Data recoverey - too many files

[citizensmith]

Bit of a waffle here, but its what to do with all them found files? Avoiding the flames over looking at clients pics - how do decide what and in what layout to give back ie from a customer service /expectation pov? If software recovers inf older format that's easy. What about just a wholebunch of jpgs?

backstory.
Back in UK for christmas, staying with some mates. As usual a dead pc was waiting with the beers. The ol' "restore computer' ain;t 'system restore" thing. He just wanted santa to find his photos. At work I,d usualy use R-Studio, GetBackData, Easus and have some structuerd output from a known location. But as its my holiday downloaded photorec from cgsecurity. Its free, works and is noddy proof all essentials after a few beers. Perfect.
It worked alright 28000+ jpgs Not in a tree or from named folders. So theres' all that internet browsing and other 'popup' imagry to.Mates or not I don't want to see what he did last summer. Google maps and streetview does 256x256 & 512x512 images but any cropped user pics / webcam grabs ! may be that small to. And all them thumbnials from original files. Finally decided to discard 512s or less as most cameras make larger files. Still has the original recovery drive just in case

So data recovery people - whats the pro way?

 

[Markverhyden]

Don't. Meaning I am not the data police or rubbish company or sanitation department. Their data is not my responsibility.

That being said they are your friends so I understand how you may want to help them a little bit. It's been my experience that most pictures that people want start with sizes around 5k or so. So I would do a random search checking to see if they are what they want. Then just cut out those sizes below.

 

[citizensmith]

Thanks for that. Im guess the 1 hour photo people feel the same way every week. As for returning the files - burn to dvd or put on flash drive in one big lump? Making folders would takes far too long. Don,t want to mess with batch files.
Just thinking of what a customer would expect. If you move house they deliver it in crates rather than back up a tipper truck and dump it in lounge.

 

[Kitten Kong]

I would go so far, as recovering every pic the recovery prog has found. Using (can't think of the name of the prog - it was mentioned either last week, or wk prior), about file duplication names, where it would tell you if there are any file dupes. Remove all the file dupes, then copy what ever is left over to either a dvd, usb, or ext hard drive.

It's not up to you to determine what you think the client wants recovering (no offense intended here), the client may WANT the pic of tiny tim, in a tutu, which he saw on <insert a n other site name> here, but didnt save it.

What i'm trying to get at, is yes removal companies deliver it in crates, but thats because it was packed up correctly, and labeled with the right room for the crate to go back into.

What you currently have is the tipper truck of info, no way of knowing which room its supposed to go back into. It's not your place to start placing them, in the right crate. Not to mention time taken, and the fact that you could (more than likely - put the wrong crate in the wrong room).

I know they are your mates, but you have to distance yourself a little too. If the client had backed up their data in the first place, you wouldn't be in the situation you are now.

 

[citizensmith]

If the client had backed up their data in the first place, you wouldn't be in the situation you are now.

if only. Dear Santa...

the client may WANT the pic of tiny tim, in a tutu, which he saw on <insert a n other site name> here, but didnt save it.

but true. diffrent strokes etc.

So. For real customers who pay real cash = here's you're real big pile of jpgs that was recovered. Enjoy.
ps I didnt put that ukulele pr0n on your drive

 

[Kitten Kong]

True CZ, but on the flip side, your not being paid to trawl through their pics, clients may just want everything recovered, in which case, putting it all on what ever media, is the right thing to do.

If the client gives me verbal permission to trawl (I always have them sign off on it also, just to cma. Then I will ask them what pics they are looking for, obviously if its pics from the camera etc, then you can sort through them in size order, and delete the unwanted ones.

I suppose it all depends on exactly how much time you want to throw into the job. IF they are paying for you to recover, thats what youve done. If they want it sorting, then that imo is not in the initial jobs remit.