free file-recovery download?

I use the pay version of Mozy and it worked very well when my computer died. They also have a free version (for fewer files).

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. Are you looking for a free file recovery website (such as Mozy or Dropbox), or are you asking about file recovery software?

Take a look at the programs on this page:
http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware/system/fwdatarecovery.html
I have used both of the PC Inspector programs, and they successfully recovered the files that I wanted. It was a few years ago, so I don't know what they are like now.

EaseUS has a good reputation:
http://www.easeus.com/datarecoverywizard/free-data-recovery-software.htm
Free edition does up to 1GB of files.

I've had good luck with Recuva (recuva.com) which can do a fast grab of deleted files or a slower really-go-through-the-disk. As with any recovery app, it will not work well if a file has been overwritten. Otherwise, it's great -- very intuitive and free.

vigeo said:

If I select one type of file at a time (documents only) will that speed up the process?

Click to expand...

Yes.

Also, make absolutely sure you save the recovered data to a different drive! Cuz otherwise, the new files are liable to overwrite some of the data you're trying to recover.

You can also try Glary Utilities. There is a module to recover previously deleted files. Used it before and it was 100% effective. I can't remember if you can set it for individual file types, but rather let it do a comprehensive search to make sure you get everything.