Usually not. Carving ignores directory indexes, so you receive content-identified files instead of pristine paths unless metadata miraculously survives elsewhere.
Often yes. Formatting frequently wipes bookkeeping yet leaves ghost data until overwritten—PhotoRec deliberately ignores the brittle filesystem view to find those ghosts.
No payment wall exists. The project ships under GPL terms, meaning you can audit, reuse, and redistribute according to that license.
Capacity, bus speed, selected file families, and mechanical health all matter. Huge disks with deep carving options simply take time; partial stops still retain whatever was already copied out.
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Pair these answers with the Guides and the Trust & Security narrative for a full picture.
