pre-purchase question

[davidsearles]

I've done a complete file search for paper port files (.max) and turbo tax files (.tax). The external drive that they were on mistakenly was reformatted more than once. (I had the wrong drive plugged in)

It found a lot of tax and max files but I am a bit suspicious because all of the files found, both the turbo tax and the paper port files all show the same file size 1024 kb.

I click on the files and the message no preview is available for this file type comes up.

As an aside, when I click on the bmp files that were found they all come up with previews so it gives me some level of confidence.

For the paper port and turbo tax files there is nothing in the comments column.

It looks like an excellent program. The search came up with more than ten times the files that competitor programs came up with but is there anyway to be sure that these files will open before I plunk down the purchase price?

Thanks

[GDH]

Hi,

1024k (is actually 1mb).

The reason that you are getting this size is that it is set as the "default" file size for these types of files: e.g., Recover My Files scan down the disk, finds a .max file header, and then starts looking for the footer. It travels a further 1mb down the disk and does not find the footer - it thinks that the .max files are usually less than 1mb in size, so at that point it stops looking for the footer, gives the file the default size, and starts looking for the next header.

You can change the default file size by going to OPTIONS > SEARCH > 1. make sure there is a tick in "Search for lost files", 2. take the tick out of "try and determine the file size of lost files" and then set the file size to be slightly larger than you biggest file.

Once you save these files, the applications should open them and ignore any unused data at the end of the file. Then when you save the file, it should go back to its correct size.

Good luck.