I believe Dennis had covered pretty much all the stuff I would have done from the get go. Why not wrap up by checking the drive letter as described in #59.. And then give imaging a try.
If you are able to capture an image of the card onto your hard disk, I would expect it to be 4,000,000,000 bytes 4GB more or less. If you get this monster-sized file then we're in business! We can tear into the file see about picking the pictures out that way. There are programs that do this for you. Some are freeware, some are payware.
If imaging fails, then it will be professional-service time, if you chose to go that route.
@Keatah I have tried the imaging instructions that you gave. I went through all the options one by one and it came back with the error message 'Error 1 Bad user parameter returned by RMPARTUSB.
When I click ok on the final option, the command prompt style box appears with a message saying 'Number of sectors to copy parameter (0) invalid. Drive/file may not have valid partition structure?' I then click ok and the command prompt style box closes, It's then when I get the 'Error 1 Bad user parameter returned by RMPARTUSB.' message
Typically the default values are what you go with. If you've done that, then it tells me the controller chip is not reporting drive geometry correctly, or the amount of sectors we're asking RMPrepUSB to image is not matching what the controller says is available and is able to access. Yep. The two can be different in a failed card scenario.
If it's not a problem, perhaps you can post screen shots showing what you're doing? If you want to go through the trouble..
Personally, myself, I'd start using pro-level tools. We're at the base of a steep learning curve right about now. This is were controller chip numbers and firmware versions come into play. All sorts of good stuff. It is also important to do a physical analysis to see if there is a hardware fail. Or perhaps all that need be done is a partition table edit.
We just don't know without further examination.
I'm not spamming or trying to sell you on a pro-service. That's what it's going to take. If I had the time I'd offer to do it for free; as I often do for locals in my town.
But then again this is the internet and anything can happen. Perhaps someone will read this thread, somehow, and really have a magic bullet for you!
It has been my experience that a partition flip is what causes these smaller partition sizes, & also that nothing will work until you flip it back via manufacturer utility.
If the partition has been corrupted, these steps may work, but when the partition flips, it is not the result of partition corruption, but rather that the smaller partition has become default, while the larger partition containing your data has become hidden.
Once you have flipped it back, it will show the correct size & may need to be formatted since it will likely show the partition as blank & raw.
You should be able to recover the data so long as you avoid long format & wiping the drive.
Until then, your just wasting your time trying to recover data from the smaller partition, since this is not where your data is in the first place.
What freeware would you recommend to examine and determine if this partition flip is the cause? And what would you use to flip it back?
I often use pro level tools and these are costly, thus not an option here. And even some consumer-level utilities go for $100.00. This is fast approaching the price of $150.00 for a professional 4GB SD recovery job. So you've got diminishing returns. I always tell people that they should skip a cup of coffee and save that $3.00, in 2 months they'll have the service fee covered with change to spare!
So you're thinking that by flipping the "removable/fixed" field bit , that would allow access to the other partitions? Or allow a utility to access the entire range of sectors. Mmm-hmm - I can see that. I tried looking through google a bit, but didn't find anything for a Sandisk 4GB SDHC card, which is what we were working with here.
Thanks for your suggestions, I'm not really willing to pay a fortune for programs that might not work! any freeware recommendations for 'flipping back the partition' would be appreciated, thanks
A partition flip is what the latter part of post # 39 is about.
An excerpt from section 5 of the "Installing and using the MP (Mass Production) Tool for the UT165 V1.65.30.0" section ...
Click on the F1 Setting button and set the correct values in all fields under the Vendor Data tab to match those reported by ChipGenius. Note that in here you can also set the Disk Type as either Fixed or Removable. This means that if the Lexar BootIt.exe 'bit flip' utility does not work on your particular flash drive, you can permanently program the bit here.
A tool dedicated to the make and specification of the card seems to be the right way to go rather than try with the "universal" one mentioned above, but finding that tool is as you guys know, very difficult. Getting the info which ChipGenius (free) supplies helps.
But as I said to help890, look at it, but consider it carefully.
Scanning the card with ChipGenius won't do any harm as it scans only, and may provide sufficient information to embark on a hunt for a free dedicated tool. And if you're like me, you'll enjoy the challenge. In fact I'd be happy to go on a hunt for such an elusive beastie.
So you're thinking that by flipping the "removable/fixed" field bit , that would allow access to the other partitions? Or allow a utility to access the entire range of sectors. Mmm-hmm - I can see that. I tried looking through google a bit, but didn't find anything for a Sandisk 4GB SDHC card, which is what we were working with here.
Yes, it took me a few hours looking for the Maxell utility at first, & a bit of reading. But once I located it, it worked a champ!
I spent about 1/2 hour looking for a sandisk utility, no luck. I've friends with alot of sandisk cards. And I can't really give out my pro-level utilities, so a freeware tool would be nice to have at the ready. If there is a sandisk utility available I should think it be easier to find.