OpenSuperClone vs PhotoRec

OpenSuperClone is a free Linux data-recovery utility based on HDDSuperClone. It provides advanced drive cloning and logs the recovery process so it can be stopped and resumed. Virtual Disk Mode supports targeted extraction and can read from the source, destination, or neither, including workflows with DMDE, R-Studio, and UFS Explorer. Direct AHCI and IDE modes can bypass operating-system drivers, while the project documents direct USB access. The utility can power-cycle drives through generic USB HID relay boards or YEPKIT YKUSH switchable hubs. A script engine supports advanced drive interaction, with a Visual Studio Code language extension available. Downloads include DEB and RPM packages, source installation instructions, and a Linux Live ISO. OpenSuperClone is GPLv2 licensed. Virtual drive functions need a kernel module. NVMe SSDs require Generic Source Device Mode because they do not appear in default passthrough mode. Wiki documentation is incomplete.

PhotoRec is a free file recovery program for retrieving lost videos, documents, archives, and pictures from storage media and disk images. It searches the underlying data instead of relying on the file system, which can help after file-system damage or reformatting. It recognizes more than 480 file extensions across about 300 file families, and listed file systems include FAT, NTFS, exFAT, ext2/ext3/ext4, and HFS+.

Supported sources include hard disks, CD-ROMs, memory cards, USB drives, raw disk images, and EnCase E01 images. PhotoRec runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, DOS, several BSD systems, Solaris, and other Unix systems. It accesses the recovery drive or card in read-only mode; recovered files should go to a different partition. The portable download runs after extracting its archive, without an installer. QPhotoRec provides a graphical interface, while PhotoRec can also run from scripts or batch files with command-line options. The maker says it usually cannot recover original filenames and does not work well with ReiserFS.