Files
Vow File Search
Find any file as you type, across every drive
- Free: Unlimited file name search on every drive, 10 searches inside files a day
- $4.95 once: Unlimited searches inside files, network drives and NAS shares
Vow Drive Rescue
RAW drive and partition repair for Windows
"You need to format the disk"? Don't. Rescue it instead.
Vow Drive Rescue finds out in seconds why Windows won't open your drive, shows you the files as they are, and repairs the boot sector or partition table so it opens again. Every change is shown before it is written, backed up first and undoable.
- No ads
- No malware
- No account
- Light & dark theme
- Full diagnosis, browse and preview, repair previews, 200 MB a day
No ads. Ever.No pop-ups, no banners, no "offers".
No malware or bundlewareThe installer installs one thing: this app.
No account, no uploadIt works on your PC, and your files stay there.
Free daily limits, just $9.95 unlimitedNo subscription. No trial that runs out.
The problem
One wrong click and a fixable drive is gone
Windows offers to format it. Forums tell you to type commands into a black window. Repair tools change your disk without showing you what they are about to do.
"Format the disk?"
Windows' own answer to a damaged drive writes a new, empty file system over the old one. One click on Yes and the easy fix is gone.
Commands you don't understand
The free classics are powerful, but they live in a text console and expect you to know what a cylinder boundary is.
Repairs done blind
Many tools write to the disk the moment you press the button, with no preview of the result and no way back.
Subscriptions for a single fix
Partition repairs are often locked behind monthly plans or pricey licences, for a job you hope to do once.
No idea what's wrong
RAW, no letter, not initialized, the parameter is incorrect: the messages say something broke, not what or why.
Failing drives made worse
Running scan after scan on a drive that is already dying can finish it off before the files are safe.
Vow Drive Rescue fixes all of it.
How it works
Diagnose. Copy. Repair.
The cause in plain words, your files safe on another drive, then a repair you can see and undo.
- 01
Click the drive
Every disk Windows knows is listed, even ones with no letter, offline or not initialized. Click it and the diagnosis takes a few seconds, read-only.
Every disk Windows knows, ready to diagnose read-only - 02
Browse and copy your files
The drive is read through a virtual repair, so files appear as they will after the fix while nothing is written. Preview them and copy them to another drive.
Browse a drive's files, even when Windows calls it RAW - 03
Repair, with undo
Each fix shows exactly which bytes it writes and what Windows will see afterwards. The old bytes are saved first, so one click undoes it.
Surface test, drive health, sector viewer and undo
Features
Data-lab methods with a safety net on every step
For the external drive that went RAW, the stick with no letter and the card that says "not initialized".
A diagnosis in plain words
"Found it: the NTFS boot sector is damaged", with a disk map, every finding explained and the fix next to it.
Browse a RAW drive
See, preview and recover the files of a drive Windows can't open, read through a virtual repair with nothing written.
Boot sector and MFT repairs
Restores NTFS, FAT32 and exFAT boot sectors from their backups, or rebuilds them from the file table when both copies are gone.
Lost partitions put back
Finds deleted partitions by their boot sectors or backups and adds them back to the MBR or GPT table, or rebuilds the table.
Dry run with before and after
A preview of every repair, checked on a virtual copy, with a hex view of each sector as it is now and after the repair.
Backed up and undoable
The bytes a repair replaces are saved before it writes, sectors are read back afterwards, and Undo puts them back.
Full images of failing drives
Readable areas first and bad spots last, ddrescue-style and resumable, to a VHD Windows opens with a double-click.
Health, surface test, S.M.A.R.T.
Read test, counterfeit-size check, a timed surface map of every block and S.M.A.R.T. read in plain language.
Windows' own fixes, free
Bring a disk online, clear read-only, give it a drive letter, lift the USB write-protect policy or run Windows' check.
Light and dark theme
Switch between the paper-light and carbon-dark look with one click on the side rail, and it stays the way you left it.
Light & dark theme
Easy on the eyes, day or night.
Drive Rescue comes with a crisp light theme and a calm dark theme. Switch with one click, or let it follow your Windows setting by itself. It remembers your choice.
- LightClear and bright for daytime and busy offices
- DarkGentle on tired eyes late at night
- Follow WindowsChanges by itself when your PC does
Screenshots
See Vow Drive Rescue in action
Real screenshots of the real app, in both of its themes: 8 light, 8 dark. Click any picture to see it full size.
Light theme
Dark theme
Who it's for
When a drive stops opening
An external drive gone RAW
Windows shows it as RAW and wants to format it. Find out why and put the boot sector back.
A USB stick with no letter
It shows in Disk Management but not in Explorer. Give it a letter or find its lost partition.
"Disk not initialized"
A memory card whose partition table was wiped gets its partition found and the table rebuilt.
A partition deleted by mistake
Bring a deleted partition back with every file on it, instead of recovering file by file.
A drive that clicks or slows down
Image it first, readable areas before bad spots, then rescue the files from the image.
Repair shops and IT
Diagnose disk images, keep rescue backups of each drive's structures and copy the diagnosis for the job sheet.
Compare
Vow Drive Rescue vs the usual fixes
What happens to your drive with each of the options people usually reach for.
| Feature | Vow Drive Rescue | Format prompts & typical repair tools |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free diagnosis, or $9.95 once to repair | Subscriptions or pricey licences |
| Explains the cause | In plain words, with the fix | Rarely; error codes or nothing |
| Preview of the repair | Checked on a virtual copy, hex before and after | Rarely shown |
| Undo after writing | Replaced bytes saved first, one-click Undo | Rarely offered |
| Browse files before repairing | Yes, free, through the virtual repair | Sometimes, often paid |
| Imaging a failing drive | ddrescue-style, resumable, to VHD | Separate tools |
| Easy to use | Click the drive, read the verdict | Free classics are text consoles |
| Ads, bundled extras | None, ever | Common with free downloads |
"Typical" describes what we found across the most-downloaded alternatives when we built Drive Rescue. Your mileage with any one of them may vary; ours won't.
Pricing
Free every day. Just $9.95 once for the lot.
That is not a typo. Software this powerful usually means a monthly subscription; Drive Rescue is $9.95, once, for life: it's almost a giveaway. Use it free for as long as you like, and unlock Unlimited only if you need more.
Free
$0forever
Full diagnosis, browse and preview, repair previews, 200 MB a day.
- The full diagnosis of any drive, card or disk image
- Browse and preview every file, even on a RAW drive
- 200 MB of recovered files a day (resets at midnight)
- A preview of every repair, with before and after
- Windows' fixes: letter, online, read-only, chkdsk
- Surface test, S.M.A.R.T., sector viewer, Undo
Best valueUnlimited
$9.95USD, once. Yours for life.
Almost a giveaway. Less than a takeaway lunch for software this powerful: no subscription, no renewals, yours for life on 2 PCs.
Drive repairs with undo, full drive images, unlimited recovery.
- Boot sector, MFT and partition table repairs
- Deleted partitions put back into MBR or GPT
- Full drive images of failing drives (VHD or .img)
- Recover any amount of files, every day
- One payment, yours for life on 2 PCs
- Every future update included
How unlocking works
- 1Use it free first Install Vow Drive Rescue and use it on your own files. No card, no account, no time limit.
- 2Click "Unlimited" in the app Pay $9.95 USD once by card, securely through Stripe in your browser.
- 3It unlocks itself Within seconds, for life, on up to 2 of your PCs. Your license key is emailed to you, and every future update is included.
Payments by Stripe: we never see or store your card. Questions? Ask a real person.
Clean software
Safe to install. Nothing else comes with it.
Most "free" Windows downloads pay for themselves with ads, bundled extras or your data. Vow Drive Rescue doesn't need to: it's paid for honestly, once, by the people who find it useful.
Download Drive Rescue free- No ads, toolbars or "offers"The installer installs one thing: Vow Drive Rescue. No pre-ticked boxes to watch out for.
- No administrator rights neededIt installs just for you, in your own user folder, and leaves the rest of Windows alone.
- Nothing running in the backgroundNo startup programs, no tray nags, no services. When you close it, it's closed.
- Everything includedAll it needs is inside the installer, so you never have to fetch a "required component" from somewhere else.
- Uninstalls cleanlyOne click in Windows Settings > Apps. Your own files are never touched.
- A real company behind itMade, published and supported by XTO Pty Ltd, an Australian company, with real people answering every message.
Step-by-step guide
How to fix a RAW drive on Windows without formatting
Get the files off first, then put the drive back the way it was, with nothing written you haven't seen.
Step 1: get it freeDon't format, and stop writing to the drive
When Windows asks "You need to format the disk", click Cancel. Formatting writes a new, empty file system over the old one.
Open Vow Drive Rescue and click the drive
Every disk is listed, including ones with no letter or not initialized. Windows asks once for permission, because Vow reads the drive directly.
Read the diagnosis
In a few seconds you see what is wrong in plain words, a map of the disk's partitions, the drive's health and the fix for each finding.
Copy your important files first
Press Browse & preview files. The files appear as they will after the repair; tick the ones you need and recover them to another drive.
Preview the repair, then repair
Open Repair the drive, press Preview changes to see every byte it will write, then repair. The old bytes are saved first, so Undo is one click away.
Technical details
Drive Rescue at a glance
- Works on
- Windows 10 (1809+) and Windows 11, 64-bit
- Partition tables
- MBR and GPT, 512-byte and 4 KB sectors
- File systems
- NTFS, FAT12/16/32, exFAT; others recognised
- Repairs
- Boot sectors, MFT, partition tables, lost partitions
- Drive images
- Fixed VHD or raw .img, ddrescue mapfile
- Opens images
- .img .dd .raw .vhd .vhdx .E01
- Install
- Per-user, no administrator rights, no account
- Languages
- English
- Theme
- Light, dark or follow Windows: one click to switch
- Version
- 1.0.0, released 3 November 2026
- Publisher
- XTO Pty Ltd (Australia)
FAQ
Questions about Drive Rescue
Is Vow Drive Rescue free?
The full diagnosis, browsing and previewing every file, the preview of every repair, Windows' own fixes, the surface test, S.M.A.R.T. and Undo are free, plus 200 MB of recovered files a day. Unlimited, a one-time $9.95 USD payment, adds the sector repairs, full drive images and unlimited recovery.
Can it fix a RAW drive without formatting?
Often, yes. When the cause is a damaged boot sector or partition table, Vow restores it from the backup copy the file system keeps, or rebuilds it, so Windows opens the drive again with every file in place.
Will it write anything to my drive?
Not unless you press Repair. Diagnosing, browsing and previewing are read-only. A repair first shows exactly what it writes, saves the bytes it replaces, then reads the sectors back to check them.
What if the repair makes it worse?
Every repair is checked on a virtual copy before anything is written, and the replaced bytes are saved first. Undo puts them back, after checking the drive still holds what the repair wrote.
My drive clicks or is very slow. What should I do?
Make a full image first. Vow reads the good areas first and the bad spots last, the way ddrescue does, keeps a map so it can resume, and saves a VHD you can diagnose, browse and recover from instead of the drive.
How is it different from TestDisk, DiskGenius or EaseUS?
It does what they do, lost-partition search, boot-sector rebuilds and MBR or GPT rebuilds, in one app that explains the cause in plain words, previews every repair on a virtual copy and backs up and undoes every write. TestDisk runs in a text console; Vow Unlimited is $9.95 once.
My drive doesn't show up at all. Can it help?
If Windows doesn't see the drive, no software can read it, but Drive not showing? explains any Device Manager error and walks you through the checks that fix most cases, with a free Rescan disks button.
Is it safe to install?
Yes. It is made and published by XTO Pty Ltd, an Australian company. The installer contains no ads, no toolbars and no bundled software, needs no administrator rights, and uninstalls cleanly from Windows Settings.
The Vow collection
More apps you'll never have to go looking for
Same design, same promises, a tiny one-time price. Learn one and you already know them all.
Open every archive, and fix the ones that won't open
- Free: Extract and browse every format with no limit, 3 repairs or joins a day
- $4.95 once: Unlimited repairs and joins, batches of any size, a watch folder
See what's filling your drive, then win the space back safely
- Free: Unlimited scans, the full map and every view, 3 one-click cleanups a day
- $4.95 once: Unlimited cleanups, Clean all safe items, all drives at once, scheduled scans
Done searching. Get Drive Rescue.
Fix drives Windows can't open, without losing a single file. Free to use every day, $9.95 once if you ever want Unlimited.
- No ads
- No malware
- No account
- No subscription