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<html> <head> <title>CHK-Mate :: CHK file analysis and recovery</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> CHK-Mate :: CHK file analysis and recovery <hr> <img src="arrow.gif" width="13" height="13"> Contents: <a href="#introduction">Introduction</a> | <a href="#examine">Examining CHK files</a> | <a href="#add">Adding more file types</a> | <a href="#requirements">System requirements</a> | <a href="#support">Contact & Support</a> | <a href="#license">License</a> <img src="arrow.gif" width="13" height="13"> Introduction<a name="introduction"></a> The Windows Chkdsk and Scandisk utilities are designed to verify the file system, and (if required) to return the file system to a consistent state. File system inconsistencies can for example occur after an operating system crash; files that were 'open' at the time of the crash can result in used clusters that are not linked to any directory entry. When recovering the file system to a consistent state, lost or cross-linked clusters will be reset to 'available' when the file system is verified. The contents of these cluster(s) will be saved to a '.CHK file' (Filexxxx.CHK). While CHK files may contain garbage, prior to deleting them it is wise to examine the contents of these files. This is especially true if you lost files after a system or application crash: the CHK files may contain the contents of the lost files. Unfortunately Windows does not offer a tool that allows you to do so in an easy way. The problem with examining these files is that you can not determine what application must be used to open them other than by trying. This can become rather tedious when many CHK files exist. CHK-Mate will examine the contents of the CHK files and determine if it contains data that can be linked to a known filetype, such as MS-Word files or GIF files. When content is recognized (for example, as a Word document), the CHK file is copied to a new file with the correct file extension (Filexxxx.CHK -> Filexxxx.DOC). The new file extension allows you to easily open the file using the associated program. The CHK-Mate interface uses a 'tunnel-wizard model': You are guided through 3 easy steps to recover the contents of CHK files: [1] Selection of the drive containing the CHK files; [2] Selection of the destination folder and [3] the analysis and recovery phase (no user interaction required). <img src="arrow.gif" width="13" height="13"> Examining CHK files: <a name="examine"></a> The are several ways to put CHK-Mate to work: <ul> <li>By right-clicking a file with the .chk extension > Analyze with CHK-Mate > Step [1] of the wizard is skipped, you can immediately select a destination folder > Analysis and recovery.</li> <li>By running CHK-Mate from the command line while providing the path and filename of the CHK file(s) as a command line argument. For example, while assuming you are in the folder containing the CHK-Mate executable you can enter the following command: "chk-mate.exe c:\*.chk", to examine CHK files located in the root of the c: drive. > Step [1] of the wizard is skipped, you can immediately select a destination folder > Analysis and recovery.</li> <li>By dragging a file with the .chk extension and dropping it on the CHK-Mate.exe file (or it's shortcut). > Step [1] of the wizard is skipped, you can immediately select a destination folder > Analysis and recovery.</li> <li>By running CHK-Mate (Start > Programs > DIY DataRecovery CHK-Mate > CHK-Mate) and completing all the steps from the wizard. Step [1] <img src="step1.JPG" width="557" height="382"> Select the location of the CHK Files and click 'Next'. Note that this step is skipped if CHK-mate was started by using a command-line argument, by dropping a CHK file on the CHK-Mate.exe file or by selecting CHK-Mate from the context menu when right-clicking a CHK file. Use the '>' button to receive additional information. Step [2] <img src="step2.JPG" width="559" height="383"> The original (source) CHK files are not deleted. However, when dealing with a large number of CHK files, it will be easier to keep a better overview by selecting another folder than the one containing the CHK files for the recovered files. When done click 'Next'. In addition, if the CHK files contain information that can not be linked to any file type, but does contain readable text, you can instruct CHK-mate to extract the readable text from the files. Select the box "Extract Text from CHK file(s) instead" to do so. Use the selection filters below the checkbox to finetune the search. Step [3] <img src="step3.JPG" width="559" height="383"> Step [3] requires no user interaction. CHK-Mate will analyze all files with the .chk extension. If a valid signature is found in the contents of a CHK file, CHK-Mate will copy the contents into a new file with the correct file extension. For some file types additional and more in-depth analysis is required. For example Microsoft office files share a common signature (BIF-format). Therefore, to determine if the contents belong to a Word, Excel or PowerPoint file, CHK-Mate has to perform additional analysis. <img src="step3-2.JPG" width="559" height="383"> After analysis is completed CHK-Mate will display the number of copied files. Click ' ... ' to view a more detailed analysis report. <img src="step3-3.JPG" width="321" height="284"> Note: The trial version will show the number of files that was recognized per file type. The trial version will only recover the first 5 files with their appropriate extension. Since the files now have their correct file extension, double clicking will load the the associated application (for example when double clicking File0003.DOC, Microsoft Word will load the file, if you have Word installed on your computer). Examine all recovered files prior to deleting the CHK files. If the fragmentation in the file-system was high during the Scandisk or Chkdsk run, files may be incomplete or corrupt. On a fragmented file system files stored in noncontiguous clusters will be spread across multiple CHK files when the contents of these clusters are saved to CHK files by Scandisk or Chkdsk. </li> </ul> <img src="arrow.gif" width="13" height="13"> Making CHK-Mate recognize more file types: <a name="add"></a> CHK-Mate recognizes the following file types by default: JPG, GIF, ZIP, CAB, EXE, DLL, OCX, WRI, BMP, DOC, PPT, XLS, PDF, HTM(L), WAV, MID, AVI, RAR, TIF and MP3. There a 2 ways to 'teach' CHK-Mate to recognize additional file types: <ul> <li> By dragging & dropping a non-corrupted original file of the desired type on to the CHK-Mate.exe file or by providing a file/pathname as a command line argument. CHK-Mate will create a 'best guess' signature and associate that with the extension of the 'dropped file'. Note that not all file types contain a usable signature! CHK-Mate assumes that all files that share the extension of the dropped file contain a 'common' file header. When a signature can be extracted CHK-Mate will notify you, after the notification CHK-Mate will quit. <img src="Done.JPG" width="394" height="119"> </li> <li>By editing the INI file: CHK-Mate.ini. You can add file types by adding an entry to the INI file using the following format: Extension=Signature - The INI file is best edited using Notepad. For extension, enter the filename extension, for example BMP for a Bitmap graphic file (this would look like "BMP=" for now). For signature, open at least 2 files of the same type in notepad and determine if the first few bytes are identical. If so, copy and paste the first few common bytes into the INI file, after the "BMP=" text. If the 2 files don't share a common signature then the method used by CHK-Mate can't be used. </li> </ul> <img src="arrow.gif" width="13" height="13"> System requirements<a name="requirements"></a> System requirements: <ul> <li>Microsoft(R) Windows(R) ME, 2000 or XP (however, it is likely the program will run in Windows NT and 95/98 as well, though this has not been tested and is not guaranteed)</li> </ul> <img src="arrow.gif" width="13" height="13"> Contact and support<a name="support"></a> DIY DataRecovery can be reached at <a href="http://www.diydatarecovery.nl">http://www.diydatarecovery.nl</a>. Support is delivered through our <a href="http://www.diydatarecovery.nl/%7Etkuurstra/ForumEntrance.htm">online forum</a>. Non support related issues can be directed to <a href="mailto:info@diydatarecovery.nl">info@diydatarecovery.nl</a>. <img src="arrow.gif" width="13" height="13"> License<a name="license"></a> This software is provided as shareware and you can use it only if you accept the following: <blockquote> <ul> <li>By using the software you indicate you accept the terms of this agreement, according to the "simple license" concept </li> <li>You can use the software for free for 30 days, as a trial period. The software will never expire, however you are obligated to purchase a license if you continue to use the software after the trial period </li> <li>The software is considered 'in use' if it is installed on your PC(s) </li> <li>One license grants you the right to use the software on 3 PCs you lease and/or own simultaneously </li> <li>This agreement is between you and DIY DataRecovery and the license is not transferable </li> <li>You (the user) are not permitted to decompile, disassemble or change the program code in any way </li> <li>Technical support is provided by DIY DataRecovery and delivered to the end user through the use of an online web forum </li> <li>You are allowed to redistribute the demo version(s) of the program(s) as long as you do NOT charge for the program itself. In addition it is not permitted to change the distribution and it's contents in any way </li> <li>You are NOT permitted to redistribute the licensed program(s) and/or accompanied documentation </li> <li>If updates are available, DIY DataRecovery will make these available on the website. An update is a newer version of the program that fixes bugs and/or adds functionality that doesn't cause the number in front of the period to change. For example, the program version changing from 1.1 to 1.2 is considered an update; 1.2 to 2.0 is considered an upgrade. Although DIY DataRecovery has a history for making upgrades available free of charge for registered users, it does not guarantee this practice will continue indefinitely. </li> <li>DISCLAIMER DIY DATARECOVERY DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFTWARE IS ERROR FREE. DIY DATARECOVERY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE SOFTWARE, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS. NO LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES: IN NO EVENT SHALL DIY DATARECOVERY BE LIABLE FOR CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING OUT OF THE DELIVERY, PERFORMANCE OR USE OF THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF DIY DATARECOVERY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH. </li> </ul> </blockquote> <img src="arrow.gif" width="13" height="13"> Privacy statement<a name="privacy"></a> DIY DataRecovery guarantees that the software provided by DIY DataRecovery does not contain modules or code that will 'capture and transmit' your personal information and/or any unique identifiers of you and your computer hardware and software. The DIY DataRecovery website does (if your browser permits this) store a so called 'cookie' on your PC to track the number of visitors, the time of visit, their location, the browser they use, and the operating system being used at the time of the visit. DIY DataRecovery will not make any of the information gathered this way available to 3rd parties. Important: note that our 'webcounter' is provided by a 3rd party; BraveNet webservices - the BraveNet privacy policy is available online <a href="http://www.bravenet.com/global/privacy.php">here</a>. <img src="arrow.gif" width="13" height="13"> Copyrights & acknowledgments CHK-Mate is used as a trademark by DIY DataRecovery. All other registered trademarks used herein are registered to whoever it is that owns them. This notification is given in lieu of any specific list of trademarks and their owners. </body> </html>