SD card showed photos in-camera, then files disappeared during copy—can they be recovered?
Asked 4/20/2019
2 views
2 answers
0
I returned from a trip with about 600 photos on a 16GB SanDisk SD card used in a Nikon D7100. The images were visible on the camera, and when I first inserted the card into a computer I could also see them there.
While copying the files to my hard drive, the transfer stopped after a few images with an error saying the files could not be copied. When I checked the card again on the computer, the photo folder no longer showed the images and instead contained a strange file entry. The card still reports nearly full capacity, similar to before, but I cannot open, move, copy, or view properties for that file.
I have already tried multiple recovery programs without success. What likely happened, and is there anything else worth trying?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
2
Since you've tried multiple readers and computers, and since you've tried card recovery software, I'm afraid the most likely thing is that the card went bad and you've lost the photos.
If the photos are absolutely precious, you may want to send it in to a data recovery company. These companies can open up the card and read from the flash chips directly. They may be able to get something, but it will cost an arm and a leg. So, this is an option best used when the data is literally priceless.
You probably didn't do anything wrong, but, in the future:
- make sure you use genuine cards. There are a lot of fakes out there (including, sadly, on Amazon).
- replace after a few years
- consider a camera with dual card slots, so you can save to two cards at once (or JPEG to one card and RAW to another, so at least you have something).
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This most likely indicates SD card failure or file system corruption on the card. Since the photos were visible at first, then became unreadable during transfer, and multiple recovery tools did not help, the card itself may have gone bad.
If the images are extremely important, your best remaining option is a professional data recovery service. They can sometimes read the flash memory directly, but this is usually expensive and only worth it for irreplaceable files.
For the future:
- buy cards from trusted sources to avoid counterfeit cards
- replace cards after a few years of use
- back up photos as soon as possible after shooting
- if possible, use a camera with dual card slots for redundancy
At this point, avoid writing anything to the card, as that could reduce the chance of recovery.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI7y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Is it safe to keep using an SD card after a file-system corruption error?
Why did my Nikon D600 save only JPEGs when the camera showed RAW?
Why won't my Nikon Coolpix P50 display photos after I rotated them on my computer?
Recovered photos from SD card appear black — can they still be saved?
How can I recover JPEG photos after a computer crash corrupted the copied files and deleted the originals from the memory card?