The card or the camera??? -- Canon ELPH - "Unidentified image"

[Muse]

I took some snapshots over the TG weekend and they all disappeared. When I try to access them by pressing the [<] button I get Unidentified image [?] for each picture. If I go back far enough (i.e. weeks/months before), I can see the JPGs.

Removing the 64GB Samsung microSD card (in adapter) to my PC, the folders are there but they are empty. Folders from former shoots are still on the card and the JPGs are there and can be previewed on the camera.

I was hoping that Windows would offer to fix the card but no such message came up.

1. Can I retrieve the pictures?
2. Is something wrong with the camera?
3. Is the card now suspect? Should I run some utility on the card?

How should I proceed?

 

[CuriousMike]

Can you view the photos in the camera?

What happens if you plug a USB cable into the camera and try to view the files via the cable?

Samsung might have "photo recovery software" for you to download.

 

[Muse]

Can you view the photos in the camera?

What happens if you plug a USB cable into the camera and try to view the files via the cable?

Samsung might have "photo recovery software" for you to download.

There are something like a couple dozen folders of photos on the card. Each folder corresponds to a single day of shooting. Ones from before November seem mostly OK, but not all. There are around 1/2 dozen in November including 11/25, 11/26, 11/28. Those last 3 appear to be empty, even when viewed on computer via USB cable to camera.

Some of the photos from several weeks ago aren't viewable, the message is that the files are too big or corrupt. I'm sure it's the latter.

Not sure what to suspect here, the camera or the card. I can put in another card. I could reformat the card (in the camera probably best idea there I think).

Nothing like this has happened before.

The card is Samsung but the camera is Canon ELPH 100 HS.

 

[CuriousMike]

Find a good "sd memory card recovery software".

 

[Anteaus]

Personally I think it is probably a fluke but you never can tell. I hope you are able to recover your photos. I doubt you actually did anything wrong but odd issues can manifest with cards that aren't reformatted regularly or are moved back and forth from the camera to a card reader. This are part of the reason why it is generally recommended to reformat the memory card every time it is reinserted into the camera prior to shooting.

 

[Muse]

Personally I think it is probably a fluke but you never can tell. I hope you are able to recover your photos. I doubt you actually did anything wrong but odd issues can manifest with cards that aren't reformatted regularly or are moved back and forth from the camera to a card reader. This are part of the reason why it is generally recommended to reformat the memory card every time it is reinserted into the camera prior to shooting.

So, maybe nothing wrong with card, nothing wrong with camera? :'(

I ran two different memory card file retrieval programs (took long time) on the card (inserted into USB card reader) and after doing so found no retrieved files. The folders (5 of them dating to Nov. 6, although the problem occurred just a few days ago) appear empty in Windows Explorer. The camera still says Unidentified Image when I try to view them on the camera's screen, so there's something there. Windows doesn't seem to realize that there are files in the directories, each corresponding to a particular day of shooting.

I ran Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostics against the card, Quick and Extensive tests and it passed both.

Don't know how to proceed. Just offload what I have and reformat the card, presumably in the camera? I have lost every single shot from last week.