimate from another disk
Use the installer on a healthy system disk or extract the portable ZIP to a USB stick. Do not install anything onto the drive you are recovering from.
Scan the same source
In Deleted file recovery, choose the drive, card or partition MiniTool scanned. If the drive was quick formatted or shows as RAW, select it anyway; the scan reads surviving file system records first and then searches by signature.
Narrow the list to what is missing
Filter by folder, file type and date so that you only select what MiniTool could not save. Files found through file system records keep their names and folders, which makes this comparison easy.
Save in one pass to another disk
Choose a new folder on a different physical disk and save. There is no size cap, and at the end of a scan the app can save medium and high confidence results automatically to a drive other than the source.
How the two tools differ
Based on public information in October 2026, MiniTool Power Data Recovery has a clean interface and a free edition that scans and previews but recovers only a limited amount of data. Paid editions add extras such as a bootable recovery media builder, and the exact allowance, prices and edition contents change over time, so check the current comparison on the maker's page.
FileFix Ultimate has no feature tiers to compare. Every feature, including signature search, lost partition search, reading ext4 NAS disks and Mac HFS+ drives, damaged file repair and drive imaging, is included without a size cap, free for personal use. It works offline, needs no account and shows no ads. MiniTool and MiniTool Power Data Recovery are trademarks of their owner and are not affiliated with FileFix Ultimate.
When the computer will not start
Bootable recovery media exists because recovering from the system drive of a PC that cannot boot is awkward. FileFix Ultimate takes a different route that needs no paid builder. Boot the PC from an ordinary Windows installation USB, press Shift and F10 on the first setup screen to open a command prompt, and run filefix-cli rescue from a USB stick that holds the portable app. A text wizard then walks you through choosing the source drive and a destination on another disk.
If the drive inside that PC makes clicking noises or keeps disappearing, the fault may be physical rather than a Windows problem. In that case each additional read can make things worse, so create a drive image first or take the drive to a recovery lab if the data matters.
A common mistake when switching tools
Many people save MiniTool's partial results back to the same drive to free space on the external disk, and then run the second tool. That write lands in the free space where the remaining deleted files sit. Keep all recovered material on the destination disk until the job is finished, even if it means buying or borrowing a larger external drive for a day.
It also helps to judge results by their status rather than their name. A file can be listed with the right name and size yet contain zeros if its clusters were reused. FileFix Ultimate checks each recovered file with an independent validator and labels it verified, partially recovered or extracted but unverified, so you know which copies to trust.
What no alternative can change
- Files whose space was reused by new data come back damaged or not at all.
- On SSDs with TRIM, deleted files are often emptied within moments of deletion.
- A full format, unlike a quick format, wipes the earlier contents of the volume.
- FileFix Ultimate cannot read ReFS, APFS, Btrfs or ZFS, and does not rebuild RAID 6 or RAID 10.
- Encrypted BitLocker drives need the recovery key or password; without it, nothing can be read.
How FileFix Ultimate helps
- No recovery cap and no trial countdown; personal use needs no licence key.
- Rescue wizard that runs from a Windows installation USB when the PC will not boot.
- Pause and resume scans, and save files while the scan is still running.
- Recovers names and folders from NTFS, FAT32 and exFAT records, including quick formatted drives.
- Read-only scanning with the destination restricted to a different disk.
FileFix Ultimate is free for personal use, works offline and never writes to the drive you are recovering from. Business use needs a one-year licence per PC. Check the signature before you run it.
Frequently asked questions
I already used my MiniTool free allowance. Can I recover the rest?
Yes, as long as the remaining files have not been overwritten. Scan the same drive with a tool that has no limit and save only the files that are still missing.
Do I need bootable media if Windows will not start?
Not with FileFix Ultimate. A standard Windows installation USB opens a command prompt with Shift and F10, and the filefix-cli rescue wizard runs from there.
Can I keep using MiniTool and FileFix Ultimate side by side?
Yes. Both read the source drive without changing it. Just make sure neither of them saves to the drive you are recovering from.
Why are some files listed but marked as unverified?
They were found, but the validator could not confirm their structure, for example because they have no standard internal check. Open them to confirm, or prefer a verified copy if one exists.