Memory card need reformatting - can I still get my pictures?

[lyzziesmom]

I just went to retrieve my 500+ pictures of my latest WDW trip from my camera, and it's telling me that my memory card needs to be formatted. I am so upset because this was a very special trip, where I met 13 of my new DIS friends and had my 2-year old with me, and now all the pictures are GONE.

Is there any way I can retrieve my pictures? What would happen to cause the memory card to need formatting? It worked just fine the last time the camera was turned on a couple days ago, and the camera is very new and I've never had any trouble with it or the card before. Please HELP!!

 

[Gdad]

Don't reformat it - that will certainly destroy any pictures that may be on it. When you say "its telling you" do you mean your camera is giving you this message? I would try an external film reader- you can pick one up at about any electronics store for $20-$30 that plugs into your usb computer port. If that does not work you may try taking it to a photo processing center (Wal-Mart, etc) as most will give you prints right off the cards and see if they can read it.

Not sure what kind of camera you use but in the future when you erase your cards it is a good idea to format the card each time. Also- never fill them up to the very last picture - always leave a little room (4-5 pics)

Good luck.

 

[lyzziesmom]

When I turn the camera on, I am getting a message that the card must be formatted and the options to cancel or continue. I did not format, I chose cancel, and the same options pop up again, I don't have the opportunity to do anything else. I also tried an external card reader, which simply did not read the card at all.

 

[jtimmons]

You can hook it to your computer (even after a format) and use a program like File Recoverer or another file recovery program. These work great.

I recommend sticking the card in a card reader on your computer....find a free trial of a file recovery program (or "i didn't promote this"...a hacked version) and retrieve the files. If it doesn't work....

format the card using the camera and then recover the files off of the card.

Tell me if you need more help and I will give more detailed instructions

 

[DMRick]

Have you used your card to have pics made at Walmart, or CVS or another store in the past? I learned something new at a dig cam seminar I went to recently. I asked about a card I was having a problem with, (I too, was told to reformat). The "teacher" asked if I had recently had pics printed off from it. I said yes, and it was right after that that this happened, and then mentioned that other cards wouldn't work in my wonderful Olympus either..and in fact I could no longer get the camera to work. He said that I should always burn my pics over to CD and bring the CD in to have pics made, that sometimes something happens to the cards while in the reader to corrupt them, and that it's possible to corrupt my camera. I called Olympus last week to ask if this was possible and they said yes. The cost to fix the camera was too much, so I replaced it with another. This was all new to me.
Not saying this is what happened to yours, but just wanted to warn others.

 

[jann1033]

You can hook it to your computer (even after a format) and use a program like File Recoverer or another file recovery program. These work great.

I recommend sticking the card in a card reader on your computer....find a free trial of a file recovery program (or "i didn't promote this"...a hacked version) and retrieve the files. If it doesn't work....

format the card using the camera and then recover the files off of the card.

Tell me if you need more help and I will give more detailed instructions

i was going to recommend the same but have a ?..so you can still use the recover programs after you format the card? i thought once you formatted it was to late....just asking as i thought it was only for cards you couldn't read ( haven't used the program i downloaded cause they don't charge you till you use it and haven't needed it yet) but never know when this might come up

and dmrick... you mean only the readers at the photo printing places or can your own reader corrupt it to? i'm wondering cause my card reader just died and wondering if there is something you know of i should look for or avoid in the one i get next. so if i would mistakenly format i could still get those pics til when, i shot over them?

 

[lyzziesmom]

I did find a freeware recovery program and am trying it out but it is very slow and it keeps stopping, telling me that the card is too damaged. However, when I restart it, it gets a few more pictures before stopping. So far I've gotten about 100 back out of 500+ so I guess that's better than nothing. Does anyone have any suggestions for a free recovery program? The one I found is called PC Inspector Smart Recovery, and like I said, it is very slow but it IS getting some pictures back. I'd like to try another program as well just to cover all the bases.

DMRick, thanks for the advice. I have never brought mine in anywhere to have them printed as I have a very nice photo printer at home. I was planning on having some printed since I have a coupon for 20 free prints at WalMart, so based on your experience I will either bring them on CD or on my jump drive. That's terrible that it ruined your camera!!

 

[jann1033]

the one i have is called zero assumption recovery but it says if it is slow make sure your virus protection is off.

this isn't showing up on my previous post...but for how long can you get the photos from a formatted card...till you reshoot over them?

 

[lyzziesmom]

I'm at work so I can't turn off the virus protection... but I can try that when I get home.

 

[jtimmons]

I have done it once before after the card was formatted. I also know that if you quick format a PC when reloading it...you can use the programs to get the data that was on the pc before the format.

JT

It may be slower because it is the demo version...sometimes they make the program slow or clumsy so that you will have to buy the full version.

 

[ndelaware]

Try connecting the camera to the computer and accessing the card in the camera through "My Computer" like it was an external "drive".

 

[MICKEY88]

I did find a freeware recovery program and am trying it out but it is very slow and it keeps stopping, telling me that the card is too damaged. However, when I restart it, it gets a few more pictures before stopping. So far I've gotten about 100 back out of 500+ so I guess that's better than nothing. Does anyone have any suggestions for a free recovery program? The one I found is called PC Inspector Smart Recovery, and like I said, it is very slow but it IS getting some pictures back. I'd like to try another program as well just to cover all the bases.

DMRick, thanks for the advice. I have never brought mine in anywhere to have them printed as I have a very nice photo printer at home. I was planning on having some printed since I have a coupon for 20 free prints at WalMart, so based on your experience I will either bring them on CD or on my jump drive. That's terrible that it ruined your camera!!

are you using a card reader or running the card in the camera to recover, using thwe camera will slow the process down....


I just used a program called recover my files

i recovered 18,000 pictures from a drive that had been formatted and had windows re-installed. it costs $70 but was worth it for me..

 

[seashoreCM]

I say do not format the card until after you have gotten the pictures off of it.

For now, if there is one, set the write protect tab so it will be harder to accidentally format the card.

Digital camera buying hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/digicam.htm

 

[Groucho]

Setting the write protect tab is a good idea.

When I had to buy a recovery program, I found Restorer 2000 to be the cheapest - $30 for the most basic version. It works pretty well. It seems like I have seen a freeware one but I don't know its name off the top of my head.

Oh, and it's quite possible that the card has failed, too. After you're recovered all you can and have reformatted the card (assuming that it even lets you), go to My Computer, and right-click the card's drive letter and go into Properties. Go to the Tools tab, then click the Check Now button. Check the box for "Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors", then click Start. It'll take a little while but if it shows any bad sectors, or any errors at all, it's time to have the card replaced - they usually have long or lifetime warranties, so hopefully you can get a new card for the cost of shipping your old one back.

 

[DMRick]

Someone asked that question, and I only got to hear the end of the answer, which was that it is just the card readers in the store. I didn't hear why, because the person sitting next to me didn't know how to turn on her new camera, and DH and I wear giving her a mini lesson. I couldn't believe all the people (this was on a cruise) there with new cameras that they had never used until the cruise. Many wanted to throw them overboard..I offered to take them off their hands LOL.
Just another small word of caution. While in Mexico, my daughter put her camera (thank God it was the little one, and not the rebel) down by her feet to concentrate on taking a pic with her good camera..and when she went to pick up the other camera, it was gone

 

[Lewisc]

Using your camera while your battery is dying can cause that problem.

Many of the data recovery programs should work.

 

[eeyorelori]

Great this is scary ..I was planning on not even using film when we go again ,..Scary .. iwill need to rethink this ..

 

[MikeS.]

Great this is scary ..I was planning on not even using film when we go again ,..Scary .. iwill need to rethink this ..

Don't be scared, this is not a real common occurence.

Although i take the percaution to d/l all my pics each night to my PC and then reformat the SD card for my camera.

 

[eeyoreiscool]

I have use a program called WinHex to get corrupted pictures off a memory card. It was able to get all but 5 pictures out of 300 so I figured that was pretty good.

 

[eeyorelori]

Mike S i have to wait till we will get home to dl my pics ..I dont have a laptop ...And i doubt ill wastean hr at walmart to get them put to cd ..Plus i dont trust cd either..I have luckly checked the cd before i formatted it ,but the cd didnt work right...Still scary ..I will prob do both film and dig..My dig doenst do fireworks well so ill do both i have made up my mind ..Then i wont need as many cards ...I think last time i took 12oo pics ..But now hopefully the hub wont close up again (05 was in jan)I want pics of all the statues ...Plus we will be at a lovely villa so i no itll be more pics this time....

I do hope she is able to recover alll her pics .