HELP! SDHC corrupt - not even seen by windows

[NAC]

So, I rented lens this weekend to shoot my daughter's dance performance. And the other teams from her school. We then stopped by Washington DC on the way home, and I took more shots with the fancy rented lens while walking around the mall. Then, after doing all that, my camera gives a disk read error. The camera seems to recognize there is a card in it, it offers to format it. I didn't. I turn off the camera.

I am now home, take out the card, plug it into my computer. Nothing. Like it isn't there. I've unplugged and plugged in the reader and the card several times, same result. I try other memory cards - windows recognizes them normally. So the card is so corrupt Windows doesn't even want to say hi.

I've tried a couple SDHC software packages - PhotoRec_Win, and Recuva - neither of them see the card either.

Like it doesn't exist. Althought indeed it does, I can touch it, plug it in, throw it across the room. It is real, and it has some priceless photos on it.

Any thoughts?

 

[NAC]

Windows Computer Management - Disk Management freezes, at least for 5+ minutes. It doesn't know what to make of my SDHC card.

ARGH!!!

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

You may be out of luck. If it's truly priceless you could send it to a data recovery company.

If your card isn't seen by the system, recovery software can't do anything. Have you tried a different card reader/usb cable, etc.?

 

[NAC]

I don't have a different USB reader for my main PC. And it plugs right into USB - no detachable cable.

I am trying Ubuntu from a USB on a laptop. Not very familiar with Linux though, so this will take a while just to figure out where the memory card reader shows up. I will try Windows 8 in another laptop...

 

[NAC]

No success using the Windows 8 laptop. Doesn't find it.

 

[NAC]

Disappointing that this happens on a weekend when I rent a lens and travel around specifically to take pictures. I take pictures all the time, but very rarely spend a weekend like this. Sigh.

 

[ArisVer]

In Ubuntu try the media and mnt folders. Though I think you are out of luck.

 

[NAC]

No luck with Ubuntu. But it isn't correctly installed on the laptop, it doesn't recognize the wifi card, so quite possibly doesn't recognize the media card reader. I'm not going to spend a lot of time right now to try to get Ubuntu to work.

It would be nice if there was a distro specifically for data recovery, or other bootable software for data recovery.

 

[NAC]

No success using a different Windows 7 laptop.

I can re-format the card on the camera and then maybe the card will be recognized on the PC and I can try to recover the data. But that option is not reversible, don't want to go there yet.

Any other ideas?

 

[NAC]

Windows Computer Mgmt - Disk Mgmt eventually displays, it shows my card reader slots as drives with letters, as usual - but the slot with the defective card lists as no media. I didn't measure how long it took - but the software was thinking for at least 10 minutes before anything showed up.

 

[ArisVer]

Also try "sudo blkid" with Ubuntu in a terminal. The card should be listed there if the system picks it up.

 

[NAC]

Thanks, I'll try that command tonight. I'll also boot to Ubuntu on different machines.

After a few more days of testing things out, I will probably quick format the card in the camera. Hopefully that will make the card visible in windows, and then I can use recovery software to see extract the files. That is not reversible, and could make things worse, so obviously the last thing I want to try. But clearly the file system on the card is faulty, as I think about it more I don't think it will make things worse.

 

[KingFatty]

Also just confirm the physical condition of the card. Any of the contacts dirty or scratched/damaged? I've never opened the plastic on an SC card, but maybe there is a way to look inside for traces that came apart or something.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Like it doesn't exist. Althought indeed it does, I can touch it, plug it in, throw it across the room. It is real, and it has some priceless photos on it.

After a few more days of testing things out, I will probably quick format the card in the camera.

If the data is really priceless and is really important to you, I would absolutely NOT do this. Take it to a professional data recovery service.

 

[NAC]

I don't believe there are any physical problems with the card, but I'll examine closely when I get home.

Regarding a quick format - can others opine? Clearly the file structure is faulty. Over-writing it with a new one shouldn't really change anything. As I understand data recovery software – in addition to reviewing the file structure, it will scan all the sectors to find files – regardless of the file structure. In fact, it is design to find data which on cards which have been quick formatted.

This is very frustrating, but the pictures aren't that priceless to me. I'm trying to decide if I should use a service to try to recover the photos… Looks like a service may start as low as $40.

 

[ronbo613]

Personally, I would not do any kind of format on your card. If you can try data recovery for $40, if it's worth it to you, let them try it.

I use digital cameras in less than ideal environmental conditions and I have found sometimes memory cards lose connection with the camera with no indication other than maybe an unusual readout on a LCD screen. Removing the card and re-seating it with the camera on so you get a memory card indication on the LCD screen takes care of the problem most of the time. I suspect this problem is caused by very minor oxidation of the memory card terminals and/or the camera's card receptacle terminals. This oxidation issue is not uncommon, you can clean terminals with a pencil eraser.

Unfortunately, your memory card may have bit the bullet, I've had that happen too.

 

[dbcooper1]

There used to be some file recovery software you could download and it cost little or nothing. It worked for me a few times; I'll search for it when I get home. Others might remember in the meantime; good luck- I know it's frustrating.

 

[ArisVer]

I recently had success with Piriform's Recuva (free) on a normal HDD. The disk was shown in Computer Management with RAW partition and the file manager was asking me to format it.

https://www.piriform.com/recuva

 

[NAC]

Thanks. I tried Recurva last night as well, but it first depends on Windows seeing the card as being inserted. Since Windows doesn't see it - the software doesn't let me choose it to scan...

 

[tweakboy]

Try haupagge ?

 

[NAC]

So - I tried to format the card in the camera. The camera tells me it can't - it says to replace the card. I made sure the tab was not in the lock position (when it is it tells me it can't format because it is in the lock position). My S100 also wont format the card.

Grump.

Tonight in Ubuntu - I was able to see other media cards, but not this one. So that didn't seem to help.

I'm out of ideas.

 

[ronbo613]

Did you clean the memory card terminals with a pencil eraser? Sounds stupid, but what have you got to lose?

 

[Cerb]

If none if this stuff even sees the card, either ask some data recovery firms, or destroy it.

 

[NAC]

Did you clean the memory card terminals with a pencil eraser? Sounds stupid, but what have you got to lose?

Yup, I did.


I'm looking into firms. Most don't post prices on the internet. Which I suppose is fair since they don't know what they are going to get, but I want an idea before I send my card in.

 

[Cerb]

That's why I say ask. Businesses caught in a bind can easily pay up, because the alternatives can be worse, even with only partial recovery (not that they just have the cash sitting around, but that they likely won't have it if they don't get the data back ). But, you should be able to find some that will cap their charges (IE, if they might need to do enough work to charge more than your limit, they won't do it).