GoPro Recovery
GoPro Recovery (gpr.exe from CnW Recovery Developments Ltd)

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can I run the program on a Macintosh

There is not a specific Macintosh version.  To run the program on a Mac you require a Windows emulator, such as Parallels. Other options are to borrow a PC/laptop, or try our video recovery service.

I cannot view .demomp4 video files.

This is correct.  When the demo runs the files saved are encrypted, and called demomp4, demolrv etc. These files are used to generate the thumbnails, but will not work with programs such as VLC.  When a licence is purchased, the demo files can be converted very quickly to playable videos.  Each thumbnail displayed is extracted from the encrypted video file.

Why is it possible to recover from a quick format

and not a full format?

The reason for the differences in recovery is that quick format just overwrites the directory files.  A full format overwrites every sector.  If a sector has been overwritten, nothing (even full FBI etc) can recover the data, and so in this mode, everything is lost.  By just removing the directory, it is like making a telephone ex-directory.  All the data exists, but there are no pointers to it.  Video files, as described else where are often fragemented, but GPR is extremely good at recreating files from sometimes 100s of fragments.

Can I recover files from a hard drive

GPR is designed to recover from memory chips, eg SD card, CF.  On a hard drive, the files are normnally sequential, but most cameras record videos out of physical sequence on a memory chip. The best recovery process is therefore very different.  For hard drive recovery, try  CnW Recovery  software.

It is slow, should I stop the scan now?

Speed can be an issue at times.  It is partly dependant on the speed of the card reader, and the PC, but also there is a lot of processing going on to reconstruct the videos.  In stage one, if you 'Cancel' there is an option to continue processing what has been found.  So if you want a quick assessment of files so far, Canel can be useful.  Generally speaking, the screen should never freeze for long, a number should be seen moving and this indicates that the program is still processing.

Can I select a specific file to recover?

Unfortunately the answer to this question is that it is not possible.  There is a sound reason for this.  When a chip has been formatted, or files deleted, and maybe partially overwritten, the original directory structure is no longer valid.  For this reason, the first operation for GPR is to scan the complete memory chip. Only when this has been done will the potential locations of all the file fragments be known.  The exFAT mode of recovery tries to make use of the remaining file system, and so is fast, but cannot always find the existing/deleted/corrupted files - hence the slower, but comprehensive recovery option. Many recovery programs show a directory of file names - which looks impressive, but then falls rather flat when these files will not actually play.  GPR recovers files that will then play correctly.
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GoPro Recovery
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FAQ

Frequently asked

questions

Can I run the program on a Macintosh

There is not a specific Macintosh version.  To run the program on a Mac you require a Windows emulator, such as Parallels. Other options are to borrow a PC/laptop, or try our video recovery service.

I cannot view .demomp4 video files.

This is correct.  When the demo runs the files saved are encrypted, and called demomp4, demolrv etc. These files are used to generate the thumbnails, but will not work with programs such as VLC.  When a licence is purchased, the demo files can be converted very quickly to playable videos.  Each thumbnail displayed is extracted from the encrypted video file.

Why is it possible to recover from a

quick format and not a full format?

The reason for the differences in recovery is that quick format just overwrites the directory files.  A full format overwrites every sector.  If a sector has been overwritten, nothing (even full FBI etc) can recover the data, and so in this mode, everything is lost.  By just removing the directory, it is like making a telephone ex- directory.  All the data exists, but there are no pointers to it.  Video files, as described else where are often fragemented, but GPR is extremely good at recreating files from sometimes 100s of fragments.

Can I recover files from a hard drive

GPR is designed to recover from memory chips, eg SD card, CF.  On a hard drive, the files are normnally sequential, but most cameras record videos out of physical sequence on a memory chip. The best recovery process is therefore very different.  For hard drive recovery, try  CnW Recovery  software.

It is slow, should I stop the scan now?

Speed can be an issue at times.  It is partly dependant on the speed of the card reader, and the PC, but also there is a lot of processing going on to reconstruct the videos.  In stage one, if you 'Cancel' there is an option to continue processing what has been found.  So if you want a quick assessment of files so far, Canel can be useful.  Generally speaking, the screen should never freeze for long, a number should be seen moving and this indicates that the program is still processing.

Can I select a specific file to recover?

Unfortunately the answer to this question is that it is not possible.  There is a sound reason for this.  When a chip has been formatted, or files deleted, and maybe partially overwritten, the original directory structure is no longer valid.  For this reason, the first operation for GPR is to scan the complete memory chip. Only when this has been done will the potential locations of all the file fragments be known.  The exFAT mode of recovery tries to make use of the remaining file system, and so is fast, but cannot always find the existing/deleted/corrupted files - hence the slower, but comprehensive recovery option. Many recovery programs show a directory of file names - which looks impressive, but then falls rather flat when these files will not actually play.  GPR recovers files that will then play correctly.