Recovery of file types using a header search

The computer forensics software designer, X-Ways, has a hex editor available for download here (there's a trial version available). It's called WinHex. WinHex functions like any other hex editor - it allows you to view the digital content of a file. It will show control codes (e.g., return and line break codes), and executable code in addition to the text visible in a text editor. Hexadecimal uses the digits 0 to 9, and the letters A, B, C, D, E, F to represent with two characters the eight bits in a byte.

WinHex has a tool which lets you search for particular file types based on file headers. These files are stored in the virtual directory of a volume. To access the tool go to Tools . . . Disk Tools . . . File Recovery by Type. Select a particular file type, and then an output directory, and WinHex will export any file of the selected type that it finds.