HELP PLEASE!!! Lost pictures of first trip!

[jkearson]

I'm praying that someone can help me. We just returned yesterday from our first trip to WDW with 1200 pictures of all our wonderful memories. When I tried to use the camera today (Kodak Easy Share with printer dock), I got a message that the memory card needed to be reformatted and that reformating would delete all pictures. I took the memory card to the Wal Mart photo center in town in the hopes that I could pull up the pics on their computer. No luck. I cried my eyes out and scared my kids. When I gathered myself I searched on the internet and found that pictures can be recovered using a variety of programs. I've downloaded two free demos, but I'm not sure they're reading the camera on the print dock. When I'm prompted to tell where the pictures are, the camera is not a choice on the screen. I'm a dummy when it comes to computers so I'm hoping someone can give me specifics about what to do. I've got a new Dell computer with Window Vista, but I don't have a card reader (at least I don't think so). Do I need one? I've seen this mentioned in some of the sites I've been reading. If you can help at all, I'd be forever grateful. The thought of my 3yo DD not having pictures to help her remember the trip breaks my heart.

 

[pyrxtc]

take the card out of the camer and bring it into Best Buy or Ritz or a local camera shop and have them try to read it. Speakign as someone who has lost my Disney pictures mroe than once, i knwo how much it hurts. My first trip, I lost 2 days worth of pictures and also broke into tears. Nothing helped me but I hope something can help you.

 

[greeneyedchic75]

OMG Thats is so awful. I hope u recover the pics and I agree with PP take it to a camera place and see what they can do.

 

[MartDM]

I agree with the previous poster. Don't fool around with something you know nothing about or you could end up killing any chance you have of recovering those photos. Also, forget Walmart & drugstores with inexperienced photo center help for the same reason.

Get the memory card into the hands of someone who is a digital photography expert. Ritz is in the business of photography and they've always done a great job for us so I'd recommend them if you have one locally!

Good luck!

 

[momminnie]

Oh my goodness I hope that you get it all worked out in your favor.I know nothing to help you out. I am computer dumb. Please let us know what happens.

 

[abacobaby]

Are you able to upload them to your computer or photobucket? Something like this happened to me a while back as well. I was able to see the pics when I plugged the camera into my laptop, but the photo shop was unable to print them from my card. I had the same error message as what you got. If you could upload them to your computer, then you could email them to a photo place or at least have them stored on photobucket or another site similar to that.

I really hope you can find a way to get your pics back!!!

 

[BarbWB]

Have you tried using a card reader? You can buy one cheaply at BestBuy, circuit city, etc. Try using that and see if it works.
Do NOT reformat. You can probably recover if you don't reformat. After reformatting, it is VERY unlikely to recover.
I have used BadCopyPro with very good results -- www.badcopy.com

Good luck!!!

 

[mel&me]

Do not format, and do as others have stated, take it to someone who knows what they are doing.
As previous poster said about card reader don't try it. If you play around and don't know what you are doing, You will lose everything. Make sure you have a knowledgeable person working with it. I do know how to recover pics. And have recovery software. Last year I had pics of Christmas. Melissa took them with her to work and could not read them, so she had a work tech look at them before talking to me. They lost everything on one stick before she called me. I told her not to let him touch other stick. I did recover from other stick. It was the card reader that was at fault she was using. If you have a USB port problem, connecting to your computer this can cause it. If you do anything just try another computer. If no go then take it in.

 

[mel&me]

Just a little note, If you have an older card reader and a newer memory card, Sometimes the new memory card is to fast for older readers and it will lockup then tell you that it has to be formated. You can also get that error if there is a computer problem, (example USB port problem) or too many open programs that make your puter run slow and lockup.

I lost pics last year of last 2 days at Disney. Camera was Stolen at airport, but thats a whole other story. I had all other pictures because I take my laptop with me to disney, I upload all pics at end of the day so I have them on puter. I got lazy last 2 days and did not upload so when camera was stolen so where pics.

Hope you get them back

 

[3littleHalls]

I have the Kodak Easy share printer....it says that half the time with my pics. I But I am able to go to Walgreens and use theirs when it happens. Have you tried a local photo shop? Good luck...that would make me ill feeling if I lost my pics.

 

[DISWolves]

I have deleted files on my camera cards before and managed to to recover most of them with software called 'Don't Panic' http://www.imagerecall.com/
As other posts have said. DO NOT FORMAT THE CARD.
Good Luck !

 

[PrincessMom4]

can you not just plug the camera cable into your computer??