Digital Camera memory card problem

Victor_Delta

When switching on my daughter's Canon camera, it has suddenly started giving a message that the memory card is unformatted and need reformatting. This will presumably destroy all the valuable stored images.

The camera still works OK with other memory cards.

Does anyone know how to get round this problem without losing all the stored photos please?

Thanks.

epninety

I would stick the card in a PC with a memory card reader built in (or a usb one plugged in), then (if windows can't read the card) try some file recovery software.

RescuePRO is bundled free with some SanDisk memory cards, you might find someone with a copy. You could try the free demo to find out if the photos can be recovered.

I've had great success with WinHex in the past, though it's not the easiest to use and it's not free.

There's probably some free equivalents out there... anybody?

isofa

Completely concurr with epninety, try and read it directly first (not using the camera). Formatting will destroy anything you have on it, so only do this when you've resuced the images first.

RescuePRO is an excellent tool:

http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Catalog(1186)-RescuePro.aspx

Victor_Delta

Many thanks to both of you. Will take your advice although if anyone knows of a freeware package that might achieve the same, that would be brilliant.

V

isofa

Try "Recuva" from http://www.recuva.com that's free!

f1charlie

Some have had success with this one:

http://www.pcinspector.de/Sites/smart_recovery/info.htm?language=1

Whitefiver

f1charlie wrote: »

Some have had success with this one:

http://www.pcinspector.de/Sites/smart_recovery/info.htm?language=1

This one worked for me - recovered from a formatted CF card.

Regards,

White

Victor_Delta

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I tried Recuva but unfortunately it did not work (it couldn't 'see' the memory card).

However, a friend suggested I try ZAR (Zero Assumption Recovery - still free for digital picture recovery) at http://www.z-a-recovery.com/ and it did the job very well. 260 holiday pictures restored and daughter happy again!

Thanks again,

V

darich

Glad you got your pictures back.

I'd advise that you should format the card everytime you use it ie after you've downloaded your images.
Also - given the price of memory cards, it may be a good idea to replace the card that caused the problem in case it's the beginning of the end.

Victor_Delta

darich wrote: »

Glad you got your pictures back.

I'd advise that you should format the card everytime you use it ie after you've downloaded your images.
Also - given the price of memory cards, it may be a good idea to replace the card that caused the problem in case it's the beginning of the end.

Many thanks, and I am sure your advice is sound.

However, in this case, as far as I can tell, the problem was actually caused by carrying on taking photos with an exhausted battery. Eventually it expired - right in the middle of taking a picture and so, presumably, creating a corrupted file.

V

Taffyscot

Hi guys,
I was reading a thread just this morning about recovering photos from digital camera and I meant to go back to it as I have lost some photos that I thought I had saved on my pc and on my usb only to find the most important ones missing. I cannot find the thread that came up just by chance earlier this morning whilst browsing new posts. Can anyone tell me how I can search to find this thread please? Sometimes this happens to me I see something interesting and then for the life of me cannot find it again unless I have written something on the thread. thanks Taffy