Hervin Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I just ran a deep scan of all my photo files and Recuva detected all of them, However I am unable to open any of them. When I do I get the following error message: "The volume of the file has been externally altered so that the open file is no longer valid." I was transfererring files from my laptop to my cell phone when the data cable fell out during the transfer. As a result I have now lost over 2.gbs of pics!!! Recuva has located all the files but I cannot open or view them. Have I lost all of my files never to see them again? It's safe to say I'm pretty devestated. Help please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Augeas Posted November 28, 2011 Moderators Share Posted November 28, 2011 There are lots of hits for this error on Google, have a look and see if any apply. You were cutting and pasting from your laptop to your phone? You're runnig Recuva on the laptop? Where are you recovering the files to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hervin Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 Thanks for getting back to me. At the time I was only attempting to transfer three videos from my laptop whe this happened. I'm using Recuva on my laptop and I attempted to extract the files to a folder shortcut on my desktop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan_B Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I was transfererring files from my laptop to my cell phone when the data cable fell out during the transfer. As a result I have now lost over 2.gbs of pics!!! The loss is the direct result of your own error if you chose to Cut and Paste or to using Windows to MOVE the files. Exactly what were you using and how were you using it. Such information could affect what advice is relevant. For the future, the tool TeraCopy is vastly superior product which ensures checksum validation of the copy BEFORE it deletes the original Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hervin Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 I had my data cable plugged into my cell and lap top. I did drag four .wmv files to my sdcard downloads folder from my desktop. We had a brief power outage and when I looked at my phone I noticed the files were now missing. I have never had this problem before. But it was when the transfer was interrupted that the problem occurred. I also did a search on the error message "The volume of the file has been externally altered so that the open file is no longer valid" and the info I got was even further confusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan_B Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Drag and Drop can be modified by Alt and Ctrl keys etc to only Copy or to Move = "Copy from Source to Destination and then Delete Source" Which did you attempt ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hervin Posted December 2, 2011 Author Share Posted December 2, 2011 I'm getting more confused. I only dragged and dropped four files from windows to my device. Would dragging four files really be responsible for wiping my whole as card clean of all files? I have transferred files countless numbers of times without ever having this problem. In fact i've been doing this method for years. The files were deleted somehow when they power outrage occurred not because I was incorrectly transferring files from windows. On most cell phones you have to unmount your sd card for safe removal. Well that didn't happen because of the shut down. My question still is their a way to recover at least some of my files our are they lost forever? Googling that error code only got more confused as I am no computer programmer to know how to use the command prompts correctly. Should the files found been restored to the Sd card directly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan_B Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I only dragged and dropped four files from windows to my device. That is new information that should have been in the first post. A DEFAULT drag-n-drop should NOT delete the original when the destination drive/partition is NOT the source device. A MODIFIED drag-n-drop will delete the original regardless of the accuracy of the copy - even if the error is a cable break. An answer to my last question would be relevant to those four files. The copy/move/transfer mode may also be relevant to the consequences that occurred to all the other files. Thanks for getting back to me. At the time I was only attempting to transfer three videos from my laptop whe this happened. I'm using Recuva on my laptop and I attempted to extract the files to a folder shortcut on my desktop. Recuva is EXECUTING from the Laptop Recuve is EXTRACTING from - the laptop or the Phone ? Personally I would not dream of sending my only hope of a recovered file through any reparse point or desktop shortcut. Your first post implied you had 2 GB of pics on the laptop that you were transferring to the phone. Specifically how much pics were on the laptop ? Do you still have any copies on the laptop ? Should the files found been restored to the Sd card directly? NEVER For every photo you recover you are likely to over-write those that are pending recovery, and thus destroy the last half of one and the first half of the other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hervin Posted December 2, 2011 Author Share Posted December 2, 2011 Actually that's not new information. If you scroll down you will see where I stated in my second post the number of files I was transferring. ;-) I made no attempt to drag any files from my phone to my desktop. I dragged the four files from my PC to my as card. I never uploaded any files from phone to my computer. As you stated it was a default drag and drop. AT&T said my device automatically did a reset of my device when it shut down. Therefore everything was wiped out. Also I was running recova from my laptop. I also have no copies of my pics on my laptop. If I did I wouldn't be so concerned about recovering my files. All the pics lost were only stored and taken on my phone card. I have lost 784 images. I created a new folder on my hard drive and attempted to recover my files into the newly created folder. Recuva is executing from the Laptop. Recuva is extracting from the Phone. Hope this info helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan_B Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Actually that's not new information. If you scroll down you will see where I stated in my second post the number of files I was transferring. ;-) Wrong. You should have put ACCURATE information in your FIRST post. It wastes everyone's time having to search for correct information. Your SECOND post stated "At the time I was only attempting to transfer THREE videos from my laptop" Your FOURTH post is what I quoted as NEW information "I only dragged and dropped FOUR files from windows to my device." Shall we agree the correct number is Four files ? You also said "I have transferred files countless numbers of times without ever having this problem." Is it possible that many of your lost 784 images are part of that countless number ? If so it was possible that although the PC originals may have been deleted, they could still be available for Recuva to retrieve from your P.C. Unfortunately that possibility is destroyed by your 5th post where you now say All the pics lost were only stored and taken on my phone card AT&T said my device automatically did a reset of my device when it shut down. Therefore everything was wiped out. It is disgusting that AT&T sell a device with such a catastrophic failure mode in the frequent situation of a cable disconnect. You should Name and Shame the product. Perhaps many will join and you might get a Class Action lawyer to jump on the wagon. I would certainly look for a refund of all payments plus a charge for my time and labour if my Video Recorder deleted all earlier recordings when a SCART lead fell out. I created a new folder on my hard drive and attempted to recover my files into the newly created folder. My son works in I.T. supporting all the servers, computers, and student laptops in a college and I trust his advice that a folder holding files is at greater risk of total loss when it sits naked on the desktop. It is safer to NOT put the folder where it with contents are always exposed and vulnerable to a select and delete. Use desktop links to individual files. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators DennisD Posted December 2, 2011 Moderators Share Posted December 2, 2011 What appeared to start out as a straightforward request by someone who admits to not being a computer expert has turned into a thread which has my head spinning, and is enough to chase even the most resolute folk away. And I have to be honest and say berating a poster about the mistakes he's made either in the losing of his data or in the manner in which he's presented the problem in his thread achieves absolutely nothing. We all c**k up sometimes when posting even after doing it thousands of times, which is why I really don't like seeing threads like this. We all c**k up our computers as well occasionally. A lot of leeway and some helpful coaxing and questioning should be the approach to someone already feeling bad about their loss, and who may also be nervous about posting questions on a forum. I've no doubt that can be quite daunting to many. ----------------------- Hervin, I may not be able to offer any positive way of retrieving your files, but for me and others who may wish to help and as of yet haven't contributed, would you mind laying down as clearly as you can exactly what happened to lose your files. And how the three locations figure exactly. The three locations being your phone, your laptop and your desktop. I do have a vague idea, but I would appreciate it if you could lay it down as clearly and concisely as you can. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan_B Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I am sorry - I did not set out to berate him for his accident, but merely to correct him when he refuted my statement that the latest and different information (4 files) was not NEW information. Otherwise I was merely pointing out that most of his replies have contradicted either his previous statements or my interpretations of statements and omissions therein, and that clear and accurate information from him would aid understanding of optimum attempts to recover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators hazelnut Posted December 3, 2011 Moderators Share Posted December 3, 2011 I am sorry - I did not set out to berate him for his accident, but merely to correct him when he refuted my statement that the latest and different information (4 files) was not NEW information. Otherwise I was merely pointing out that most of his replies have contradicted either his previous statements or my interpretations of statements and omissions therein, and that clear and accurate information from him would aid understanding of optimum attempts to recover Alan when new members post our main aim is to help them, NOT to verbally punish them for not posting in ''Alan Format'' As Dennis said, most new posters are upset at their loss and confused about recovery, they do not need to be told off by you for not phrasing their posts in a certain way that is acceptable to you. Support contact https://support.ccleaner.com/s/contact-form?language=en_US&form=general or support@ccleaner.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan_B Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Alan when new members post our main aim is to help them, NOT to verbally punish them for not posting in ''Alan Format'' As Dennis said, most new posters are upset at their loss and confused about recovery, they do not need to be told off by you for not phrasing their posts in a certain way that is acceptable to you. I was not punishing him for posting in the wrong format. I was objecting to his lie. He was wrong when repudiated my statement that FOUR files was new information that had not been disclosed prior to his post which I quoted. I am accustomed to dealing with information that is spread out over many posts, and can even cope with new information that contradicts assumptions I made due to ABSENCE of information, but I do get frustrated when every new morsel of information seems to contradict previous statements. Sorry that I was tactless but I was unable to focus due to raging toothache and a sleepless night. I am happier now that after 3 days of Penicillin and maximum permitted 8 hour dosages of Ibuprofen plus Paracetamol the Abscess is now under control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan_B Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 AT&T said my device automatically did a reset of my device when it shut down. Therefore everything was wiped out. Perhaps they really did mean Wipe, which could make a difference. My experience with Flash devices some years ago was that a bulk erase was a very quick and easy way to remove all data simultaneously by waggling the odd control line. Perhaps AT&T include such a wipe, or even a DOD 35 pass wipe, as a facility so a customer can sell his phone without publishing photos. It might also be a requirement for Government contracts to protect secrets should an enemy capture a phone. Perhaps there is a circuit design defect that accidentally triggers a bulk erase if an unexpected disconnection occurs. The model identity of your AT&T phone means nothing to me, but it might guide experts here if you identify the specific model. Also the latest Recuva has better capability with Windows 8. I do not know how it compares between XP and Windows 7. If you advise the operating systems of both Laptop and Desktop the experts here might advise on the best platform for executing Recuva. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hervin Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 (edited) To all those who have offered to now help thank you! I will try to explain as clearly as I can what happened. I had my data cable plugged into my laptop and was attempting to drag and copy four .wmv files from my download folder (not on my desktop) to my sd card. During the transfer process my friend tripped over a cord and i the process unplugged the power cable from my laptop along with the data cable. My laptop shut down and my phone still remained on. When I plugged the data cable back into the laptop once the computer rebooted, I noticed my memory card was now missing over 2gbs of files. I then looked in my sd card folders and realized all my pics were now gone. Further investigation revealed all non-system files were wiped out as well. At time of the disconnection of the cables their were files being transferred to my card. When I used Recuva to try and recover my files I ran the program from my laptop to recover files from my sd card. Recuva found all of the files but could only recover 20 of them successfully. Edited December 3, 2011 by DennisD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Augeas Posted December 3, 2011 Moderators Share Posted December 3, 2011 To pull this thread back on track I think that it's best that you stand to one side, Alan. Then we'll see if Hervin's problem can be resolved. Any further sniff of bickering and the thread will be closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators DennisD Posted December 3, 2011 Moderators Share Posted December 3, 2011 To clean this thread up I've removed posts and edited posts, and if anyone objects to that, pm me. Hervin, I'm really sorry about your family loss, but having that information on an open forum leaves it open to maybe negative and unwanted replies from anyone who cares to make them. For that reason I decided it best to keep that information private, and edited your post accordingly. I'll do a bit of research about your problem as will others I'm sure, and I'll post back when I find something that may help. In the meantime, have you at any time had copies of all the photographs lost actually on your laptop or desktop? Although they may have been deleted after a successful transfer to your card, there may be some mileage in scanning for them. A long shot, but I've nothing else at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators DennisD Posted December 4, 2011 Moderators Share Posted December 4, 2011 Hervin, you say you were transferring the files from your laptop to your phone, and you also mention a card. Is this a removable card which you could plug directly into a card reader? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hervin Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Yes Dennis. I was transferring files to the removable sd card in my phone. As foot my photos they were only stored on my sd card and not my actual laptop/desktop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators DennisD Posted December 7, 2011 Moderators Share Posted December 7, 2011 I ask about the card because I've been looking recently at different ways to access data from drives which are inaccessible because of corrupt files or file systems. An SD card is simply another type of flash drive, and I've been doing some testing by writing new Partition Boot Records to a 32MB SD card which came with my camera, and so far it's still working as it should. After doing a little reading, I believe the error you experience could possibly be caused by a single corrupt file or a corruption of the bootsector/partition table. This may be the case because you haven't physically deleted all the files or formatted the SD card. I emphasise "possibly" because there's no way to know exactly the state of the card, and I don't want to raise false hopes. I'm a long way from being an expert in this, so I've been going down the road of finding a way to make a back up of the drive involved first, before looking at ways to carry out a repair to it, so if you want to give this a try I'm happy to guide you through it. The first thing I would like to know is do you have a card reader on your laptop or desktop, and have you tried plugging the card into it as opposed to having your phone connected via cable? If so does Windows recognize it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hervin Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 Sorry for the late response I've been on vacation. Let me start off by saying thank you so much for your time and research. Out is much appreciated! And yes, I have a separate card reader and windows does detect the card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators DennisD Posted December 21, 2011 Moderators Share Posted December 21, 2011 Hi Hervin. No worries about the late response. Bare in mind that it's possible the files on the card may be beyond recovering, but I think it's worth trying something different which may or may not yield positive results. Firstly, plug your card into the computer, and see if you can make a back up "Image" of it with a freeware utility called "USB Image Tool". http://dottech.org/f...usb-image-tool/ I've done this with my own camera cards, and it works fine with a non corrupt card, and hopefully it will work with yours as windows recognizes it. Then post back, but no hurry with it. EDIT: Make sure you save it as a .img file, for example card.img. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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