I am trying to help a friend of mine recover pictures from her SD card. She had downloaded them to a computer, then another person thought she wanted them deleted and so she did so. Pics are gone from computer and SD card. I have tried on a PC several of the free programs online to recover the pics and no luck. Is there something else I can try or a better program that is available for Macs?
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recovering lost pics from SD card
- Thread starter iaddict
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Agreed, hands down it is the best program ( paid or free) that I have ever used to recover deleted images
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/smartrecovery.html
The problem with flash media is that it is written in order, so if you delete picture one and then take a picture, your first picture will PERMANENTLY BE DELETED !!!!
Your only hope of recovery in flash media is that you try to recover the files immediately after deleting ( or if you took only 20 pictures, and wanted to recover picture 40)
Good luck
computer won't recognize SD card
No pictures have been taken with the SD card since the pics were deleted. I just don't know why my computer won't recognize the SD card, either in an SD reader attached through the USB or through my SD reader that is built into the computer.
No pictures have been taken with the SD card since the pics were deleted. I just don't know why my computer won't recognize the SD card, either in an SD reader attached through the USB or through my SD reader that is built into the computer.
The best recovery tool I have used on a mac is PhotoRec. (Freeware)
However I found that using a combination of tools rendered the most recoverable files. Depends on how valuable to you the pictures actually are.
Exif Untrasher - freeware
Klix $30, managed to recover 2 pictures that the other two didn't but also failed to recover ~50 that PhotoRec didn't.
However I found that using a combination of tools rendered the most recoverable files. Depends on how valuable to you the pictures actually are.
Exif Untrasher - freeware
Klix $30, managed to recover 2 pictures that the other two didn't but also failed to recover ~50 that PhotoRec didn't.
computer doesn't pick up camera or card reader
I have tried using the camera and a SanDisk Imagemate Card Reader. Neither will show up on my computer anywhere. I did open iPhoto when I had the camera attached and it just said "no photos" were available. I need help!
I have tried using the camera and a SanDisk Imagemate Card Reader. Neither will show up on my computer anywhere. I did open iPhoto when I had the camera attached and it just said "no photos" were available. I need help!
OK, now you are being DENSE, we keep offering you advice but you seem to not want to listen
First off it seems like you may need a windows PC ( its freeware but its windows only)
Plug your camera (with the card) into a pc using the supplied USB cable, make sure the computer sees the Memory card ( if it doesn't then the card is dead, and you are screwed)
1) Go here http://www.snapfiles.com/get/smartrecovery.html
2) download and install the program
3) Select the drive letter associated with your SD card
4) Select folder to back up pictures
5) Run program
6) Come back here and thank everyone who has been trying to give you advice ( seriously how many times do we have to repeat it )
Here's what I've done
Most of the programs listed below were tried on a PC before I even tried to use my Mac, then the few that were listed for Macs I tried as well.
Memory Card Data Recovery
Data Doctor Recovery Memory Card (Demo)
PC Inspector Smart Recovery
Undelete Plus
Stellar Photo Recovery
Exif Untrasher
Convar Smart Recovery
All of these programs were downloaded and installed. After installing, they were opened and tried to run on the SD card, either through an SD card reader, which is built into my PC, the SanDisk ImageMate Card Reader, or through my camera. NONE of these show up on any of the programs that are installed. That is the issue that I am having. How do I recover files when I cannot find the SD card in any of the ways that I've tried?
Most of the programs listed below were tried on a PC before I even tried to use my Mac, then the few that were listed for Macs I tried as well.
Memory Card Data Recovery
Data Doctor Recovery Memory Card (Demo)
PC Inspector Smart Recovery
Undelete Plus
Stellar Photo Recovery
Exif Untrasher
Convar Smart Recovery
All of these programs were downloaded and installed. After installing, they were opened and tried to run on the SD card, either through an SD card reader, which is built into my PC, the SanDisk ImageMate Card Reader, or through my camera. NONE of these show up on any of the programs that are installed. That is the issue that I am having. How do I recover files when I cannot find the SD card in any of the ways that I've tried?
fair enough i retract my comment
but it sounds like you might be screwed
try to reformat the card, and see if it mounts
If you cannot detect the card, then there is really nothing we can help you with ( it needs to be able to find the card first)
good luck !
What if I did this?
I've been thinking that maybe it isn't visible since there's nothing on it, pics were deleted. If I took 1 picture, I know it would overwrite probably at least one pic on the card but then maybe the card would at least show up and then I could try to recover the rest. If I reformat the card, won't I lose everything on there by doing that?
I've been thinking that maybe it isn't visible since there's nothing on it, pics were deleted. If I took 1 picture, I know it would overwrite probably at least one pic on the card but then maybe the card would at least show up and then I could try to recover the rest. If I reformat the card, won't I lose everything on there by doing that?
In OS X, does the card show up in Disk Utility?
Have you successfully used THIS card in THIS reader on THIS computer before?
It would still show up with nothing on it.
Have you successfully used THIS card in THIS reader on THIS computer before?
It would still show up with nothing on it.
Doesn't show up in Disk Utility
The card is actually from a friend's camera. It has not been used in any of my computers or readers before. I tried using her computer with her camera yesterday along with Stellar Photo Recovery and the SD card didn't show up there either. So, I brought it home with me to see if I could work on it here and try to get the pics recovered. The card has only been written on once through the camera. I'm not sure how many pictures she actually had on there already.
The card is actually from a friend's camera. It has not been used in any of my computers or readers before. I tried using her computer with her camera yesterday along with Stellar Photo Recovery and the SD card didn't show up there either. So, I brought it home with me to see if I could work on it here and try to get the pics recovered. The card has only been written on once through the camera. I'm not sure how many pictures she actually had on there already.
If it doesn't even show up on her computer anymore, then the card is probably fried - meaning no files can be recovered.
No option worked
I tried formatting the card and then scanned it. It shows nothing available. I hate it for her.....it was a brand new camera she got for Christmas and all of her photos were on there. I was able to pull up 244 jpg images but when I tried to open them, it says there's nothing there.
I tried formatting the card and then scanned it. It shows nothing available. I hate it for her.....it was a brand new camera she got for Christmas and all of her photos were on there. I was able to pull up 244 jpg images but when I tried to open them, it says there's nothing there.
Err formatting the card was the last thing you wanted to do...
How did you format it anyway? In the camera? Regardless you are beyond recovery now.
Kind of makes one long for the old days of film....
My gf isn't much of a photographer, but has had her moments of documenting things that meant the world to her. Some years ago I gave her a little Konica p&s (35mm) and it's served her well since then, and the negatives are always put away. I gave her a little Sony digicam this Christmas, and I'm hoping that the digital files don't wind up going astray for her. She doesn't deal with technical things too well, she's just not interested, and somewhere along the way (memorystick, card reader, photo editing software, archival storage, hard drives, Windows laptop, proprietary battery, digital photo terminology (mpixels, white balance, etc,) video, getting prints... all that stuff is now different, and despite how easy it all can be, it can also trip up someone who just isn't into it, other than taking pictures. Can we say the words, "technical consultant required...?"
Anyway, it definitely sounds like the SD card you're trying to salvage files off of is kaput. It's basically impossible to rescue anything off a drive you can't even see, at least at this level of expertise. Sorry 'bout that, but you'll have to break it to her gently, and then suggest perhaps 2GB SD cards, or even 1 GB cards so she won't have the temptation to load every image ever made on one card. Suggest (gently) that she download to her computer after each shooting session, and backup all her photos at least once a week to a different medium/hard drive. All basic stuff, but perhaps much more apparent now after going through this...
My gf isn't much of a photographer, but has had her moments of documenting things that meant the world to her. Some years ago I gave her a little Konica p&s (35mm) and it's served her well since then, and the negatives are always put away. I gave her a little Sony digicam this Christmas, and I'm hoping that the digital files don't wind up going astray for her. She doesn't deal with technical things too well, she's just not interested, and somewhere along the way (memorystick, card reader, photo editing software, archival storage, hard drives, Windows laptop, proprietary battery, digital photo terminology (mpixels, white balance, etc,) video, getting prints... all that stuff is now different, and despite how easy it all can be, it can also trip up someone who just isn't into it, other than taking pictures. Can we say the words, "technical consultant required...?" Anyway, it definitely sounds like the SD card you're trying to salvage files off of is kaput. It's basically impossible to rescue anything off a drive you can't even see, at least at this level of expertise. Sorry 'bout that, but you'll have to break it to her gently, and then suggest perhaps 2GB SD cards, or even 1 GB cards so she won't have the temptation to load every image ever made on one card. Suggest (gently) that she download to her computer after each shooting session, and backup all her photos at least once a week to a different medium/hard drive. All basic stuff, but perhaps much more apparent now after going through this...
umm he really didn't have any options, it sounded like the card was screwed from the get go
it says you found 244 pictures, these may be fragments
try using the program I've recommended, it will not recover fragments, only complete pictures.
I think reformating a card won't destroy or overwrite all your pics or data, it just deletes your FAT info.
Normally your pics should still be on the card, if you didn't took any pics to overwrite the older files.
it's strange the card won't even show up as a removable media drive on your computers...
did you switched off the write protect notch/ tab on the card????
You could try this program http://www.datarescue.com/photorescue/
it was recomended by Ron Brinkmann, one of the presenters on the TWIP podcast.
Normally your pics should still be on the card, if you didn't took any pics to overwrite the older files.
it's strange the card won't even show up as a removable media drive on your computers...
did you switched off the write protect notch/ tab on the card????
You could try this program http://www.datarescue.com/photorescue/
it was recomended by Ron Brinkmann, one of the presenters on the TWIP podcast.
second vote here for Klix. excellent sw, used it to recover images off a seemingly fried CF card.