That's a new one on me.
I knew the recommended maximum sizes for the various FAT versions, but I didn't know there was a minimum restriction. I do now.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc938432.aspx
Yes, select FAT16 as sadly the 30mb is all that's being picked up. If that works OK, then scan with PhotoRec.
Just wondering if you tried imaging this card yet? And what does RMPrepUSB say if you try to use its "built-in" imaging tool. How many blocks does it see?
Just wondering if you tried imaging this card yet? And what does RMPrepUSB say if you try to use its "built-in" imaging tool. How many blocks does it see?
Thanks for your advice...but I'm not sure what 'imaging means? I'm ok doing things on a pc as long as I'm given step by step instructions!
That's a new one on me.
I knew the recommended maximum sizes for the various FAT versions, but I didn't know there was a minimum restriction. I do now.
http://technet.micro...y/cc938432.aspx
Yes, select FAT16 as sadly the 30mb is all that's being picked up. If that works OK, then scan with PhotoRec.
Ok thanks, I'll try it now...fingers crossed!
Tried it, said that it had completed...then tried PhotoRec...no joy, it didn't find any files!
Imaging is a process where all the raw sectors/blocks are copied to another device and typically put into one large file. Usually with the extension of .IMG or .RAW or .BIN.. Oftentimes a pro will image a device and then work from the .IMG file. If any mistakes or inadvertent writes are performed during the recovery process it is no big deal, just abandon the freshly "corrupted" file and start again. This helps to ensure the safety of the user's data. It lessens the chance of mistake erasing or overwriting the only copy of the information.
There are several kinds of imaging programs available, both payware and freeware. And some are of course better than others in terms of capability and grabbing devices with errors. RMPrepUSB has a basic capability for doing just that. It is similar to the USB IMAGE TOOL you tried earlier, but it works just a bit different internally. It's worth a try.
This is how you do it.
You can click on DRIVE -> FILE and then select a filename and destination (someplace on your C: drive). Type in a name of your choice and "open". Something like test.img will do fine.
Next box is a DRIVE SECTOR START POSITION, typically this is "0", select ok.
And the third dialog is LENGTH (NOTE: NUMBERS ARE IN BYTES - E.G. 512), try "PALL".
And next is DRIVETOFILE: FILE START BYTES POSITION (0,P1), select "0".
To start the imaging click ok when you see USB ---> FILE.
This should take about 5 or 10 minutes. And if this file is about 4GB in size, then that's great! We can then work from this. If not, then you can try another form of imaging through Linux. If you have WD drives or Segate drives you are entitled to a "LITE" edition of Acronis 2012 backup and imaging software. Get it and use the sector-by-sector copy. Pretend you're backing up the card.
If these two methods fail then you will need to use professional grade software, some of which is proprietary to the manufacturer of the SD card in question. This can cost upwards of $100.00 or more. Perhaps even mechanical repair is required. Yep, these cards can be repaired, controller chips can be swapped out, the bare flash chip can be read by other devices designed to do just that. This will have to be done in a professional lab.Your best bet will be to seek out a data recovery company. They typically charge a diagnostic fee of $75.00 and a couple of hundred more for the job - if it can be done at all.
What I just talked about is basically a variation on post #10 -- http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=36678&st=0&p=220748entry220748 -- we're basically trying to image the card, again, from a slightly different angle with RMPrepUSB. I really do not know if the LITE version of Acronis True Image will do anything with removable media. Perhaps, perhaps not. Just trying to consider all ways to grab the data without going the pro-route (expensive).
It is also noteworthy that many flash-based memory devices (especially full-sized SSD) revert to a read-only mode when they detect an internal failure. This is a fail-safe feature designed to protect what's left on the device. And this could explain why you can't format it, which is a good thing. It is one possible explanation. There are other reasons for not being able to write as well.
In the race to get the most capacity from the smallest size at the cheapest cost, a lot of "backup" capability is lost, spare blocks reduced, CRC and error checking and repair routines are skimped on. When you pay for a premium SD card, there's more of this "stuff" built-in. Yep, even a top mfg. like SanDisk makes various levels of quality. And if it weren't for cost-cutting these days we'd see a lot more redundancy inherent in stuff like this.
As a 3rd (and final for now) post, it's probably not worth it to spend money on purchasing a quick recovery tool for $50.00 or similar from the net unless you can try before you buy. This is because the fine print will say "Our software works on all devices recognizable by Windows." By this, they mean all the sectors and blocks are available, and that the device can be imaged. They also imply that their stuff works around common errors. To their credit though, you get a free trial where everything works except the save/recover function. A little ransom never hurt anyone now did it? CardRecoveryPro is an example, and so is SanDisk, and many others.
Tried it, said that it had completed...then tried PhotoRec...no joy, it didn't find any files!
Can you be a bit more specific?
Did you give the card a drive letter, and is it now being picked up OK by windows? Can you open it OK although it will only be a 30mb card?
If the creation of the partition went as it should, and your card can be opened as normal, albeit only 30mb, then the suggestion by Keatah has merit in that imaging software will now recognize it.
As well as the USB Image Tool, and RMPrepUSB, TestDisk can also create an Image of a memory card.
Whether it will just Image the 30mb or not is unknown until it's tried.
Successfully creating a back up Image opens up other possibilities. As long as the Image is created with for example the .img file extension, then that image can be mounted as a drive, which means it can be opened as a drive and explored.
You can also extract files from an Image with a free software like 7Zip.
help890, this all sounds good, but all these processes fail if a card or drive is damaged in a way which windows won't accept. They're all worth a try, but with your card, we have to accept that they are really long shots.
The other option, which has only been touched upon, is a professional company.
But we would never recommend someone go down that route, because we could be steering them into losing what could be, for an individual, a substantial sum of money. All we can ever do is point out that the option exists, at the same time making very clear that the end result could well be a very expensive negative one.
First of all confirm as to whether your card now has a drive letter, and can be accessed as normal, regardless of it's size. After that, we'll see what last throws of the dice we can try, and don't forget that absolutely anything your not sure about, or don't understand, no matter how daft you think your question might be, please ask. We're all ignorant of stuff until someone explains it to us.
Typically, a pro service, like I said, will charge a small evaluation fee and then quote you the regular price to do the job. You often get a list of files that they "will be able" to recover. It is accurate. Why? Because if it's a logical recovery they will already have done the job in the process of "preparing your quote" and evaluating the media. If you say yes, then BAM! Almost instant service! The next day your stuff in on secure FTP server awaiting you to download it. If you reject the quote, they wipe your job and call it a day.
And expensive they are, ranging from $300 up to $1700. They are also pretty honest about what can and cannot be done. And many outfits offer a no recovery = no fee policy. So you won't get taken for a ride. Been there, seen it, done it.
Now, about where we're at here.. If I may..
I'm becoming concerned at the amount of time this card has been (is) powered up. And if the internal controller believes it has only 30MB out of 4GB, then the "unallocated" 3.99GB space could be internally designated as "garbage collection" and "wear leveling" areas. Which means the controller is now using the blank space as maintenance and could be doing write operations there of its own accord.
I'm hoping imaging can grab the entire card. Because, if it does, THEN you plug that file into data recovery software and work from there. 7Zip might see some stuff. But I would not expect it to. I would expect to find a bunch of scattered file headers and hundreds of file fragments all over. Keep in mind that flash memory doesn't store data contiguously and you can't defrag it like a mechanical hard disk. At this point we'd need file carving tools to rebuild each file. This can become complex very quickly.
What do you mean about the drive letter? If you mean does windows recognise it, then yes. But this has always been the case. Whenever I try to open the card though it says it needs formatting, if I try to format it then says windows was unable to complete the format. I have tried opening it after using the last software that you recommended and it still says the same (that it needs formatting)
What are the results of trying to image the card?
No offence intended Keatah, but I don't think it's helping that two of us are making suggestions at the same time. I think that's probably confusing.
You obviously know a lot more about the technical side of a card's construction than me, as does Alan, and I'm happy to step aside for anyone with more relevant knowledge than myself after help890 has confirmed a couple of things. It actually sounds like we're at the stage where I'm completely out of ideas.
@help890
Just to confirm ... I was expecting, after you said RMPrepUSB seemed to have successfully created a partition on that card, and if the card has a drive letter, which you haven't confirmed, that you would now have been able to open and access it, albeit as a 30mb drive. You should at least be able to format it now, although I didn't need to format after RMPrepUSB created a new partition on my card.
If you are actually still at square one, with the same error messages, then I am completely out of suggestions. I can't even come up with different software which could do anything different than the software I've already suggested.
You could try running RMPrepUSB again, because if it does it's thing successfully, then I can't see why you're still at square one with the same error message.
Maybe give that a last try, and then I'll step aside and hopefully Keatah may have something which I've overlooked or maybe even something different to suggest.
Sorry to intrude on the thread. My suggestion to image the card is as far as I will advise here. After that one of four things will happen:
1- it will work and we can search through it for images.
2- it will not work, and the user will continue to trying things till the data gets damaged beyond even a pro's capability.
3- they give up and put it aside till they can afford a pro service.
4- they get lucky and come across a magic program that does what no others do, and get the pictures back that way.
Typically #2 is what happens. I see this all the time. Other fixes I have in mind are too tedious to conduct through a message forum.
One thing, though, years ago, I remember an SD card I had, the write-protect switch was flaky, it had no indentation, and it would disengage/re-engage as the card was inserted and removed from the slot! A piece of tape fixed that problem, but it itself got jammed in the reader and we had to use tweezers to get that out. And just because the WP switch is in one position doesn't mean that's what the controller sees. It could be a defective switch, or a wire/trace from the switch to the controller.
I personally think the advice given in msg. #2 was good enough. After that, you'd typically try imaging. Failing that then hands-on by a professional service. I only hope all the messing around (which we all do when fixing stuff) hasn't borked the data.
I now leave the thread to you, PM me if there are specific questions anyone needs answered. Good day.
You weren't intruding at all Keatah, but I got the feeling help890 was trying to follow two lines of advice at the same time, and I did try to make the point as politely as I could without it being taken the wrong way
All contributions to any thread are welcome and appreciated, but it does get confusing for someone not too experienced with computers when he's getting more than one suggestion at the same time.
Your "good day" sounds like you have taken it the wrong way, and I'm sorry about that, as it wasn't my intention.
Oh not at all. Subtleties in internet conversations are always easy to mis-interpret.
Hi, I have tried the RMPrepUSB again and it still says that it has completed successfully. Tried formatting...still saying windows cannot format. Tried PhotoRec and still not finding any files. Really thought that this might have worked!
I'd like to thanks DennisD for all your hard work in trying to help me recover my photos! I was at a total loss, at least I have now tried to get the photos back!
@Keatah sorry I have not tried imaging yet, but thankyou for the advice and I will now be looking into trying this.
was wondering why this product cannot read corrupted usb drive yet other software can? thanks
Hi, I have tried the RMPrepUSB again and it still says that it has completed successfully. Tried formatting...still saying windows cannot format. Tried PhotoRec and still not finding any files. Really thought that this might have worked!
I'd like to thanks DennisD for all your hard work in trying to help me recover my photos! I was at a total loss, at least I have now tried to get the photos back!
@Keatah sorry I have not tried imaging yet, but thankyou for the advice and I will now be looking into trying this.
Good luck with that help890, and if I can come up with something new, then I will. Imaging may get the same fail result, but after using RMPrepUSB, you never know.
Just one final question. Your card does display a drive letter, doesn't it?
You've never actually confirmed that.
If it doesn't, and you don't know how to give it one, then post back and I'll guide you through how to do it.
I'm guessing it does, otherwise Windows would probably not display it in "My Computer". Although iIt would still show up in partitioning software like MiniTools.
was wondering why this product cannot read corrupted usb drive yet other software can? thanks
please start your own thread so you don't add confusion to this thread