Recovering lost / corrupted files from SD card

[ilesmark]

Hi all

Just got back from a month in Ethiopia and have a bit of a problem with one of the SD cards I was using while I was away.

I bought a couple of pen drives SPECIFICALLY to be able to make backup copies of what was on my SD cards in case I lost them. When I put the card into someone's PC out there, I selected all 852 pics and vids and hit copy and then tried to paste them into the pen drive; that was when the problem happened. Only 32 showed up on the pen drive and suddenly only the same 32 remained on the SD card ie only 32 showed on screen. But the data is still there, as the card shows itself as being nearly full like it did before I put it into that PC. So it doesn't look like a simple case of recovering stuff that's been deleted by accident.

A friend has already recommended good old Recuva, but this is one of the times I kick myself for having bought a Mac. I've already run FileJuicer (for those familiar with Macs) but all this has brought up is the 32 already on there. I can get access to a PC if necessary.

Please help if you have any ideas - am really worried about the prospect of losing these pics and videos

Thanks in advance

Mark

[izod tester]

Try Photorec PhotoRec - CGSecurity

[mixture]

but this is one of the times I kick myself for having bought a Mac

To be perfectly honest, once something is corrupt, its corrupt. I doubt very much it would have made an iota of difference if you were running Windows rather than OS X on your computer.

I bought a couple of pen drives SPECIFICALLY to be able to make backup copies of what was on my SD cards in case I lost them

For your future reference, pen drives are NOT an acceptable backup mechanism under any circumstances. I wouldn't trust them any more than a CF/SD/XQD card ... they are intended for very short term temporary storage.

I selected all 852 pics and vids and hit copy and then tried to paste them into the pen drive;

Next time, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Smaller cards and frequent rotation is the secret, the minor inconvenience is very much worth it for the very reasons you have discovered.

[Pelikal]

Next time, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Smaller cards and frequent rotation is the secret,

Good advice, mixture. Slightly OT but a short while ago my sister physically lost the large card from her camera. It had all her pictures on it, only a few had been downloaded to her machine (she hates computers).

My suggestion, too, was use a number of smaller cards to limit the loss.

Mark, hope you manage to recover your files.

[Avtrician]

There is a program called pandora recovery that is quite good, and free.

Also Zero Assumption. it can recover corrupted image files for free, purchase is required for other file types

[SpringHeeledJack]

I can recommend CardRaider https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/card...02759094?mt=12 which has served me well over the last few years when the SD card has become temporarily corrupted. With me it seemed to happen when being taken out of the camera and when put back in the photos seemed to be gone. Card raider got them all back each time.


SHJ

[Mad Monk]

SanDisk RescuePRO is very good, it was supplied free with their SD cards, the only ones I use.
Data Rescue and File Salvage are extremely good.
Not familiar of FileJuicer or CardRaider.

I do not see why using a Mac would be a problem, I have been playing with them for decades and my Pro level Nikon kit is very happy with them and vice versa.
Whilst not my favourite tools, Pen/USB drives from a good company should not be a problem. Although without any evidence I might suspect the PC.

I only use 4GB cards (150 shots at RAW), to lose what might be on a large card would be disastrous. It is no hardship to carry a dozen. Also my D3 allows auto back up to the second card or one may duplicate at ones' leisure, as I do, and then keep in a safe place.
This is of no use for now, but might be for the future.
Regards, MM.

[llondel]

This is where Linux is really good, you can take a raw image of what's on the SD card using the dd command. Once you've got that, you can experiment with the original card in the knowledge that if you make things worse, you can restore the original image and try something different. You might even be able to mount the image using a loopback device and attempt to clean it up without having to touch the original. There's a reasonable chance that the image data is still there, you've just managed to trash most of the directory pointing at it. If it was a clean card to start with, there's even a sporting chance that the files are stored sequentially and you can recover them with a bit of raw sector manipulation using the dd command.

If you can get a PC, try to also have a Linux LiveCD to boot from.

[mixture]

This is where Linux is really good, you can take a raw image of what's on the SD card using the dd command. Once you've got that, you can experiment with the original card in the knowledge that if you make things worse, you can restore the original image and try something different.

First.....

Just for fairness, you can do this on Mac too, you know... same tool...built-in.... dd.

Most people forget / don't know OS X is based on BSD... so anything you can find/do on BSD you can find/do on a Mac. Go discover the Terminal app... therein lines access to the command line.

You can also make an image in the GUI by using the Disk Utility app.

Second....

Your methodology is all wrong.... why are you messing around with the original ?

Take an image, mess around with the image, leave the original intact.

[llondel]

I know the Mac has a lot of the same stuff, I don't consider myself qualified to advise people on it. Some of its tools reflect the BSD versions and have different command-line options to the Linux variants.

As for the methodology, I did it by taking a copy and then using the original because at the time I didn't know how to mount the disk image, whereas I did know I could replace the image on the hardware. You'll note that I did cover both methods

[ilesmark]

Hi all

Have been away for a couple of days over Easter but just logged back into Pprune.

Wow - I am amazed at all the responses. Thanks to all of you for rallying round like this.

So far I have tried running some of the free ones and between them they seem to have got back a good number of the still photos. As for the videos - some got recovered but whenever I try to play any of them in Quick Time Player I get a message saying 'this is not a format Quick Time understands'. They don't work in VLC either.

The other apps cost and I wouldn't mind paying for them, but would prefer to know they will recover the videos before shelling out!

I also put the SD card in a friend's PC and tried Recuva, but this didn't bring up that many files :-(

Mixture and Llondel - your advice about making an image is good - I have done this. But as you have probably gleaned, I am a novice in this field of IT, so any advice in English about 'using the Terminal app and getting access to the command line' or 'how to recover them with a bit of raw sector manipulation using the dd command' would be highly welcome!

Thanks again

Mark

[SpringHeeledJack]

Try this Recover Photos on Mac: CardRaider is the easiest, least expensive Mac solution, it says it recovers films as well and it's done it for me in the past.


SHJ

[ilesmark]

Hi SHJ. Card Raider didn't recover any of the films unfortunately :-(

[SpringHeeledJack]

Sorry to hear that. By chance were you using the free version ? If so, if I remember it only does so much and then you need the paid version to get the full effect.


SHJ

[ilesmark]

Yes, I was using the free version. It made clear at the outset that it would show which files could be recovered and that to do the recovery would involve buying the full version.

But, whereas it said the photos were 'fully recoverable' and showed previews of them, for the videos it showed a blank where the preview was supposed to be and said 'incomplete'.

[SpringHeeledJack]

In the settings box there is a box to tick/untick that will stop it ignoring incomplete/corrupted images. It might be that the disjointed library on the card has caused the films to be corrupted and they are only part recoverable ?


SHJ

[ilesmark]

Yeah - saw that box. I left it ticked for the first scan but, in light of your comment, am running the scan again with it unticked.

Interesting, though, that those videos still came up the first time despite the box being ticked and yet couldn't be seen. Wonder if that means something - it brought up about 13 or 15 IIRC and I know for sure there were far more than 13 or 15 on the card before that fateful day.

Is there any way you know of to view what's left of part recoverable vids?

[SpringHeeledJack]

Might it be worthwhile downloading it (paying) and then going through the motions and then once the film files are recovered/part recovered change the file extension to something else and see if they play on Vlc or Perian then ?


SHJ

[ilesmark]

once the film files are recovered/part recovered change the file extension to something else and see if they play on Vlc or Perian then ?

Aha - I'll try that. At the moment am trying a whole load of programs in demo mode to see which ones recover the most. Once I've found the one that does this, I'll do as you say. Card Raider, BTW, discovered 36 videos with that box unticked. I take it .mpg / .mpeg would be examples of what to try - any others?

Cheers also for the Perian tip - I'd never heard of that one before.

Will let you know how I get on.

Rgds

Mark

[ilesmark]

Hi all

Where I am currently up to is that recovering the files is no longer a problem; it's fixing the corrupt ones. I've managed to recover most / all of the still images and it is now just the videos that are still a problem; they seem to be corrupt.

The various file recovery apps I have run have all brought about the same result with the videos ie they seemingly recover, but then when I try to play them they don't work. I get various results eg they won't even open and flash up 'This is not a type of file Quick Time player recognises', or they DO open but when I try and play the clip the window is blank and the slider moves across the bottom with a couple of seconds of recognisable sound, replaced by a loud and sometimes intermittent hissing noise. Or they open and you see a still picture, but when you hit play the picture remains frozen while the slider and sound behave as above.

Trying to open them in VLC doesn't improve matters, and neither does changing the file name or the extension.

So then I started googling 'recovering corrupted mov files' and so far have tried demo versions of about 10 different apps. Also I tried one called repair cycorder but you seemingly need a degree in computing to understand it and I couldn't get it to work! Most don't change anything BUT one possibly two DO seem to work at least on some of the videos. These are MP4 Repair and Treasured. They work not by you downloading an app onto your Mac but by you uploading the videos to their site, whereupon it 'processes' them, flashes up a price for the full thing and lets you download a 6-second clip to prove it works. The price, however is the major sticking point; for 1 video MP4 Repair quoted me US$47 while for 3 it went up to $84 - and I have about 100 of the damn things!

I was on the verge of giving up but now that I have seen the videos CAN be recovered it's given me more impetus to keep trying.

Anyone have any further ideas?

Thanks in advance

Mark