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If you have talked to Seagate support recently, you may have received the tip that the company's premium file recovery software, called Seagate File Recovery Software Premium, is currently available free of charge.

The file recovery solution, while designed specifically for Seagate, works with any type of local storage device including devices not manufactured by Seagate.

The program, which has a retail price of $100, can be downloaded for free for Windows or Macintosh systems. While the process involves adding the item to the cart and checking out, it is not necessary to enter billing information. What you do need is a valid email address as license code and download link are sent to that address.

To activate the program select the license icon in the bottom left corner of the application interface. Enter the order ID, serial number and email address to unlock the premium version.

The main interface displays the three options "test a device", "recover lost files", and "erase data".

Test a device

The process is quite straightforward. Pick a storage device in the first step and the desired test, short or extended, in the second.

The main difference is that short checks some S.M.A.R.T. parameters only. Both tests run for about an hour and there is little reason not to run the extended test all the time.
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