HELP...PLEASE HELP me with my memory card problem!

[Soupermom]

Grrr....I've been having trouble lately with my pictures and running them through noiseware and getting the cards to be read. I've been trying to figure out if its the cards, the reader, my computer, etc. I've had one card with filtered pictures on it that I could see, and then the next time I inserted it to burn to a disc, the computer said the card needed to be formatted. When I stuck it back in my camera it said "no images". These are pictures I still would like to get, but I will survive if I cannot.

Now today I was working with a different card and now something similar is happening but when I put it in my camera it says "memory card error". I thought the problem was one of our USB ports. My ds 12 says I need to eject my card reader every time I use it, which I didn't know and have never done in the 3 years I've had it. I REALLY want the pictues on this card. Is there any hope to get them???? ANYONE? I'm about ready to burst into tears...

 

[sanschag]

First thing: DO NOT use this card except to try and recover the images. Any use may result in more loss.

Second thing: Yes, you should be "ejecting" the memory card after each use. In most cases, it doesn't matter, but, as you found out, it can cause problems. (All(?) operating systems write data asynchronously, i.e., when it determines it's the best time to do so. Ejecting forces the OS to complete any outstanding file operations. If these are incomplete when the media is removed, it can make the card/disk unreadable.)

You need to do a google search for memory card recovery software. One link that comes up that has a number of links for tips, etc., and software is http://www.ultimateslr.com/memory-card-recovery.php. I want to say that PhotoRescue Pro is thought highly of, but can't recall why I think so. Sandisk cards also came with (quite highly respected) software at one point. (This might have been PR Pro.) Fortunately, I have never had the need to use a particular package, so maybe others who have can chime in with their suggestions.

Good Luck

 

[NateNLogansDad]

If you have a sandisk extreme card, they have their recovery software available for download but you will need the serial# from an extreme card.

I recommended this to a fellow Dis'er not to long ago and it worked out pretty well.

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


Whatever you do DO NOT USE THAT CARD until AFTER you get the pictures back.

Please send me a PM if you can't get it to work.

 

[MICKEY88]

http://www.z-a-recovery.com/download.htm

this is great recovery software, you can download for free and use it to recover picture files from memory cards, if you want to recover other types of files you have to pay for an activation key..

 

[Soupermom]

Thanks everyone! I will try this/these tomorrow when I am more awake. One of my cards has the pictures as their usual files; the other one had them in a "filtered" folder...my noiseware software put them there on my card. Will that make a difference?

These are older cards (4+ years) and I do not think they are "extreme"...

 

[NateNLogansDad]

nope, no difference

 

[Soupermom]

nope, no difference

I don't know what you mean? Are you referring to the "extreme"? One card in question is a SandDisk 512MB; it says "Lock" on the front in small print...I've never noticed that before! The other is a Kingston 2.0GB and it says "Lock" on it too...

Hoping to work on this after church...we're I'll be praying I can figure this out!!!


ETA: Just realized you were answering my question! Thanks!

 

[NateNLogansDad]

ETA: Just realized you were answering my question! Thanks!

b/t/w The "lock" has a little switch you can slide up and down to the locked position to protect your pictures from being erased or overwritten, but you would still be able to access the files.

 

[Soupermom]

Whew! Pictures have been recovered!! I ran into a friend at church who is a professional photographer and he had offered to run my cards thru his (Roxio) recovery-ware. Both cards were restored, and many were doubled...which is better than none at all! Thanks everyone for your help...I knew I could count on DISers!

 

[GrillMouster]

Your original post leads me to believe that you're writing images to the memory cards using your computer. Is that correct? I recommend NOT doing that with any cards that you will use in a camera and always re-formatting your cards in-camera after you've transferred the images to the computer (and backed them up).

 

[alan]

First thing: DO NOT use this card except to try and recover the images. Any use may result in more loss.

Second thing: Yes, you should be "ejecting" the memory card after each use. In most cases, it doesn't matter, but, as you found out, it can cause problems. (All(?) operating systems write data asynchronously, i.e., when it determines it's the best time to do so. Ejecting forces the OS to complete any outstanding file operations. If these are incomplete when the media is removed, it can make the card/disk unreadable.)

Sanschag,

I totally agree with your first point; however the second is not quite correct.

All flavours of Windows since XP SP2 (or possibly even earlier) have been aware of USB devices and the need for synchronous data writes. You can see this by going into the Windows disk manager, choosing the disk in question, right-clicking and choosing Properties, then looking at the Policies tab.

I can't speak for any Unix flavours (MacOS, Linux etc). They have historically had horrific problems with write-back caching, but I would have hoped they would have been sorted out by now.

regards,
/alan

 

[MICKEY88]

nope, no difference

i respectfully disagree,

I can add pictures to a folder already on the card if it's a folder created by the camera, but if I create a folder with my pc, my cameras will not recognize that folder

 

[Soupermom]

Your original post leads me to believe that you're writing images to the memory cards using your computer. Is that correct? I recommend NOT doing that with any cards that you will use in a camera and always re-formatting your cards in-camera after you've transferred the images to the computer (and backed them up).

Well, when I run the images through noiseware, they automatically are saved on my memory card in a "filtered" folder. I don't tell the computer to do that, it just does? Is that bad? I don't store them on the card. I usually burn a cd at that point and then delete and re-format the card in my camera.

 

[MICKEY88]

Well, when I run the images through noiseware, they automatically are saved on my memory card in a "filtered" folder. I don't tell the computer to do that, it just does? Is that bad? I don't store them on the card. I usually burn a cd at that point and then delete and re-format the card in my camera.

I would recomend copying the files to your pc, and then running them thru your noiseware..I never do any type of processing on my cards, I've heard too many bad stories..

 

[GrillMouster]

Ditto what MICKEY88 said.
Download the images to your PC first, then work on those images. Do not work from images on a memory card.
Additionally, are you sure that it's not possible to change where Noiseware saves files? I doubt that's the case.

 

[Soupermom]

Okay, I will put the photos on my computer and then run them thru noiseware. Thanks! I'm sure you can choose where they are saved, mine just went to the card first...