Need to recover digital photos? Here’s how

Q: My son was in Europe for six weeks and took about 500 pictures, but he had a problem with his camera. Unexpectedly pictures would disappear. I used a free version of PC Inspector File Recovery. I was able to see all the pictures, but about the bottom 60 percent were grey. Could you recommend a product or a service for recovery?

Phillip R. Derengowski

A: A program I have used successfully can be found here: http://www.lexar.com/software/image_rescue3.html

I’ve never used PC Inspector File Recovery. But it’s free and, as you discovered, did no harm and worked after a fashion.

Note: Phillip sent a follow-up saying he used the Lexar product and it recovered and saved most of the photos. A few could not be recovered — probably because of fragmentation on the card or an error so serious it defeats file recovery software. I recommend the Lexar program.

Q: I am very hard of hearing and wonder if you can advise me if any cellphone manufacturer makes a phone or devices for folks with hearing loss.

Alan Royce

A: I have moderate hearing loss myself — no aid yet — but I had to do some research on this one. Use this Web address to see a list of cellphones compatible with hearing aids: http://tinyurl.com/6ckb9h

The same company offers amplified headsets for use with cellphones at http://tinyurl.com/6zmxwt. As always I’m using the Web site for illustration purposes only and make no recommendation for or against it.

If any hearing impaired readers know of phones with special features, drop me an e-mail and I will include them in a future column.

Q: I am considering a Mac. Is it worth the price vs. PC? Store personnel tell me there is no need for virus protection or spyware & adware programs.

Joe Taylor

A: Macs do have fewer problems with viruses. I tend to think you get more power for your money with a PC, but Mac enthusiasts argue strongly and with some persuasion that I’m wrong. If you’re torn, it may boil down to what you can comfortably afford.