Table 1 here; https://www.r-studio.com/file-recovery-basics.html gives examples of when file recovery will succeed and when it will not.
Table 1: Data Recovery of Fragmented Files
| File |
Condition |
Outcome |
| File 1 |
No end file signature, but the file ends right before the File 2 beginning signature. |
Successful file recovery. |
| File 2 |
Fragmented file. File 3 intersects File 2. |
Unsuccessful data recovery. The software will end the file at the beginning of File 3. The second part of File 2 will be lost |
| File 3 |
Contiguous file with a beginning signature and file end signature. |
Successful file recovery. |
| File 4 |
No end file signature, followed by unallocated space. |
Unsuccessful data recovery. The software will assume file ends at the beginning of File N, and will attach unallocated space to the end of File 4. |
