Disclaimer

PhoinixDR is provided “as is” and is used entirely at your own risk. Data recovery is inherently uncertain, and improper use may result in permanent data loss or damage. Always work from a copy or disk image when possible and recover files to a different storage device.

What this means in practice

• PhoinixDR reads sources only; it never writes to the media it scans (ADR-0002, ADR-0007). The risk lies in what happens around it: using the failing disk while recovering, writing recovered files back onto it, or trusting a recovered file without checking it.
• Work from a disk image when the medium is failing. PhoinixDR opens RAW, E01, VHD, VHDX and VMDK images directly, so imaging first costs nothing in capability.
• Recover to a different storage device. The recovery writer refuses a destination on the source disk; the expert override exists for people who accept the consequences.
• Recovery likelihood and confidence are estimates backed by evidence, not guarantees. Read phoinix explain or the evidence panel before relying on a file, and verify recovered files with the SHA-256 digests PhoinixDR prints.
• The software is released under MIT OR Apache-2.0, both of which disclaim warranties; see LICENSE-MIT and LICENSE-APACHE.