Chat Recovery Stick

Find Saved and Hidden Chats on Windows Computers

Paraben's Chat Stick utilizes proven forensic analysis technology for chat log analysis. Forensic investigators have been using the same chat log analyzer for years. Now, this technology is available in a portable device so you can quickly and easily grab chat logs from your PC for analysis at any time.

The Chat Stick can find all available chat logs quickly and easily. You can then take the stick to your own computer and take your time reading through the logs.

As an added feature, the Chat Stick will also grab Internet cache files. Under the "Advanced" button within the program, you can choose to acquire Internet cache files in your search for chat logs. You can then view these files under the "View Found Chat Logs" button. Keep in mind that there can be hundreds or thousands of Internet files in the report so viewing them all may take some time.

Uses

How To Use

• Step 1: Start and Log Into Computer
• Step 2: Plug the Chat Stick into any USB port
• Step 3: Open ChatStick.exe
• Step 4: Click Find Chat Logs
• Step 5: Click the "View Found Chat Logs" button

FAQ

How fast does it work? That depends on a number of factors such as computer speed, the size of the drive being scanned, and the size of the chat logs. Typically, a search will only take a few minutes. 

What does "Remember This Computer" do? The first time you insert the Chat Stick into a new computer, you will need to manually navigate to the drive (most times, Windows will simply ask if you want to open the root folder of the thumb drive) and double-click on the Chat Stick software to run it. If you click the "Remember This Computer" button, you will no longer have to manually launch the Chat Stick software each time you want to get chat logs from this computer. The Chat Stick thumb drive will be recognized by the system and allowed to automatically run the software and automatically start searching for chat logs (it may take a minute on some systems for the program to start). 

Does the Chat Stick record chat conversations as they occur? No. The Chat Stick was designed as an investigation tool. This means it only analyzes data that has already been saved in the form of chat logs by the supported chat client. 

Is the Chat Stick considered spyware? No. Spyware is software that is either installed on a system unknowingly to the user or software that gathers and sends information over the Internet without the user's knowledge. The Chat Stick is an investigation tool that simply scans a computer for chat logs and saves them in an easy to read format for you to read through at any time. 

I run a search with the Chat Stick but it doesn't find any chat logs. Why? This is either because there are no supported chat clients on the computer or logging is not turned. Chat clients generally have the ability for the user to turn chat logs on or off. 

How can I turn chat logs on? Each chat client is different. Generally, there is a Preferences or Options menu in the main chat client program. Look for an Archive or Login option and set it to save all conversations. 

Does the Chat Stick get Facebook and other web based chat logs? The Chat Stick typically cannot display conversations for web based chats. However, under the advanced options in the program, you can choose to save all web activity from your browser's cache. Sometimes, these files can contain remnants of conversations for web based chats. If selected, Internet activity will be included in your Chat Stick report for you to manually search through.

There are multiple folders in when I open reports. Which one is my search results? Each report is saved under a folder named with the time the search started (i.e. 2017-10-1 22-54-51 for a search that was started October 1, 2017 at 10:54:51 PM). You can keep as many reports on your stick as room will allow. Keep in mind that there is a limited amount of space on the Chat Stick, however, chat logs are generally small so you should be able to save hundreds of found logs on your stick before you need to delete them.