Foremost
The facts below are what the maker publishes about Foremost, checked and dated. Our editors have not written about it yet.
The facts
Each one read from Foremost's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Built-in types
- The README says built-in types use file-format data structures for more reliable and faster recovery.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Configuration
- The configuration file specifies each file type’s extension, case sensitivity, maximum size, and header; the footer is optional.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Custom formats
- A configuration file lets users specify file types and their extensions, case sensitivity, maximum size, headers, and optional footers.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Example formats
- The included configuration file contains examples for formats including AOL ART, GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, AVI, QuickTime, MPEG, Office, PDF, and audio files.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Feedback
- The repository description welcomes comments, suggestions, patches, and feedback, and gives [email protected] for correspondence.checked 11 Oct 2026
- File types
- Built-in file types use their data structures for file recovery, and the README says this can make recovery more reliable and faster.checked 11 Oct 2026
- History
- The README credits Special Agents Kris Kendall and Jesse Kornblum with writing Foremost starting in March 2001.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Input sources
- It can scan image files created by tools such as dd, Safeback, and Encase, or scan a drive directly.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The README instructs users to unpack the archive, compile it, and install it with make commands.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Operating systems
- Linuxchecked 24 Sep 2026
- Origin
- The repository description says Foremost was originally developed by the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the Center for Information Systems Security Studies and Research, then opened to the public.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Origins
- The README credits Special Agents Kris Kendall and Jesse Kornblum of the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations with starting the program in March 2001.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Foremost is a console program for recovering files through data carving, using file headers, footers, and internal data structures.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Recovery sources
- raw data,disk image fileschecked 24 Sep 2026
- Search options
- Configuration entries support forward, reverse, and next search modes, each bounded by a maximum size.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Signature selection
- File headers and footers can be defined in a configuration file, and built-in file types can be selected with command-line switches.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Support
- The repository README asks users to report bugs with a description, how they found the bug, and contact information.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Uninstall
- The README says Foremost can be removed with make uninstall.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Use
- The README directs users to the foremost man page for command-line arguments.checked 11 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2001checked 28 Sep 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 24 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Platforms
- The README gives build instructions for Linux, BSD, Solaris, and OSX.checked 11 Oct 2026
Alternatives to Foremost
- 1
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
Free planAndroidiOSmacOSWindows9.0Free plan - 2
Disk Drill
Free planmacOSWindows8.4From $89 a year - 3
MiniTool Power Data Recovery
Free planmacOSWindows8.2From $89 a year - 4
DoYourData Recovery
Free planiOSmacOSWindows8.2From $69 a year - 5
AOMEI FastRecovery
Free planWindows8.1Free plan - 6
Hetman Partition Recovery
LinuxmacOSWindows7.9$97.95 one-time