What to do right now
- In Deleted file recovery, click Open image file… and choose the .iso, .img, .vhd, .vhdx or .E01 file.
- Scan the image; the app reads it without mounting and without changing it.
- Select the files you need and save them to a folder with enough free space.
- For an image of a failed drive, keep the original drive switched off and work only from the image.
How to recover files from an image file
Put the image on a healthy disk
Make sure the image file sits on a disk that works reliably, and note its size. If it came from a download or a colleague, check that the transfer finished: an image that is smaller than expected may be cut off.
Open the image file
In FileFix Ultimate, open Deleted file recovery, go to Disk image file and click Open image file…. Choose the image: .iso for CD, DVD and Blu-ray images, .img, .dd or .raw for raw drive images, .vhd or .vhdx for virtual disks and Windows backups, or .E01 for forensic images.
Scan the image
Start the scan. Inside a disc image the app reads ISO 9660 and UDF; inside a drive image it looks for partitions and reads NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, ext4 or HFS+ volumes, including partitions that are no longer listed. The image file is opened read-only throughout.
Browse, filter and preview
Files found through the file system appear with their names and folders, while files found by signature search are grouped by type. Preview photos, PDFs and text before choosing, and check the status and confidence shown for each file.
Save the files
Choose a destination folder with enough space. Because the source is an image file and not a device, saving on the same volume does not write to the original device, but a separate disk keeps things tidy and avoids running out of space halfway.
Check warnings on partial files
If the image was made from a failing drive or a scratched disc, unreadable areas are usually stored as zeros. Files that touch those areas, or that extend past the end of a truncated image, carry a warning and may be marked partial instead of verified.
Why not just mount the ISO in Windows?
Windows can mount an intact .iso with a double-click, and for copying a few current files that is often enough. Mounting shows only what the latest directory lists, though. Files removed in a later session of a multisession disc, deleted entries on a UDF image and anything outside the normal file list stay invisible. A damaged or truncated image may also refuse to mount at all.
Raw drive images and forensic E01 files cannot be mounted by Windows without extra tools, and attaching a VHD or VHDX with write access can let Windows update it. Opening the image as a read-only scan source avoids all of these issues and gives you the same recovery options as a physical drive.
Recovering from an image of a drive that has since failed
An image made before or during a failure is often the best thing you have, because it can be scanned again and again without wearing out a dying disk. That includes images made with the drive image tool in FileFix Ultimate, which skips bad sectors and keeps a .map file, as well as raw images from other imaging software and VHD or VHDX files from Windows backup.
The image reflects the drive at the moment it was made. Files deleted before that moment can still be found if they had not been overwritten, and anything written to the drive afterwards is not in the image. Keep the original drive switched off once you have a good image, and recover from the image instead.
Truncated and damaged image files
Interrupted downloads and copies are a common cause of broken ISO files. When a file in the image points to data beyond the end of the image, the app warns that the file may be cut off rather than presenting it as complete. If the publisher provides a checksum, compare it with the SHA-256 of your copy before relying on the result; a fresh download is usually quicker than repair.
When an image will not help
- Proprietary backup formats that are not raw, VHD, VHDX, E01, VMDK or QCOW2 images may not open; restore them with the tool that made them or export a plain image first.
- An image made after files were overwritten does not contain the old data.
- Areas that were unreadable when the image was made are stored as zeros, so files there stay incomplete.
- Volumes inside the image that use APFS, ReFS, Btrfs or ZFS are not analysed.
- Encrypted volumes inside an image must be unlockable with their key; BitLocker volumes need the recovery key.
How FileFix Ultimate helps
- Opens .iso, raw images, VHD, VHDX, E01, VMDK and QCOW2 files directly, read-only and without mounting.
- Reads ISO 9660 and UDF disc images, including earlier sessions, and NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, ext4 and HFS+ volumes inside drive images.
- Searches for lost partitions and uses signature search for files whose records are gone.
- Warns when a file extends past the end of a truncated image instead of calling it complete.
- Free for personal use, offline and with no recovery limit.
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
Can I extract files from an ISO without mounting it?
Yes. Open the .iso as a disk image file in Deleted file recovery, scan it and save the files you need. The image is read-only throughout, so nothing in it changes.
Will it open .bin, .nrg or other disc image types?
Formats outside the list above may not open. The safer route is to convert them to a plain .iso with the burning program that created them, or to read the original disc again if you still have it.
What does the warning that a file extends past the end of the image mean?
The image is shorter than the file system inside it expects, usually because a download or copy stopped early. The part of the file that lies beyond the end is missing, so the saved copy may be cut off.
Can I recover deleted files from a VHDX backup?
Often, yes. The VHDX contains a full volume, so files that were deleted on that volume before the backup was taken can sometimes be found, as long as they had not been overwritten at that time.