Berlin-based O&O Software GmbH has released O&O DiskRecovery 8.0 Professional, the latest iteration of its data-recovery tool for Windows PCs. Version 8, which is also available as a dedicated 64-bit build, recognises more file types, plus promises improved tools for recovering picture and video from digital cameras. It also claims enhanced search tools for compressed files, including zip and 7-zip.

Despite the “Professional” tag, this version of O&O DiskRecovery is aimed very much at individuals as well as home users, and offers a simple wizard-based interface for finding and saving deleted, lost and corrupt data from a user’s hard drive.

The headline new feature in version 8.0 is added recognition of newer file formats, including the forthcoming Microsoft Office 2013 formats. This is in addition to 350-plus formats currently recognised by the program.

The program demo allows you to search for recoverable data for free.

O&O DiskRecovery 8.0 Professional also comes with enhanced tools for recovering media from digital cameras, plus it claims improved tools for searching for recoverable compressed files, specifically zip and 7-zip files. The latest version also promises full compatibility with the forthcoming release of Windows 8.

The program, which can be installed to a single PC’s hard drive or placed on a USB drive for portable installation to protect the target drive from read/write operations, offers three forms of data recovery: accidentally deleted files and folders using O&O UnErase technology, data on formatted or structurally damaged partitions, and data from destroyed partitions where all file information has been lost.

The user is also able to specify exactly which file types to search for, or focus a search on specific keywords if required. The free function-limited demo allows users to test the software and discover what data is recoverable before purchase.

O&O Recovery 8.0 Professional 32-bit and O&O Recovery 8.0 Professional 64-bit are both available as function-limited demos for PCs running Windows 2000 up to Windows 8. A full license costs $99 for a single PC, or $149 for use on three PCs.