Memory Card Failure!

[tao2]

Hi Toby,

try these - all free. Ah've used Recuva, it works.

http://www.piriform.com/recuva

http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec

https://www.mjm.co.uk/memory-cards/f...-recovery.html

As said above...

don't reformat
don't try in another camera

if the above don't work have a look at other recovery software.

Try plugging the camera in, with the card onboard - see if the Mac recognises then shows the images. Try the same with a Windows PC.

Thinking laterally ye could try downloading PICASA . Once installed ye can plug in the camera and Picasa will recognise the images and open all of them in the " Import" section automatically. This may be enough tae "fool" the memory card. Worth a shot.

If all else fails, ye need a pro, best of luck...

[JR1]

hello all, i am in a bit of desperate need for help. I shot a wedding yesterday and when i got home to load the images on the computer one of the cards (sandisk extreme 8gb cf) that my assistant was using wont read. It's not just that it wont read any images put my computer (mac) didn't even pick it up at all. After trying it back in the camera it said "card error" so i tried it in a different computer (windows) but also nothing, didn't get picked up or anything. Because the computers won't even recognise the card i can't even use the rescue software that came with the card.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what i could do?
Some people suggested to me to format in camera, this should wipe the cards index so it can be read again and then i should be able to use the recovery software. But personally i am still a bit uneasy about doing this.
Any help would be incredibly helpful.

do not format it at all

[TobyMac]

Ok first of all, no worries about the harsh comments, I totally agree with them and luckily this was only my second wedding and as I said before the clients aren't that "harsh" on needing every single shot, so I am quite, "relieved" that this happened now and I can learn from it early rather than when I end up having clients that are way more harsh and might sue or get very aggressive. So I have learned that for the next wedding I will go rent a camera with two slots.
Second of all, I do have all my own shots, which I spread over 3 separate cards, because I know not to put all your eggs into one basket. So its really just my assistants shots that are missing, why she only used one card I also don't understand but I guess thats also just another thing for me to learn from this, to either not use her again or teach her from my experience.

All that said, I will need to see with a couple of people that specialise in recovering data tomorrow as they aren't working today. If it's too pricy and not worth it I will attempt the format and pray method.

At least I still have all my images to make her an album and all the prints and images so its luckily not the entire end of the world for her.

Finally I would like to thank all the great replies again, just proving why this is such an awesome forum, you guys are awesome!

[mknittle]

I think I see why many photographers cringe at the word "wedding".

[JR1]

Ok first of all, no worries about the harsh comments, I totally agree with them and luckily this was only my second wedding and as I said before the clients aren't that "harsh" on needing every single shot, so I am quite, "relieved" that this happened now and I can learn from it early rather than when I end up having clients that are way more harsh and might sue or get very aggressive. So I have learned that for the next wedding I will go rent a camera with two slots.
Second of all, I do have all my own shots, which I spread over 3 separate cards, because I know not to put all your eggs into one basket. So its really just my assistants shots that are missing, why she only used one card I also don't understand but I guess thats also just another thing for me to learn from this, to either not use her again or teach her from my experience.

All that said, I will need to see with a couple of people that specialise in recovering data tomorrow as they aren't working today. If it's too pricy and not worth it I will attempt the format and pray method.

At least I still have all my images to make her an album and all the prints and images so its luckily not the entire end of the world for her.

Finally I would like to thank all the great replies again, just proving why this is such an awesome forum, you guys are awesome!

I owe you an apology, for being so,....... blunt.

Sorry

[JR1]

I think I see why many photographers cringe at the word "wedding".

Now imagine using film.......................

How much can go wrong there

[Mark von Kanel]

Ok first of all, no worries about the harsh comments,

Good, it wasnt my intent to offend only to make sure you understood how to avoid it happening again.

So I have learned that for the next wedding I will go rent a camera with two slots.

Now why didnt i think of suggesting that?

why she only used one card I also don't understand but I guess thats also just another thing for me to learn from this, to either not use her again or teach her from my experience.

I hope you will give her another chance "she who makes no mistakes is doing naff all"

All that said, I will need to see with a couple of people that specialise in recovering data tomorrow as they aren't working today. If it's too pricy and not worth it I will attempt the format and pray method.

Dont sweat it too much, i have recovered all data from formatted cards and drives many many times for people. its doable but if affordable id go the pro way. if not PM me and ill help out if i can.

Finally I would like to thank all the great replies again, just proving why this is such an awesome forum, you guys are awesome!

Its a 2 way street Tobias, im certain youll help me one day.

[rpcrowe]

I don't know about S.A. but I do know that doing a Google search here in California brings up a number of companies that recover lost data from memory cards. However, these services are quite expensive...

Since memory cards are extremely light weight, mailing them (registered mail) internationally to a recovery company would be a small cost. The major cost would be the fees that the recovery company charges.

Of course, I would contact the company first!

[TobyMac]

@Mark, I will give her another chance I mean it could have happened to me as well. If I don't manage I'll send you a message and maybe we can figure something out.

@Richard I have contacted a couple different places, but I suspect that they will, as you said be quite expensive.

[wilgk]

Now imagine using film.......................

How much can go wrong there

OK, so all of my suggestions have already been posted, so I will offer myself up as the sacrificial elderly lamb & recount a tale of what can & did go wrong with film...back in my day!
Ok for those of you still with me, it was in the early 80's I was a tranee Radiographer, who had taken an X-ray image or Radiograph with a portable machine in the operating theatre...
Operating Surgeons can you understand make your average Bridezilla seem like a sweet Cinderella....
So I took the X-ray, then went into the dark room to develop it, small room like a broom cupboard, small tanks with developer, fixer & wash, that you dunked the film in, then took it dripping (hence the term 'Wet film report' back to the surgeon, so he could check his handiwork (realignment of a broken bone) before waking the patient up from anaesthetic.
For some reason on this day, I dunked the film into the fixer first before the developer....looked ok for a brief moment...then suddenly as if taken by a ghost, the image just disapeared before my very eyes!....
What did I do?..... Well I was terrified to come out of that wee room let me tell you...but I did, I looked the big scary surgeon in the eye & said ......no I didn't of course I didn't! ....the truth is I came out crying of course & couldn't look him in the eye or speak for that matter, so he just decided he was such a good surgeon all of the bones would of course be in the right place & best I finish my training before I dared to set foot in his theatre again...

[Andrew1]

I was surprised reading this thread that nobody suggested Sandisk's own RescuePRO. I have a few disks floating around because they came free with some of the memory I bought and in fact most were thrown out. I haven't bought any cards in some time so I did some checking. Wow. Seems Sandisk charges for the privilege or recovering data now. In any case, there is a free trial available for download. Might be worth a try. I know there were some good reviews on the performance.

[TobyMac]

@Andrew, I mentioned in the original post that I can not use the SanDisk software that came with the card because in order to use this software the card needs to be read by the computer so the software has somewhere to look, but because not even the computer is reading the card I am not able to use that software.

[Andrew1]

Sorry. Re-read and yes I did miss that. Getting late.

I've used the SanDisk cards personally on cameras and professionally on communication equipment. Not being picked up at all would suggest it took a power hit. Static or removing the card while powered up can do that on rare occasions. During regular use handling the cards multiple times a week I've only seen that happen twice twice though as the CF cards are close to bullet proof.

I would suggest you not reformat the card unless it is part of the instructions of a recovery software. If you are going to hand it off to the pro's find out how much they'll charge in advance for an estimate and also determine how much the photos are worth to you. If they are familiar with the process they should be able to figure out if they can do it in under an hour although the actual recovery could take longer. Expect anywhere from $85 to $125 per hour for actual work.

Good luck.

[TobyMac]

Yeah thats what im busy doing, waiting for a couple companies to get back to me with quotations and I will see from there.

[William W]

Addressing this other matter that you raised:

. . . I do have all my own shots, which I spread over 3 separate cards, because I know not to put all your eggs into one basket. So its really just my assistants shots that are missing, why she only used one card I also don't understand but I guess thats also just another thing for me to learn from this, to either not use her again or teach her from my experience. . .

In the spirit of you asking for assistance as a Wedding Photography Professional - it is your responsibility to know, beforehand, what and how your second shooter will cover.

It is part of your job as the Lead Photographer (and as their employer) to instruct them in same.

WW

[TobyMac]

@Bill I totally agree with that and I did cover with her what she was shooting and what she needed to cover but I guess its a mistake on my part to assume she wouldn't only use one card.

[Mark von Kanel]

Any news on recovery costs Tobias?

[JR1]

I think one of the problems we all (though I should never assume) have is that the memory card appears to be one of the cheapest components therefore one to be treated with the most contempt.

This is my desk as it stands now, NOT setup. Including an XQD G series card

The trouble is the individual plastic cases they come in are a pain, so they tend to end up in a bag of some description.

And yet they are the one most important piece of gear we all have, no card no image

[Stagecoach]

This is my desk as it stands now, NOT setup. Including an XQD G series card

[wilgk]

Interesting indeed, I don't have as many, but mine are scattered on the (dusty) desk like that a lot.
If I read this thread a few years ago, I may not have bought the Canon 7D as for a closer to the top end than the entry level camera...it only takes 1 card...or have I been using it all this time in error?