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Recover files from card with error
  • charlie_orozcocharlie_orozco

    Hi. I come to you to ask for help, because I feel very frustrated. I have two Sandisk Extreme 32GB 45MBps SDHC cards, and today I was trying to copy the video files of a shoot I had yesterday, and the card started disconnecting quite often (it was plugged into an external card reader). With various retryings I was able to copy only 6 out of 25 (11GB in total) before the card threw me an error message saying that the card needed formatting. I then got tired and decided to copy the files using the camera, but when I turned it on it told me that the camera needed formatting as well. This never happened to me. I became a little desperate and downloaded the program that the card comes from (it's a one year license code that allows you to download and use RescuePRO Deluxe). I used the program and it recoverd 15,000 M2TS video files, all of them a single frame for only the first two videos (or so it seemed) that weighed almost 30GB. I then formatted the card using the camera and tried again. I formatted many times (it's been 4 or 5 hours now) and the best I could get were the full first two videos, almost by chance, and the ones that matter are the 3 last ones... Now the program shows an error saying that it couldn't recover any files because maybe the formatting added 0 (zeros) instead of the old data, and so it may be lost. But when I try again it recovers more files. Although now they can't be read. Is it getting worse eveytime? Is there no way to recover the files? Can you recommend another program that could work for me? I need this data by the end of the week when the job is due, and I feel desperate. It's kind of a documentary, so I can't shoot this footage for a second time... If you can help me I'll be truly thankful. Best regards.

  • 6 Replies sorted by
  • RockHunterRockHunter

    I suggest Recuva. http://www.piriform.com/recuva. It's free and I've had good results using it.

  • mattherematthere

    This link might help...

    http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/3435/corrupted-video-files-#Item_1

    Good luck

  • charlie_orozcocharlie_orozco

    Thanks, guys. So far Recuva has yielded better results, since it has found JPEGs that RescuePRO didn't, but it has been disconnecting consistently so I haven't been able to do a full scan yet. I'm afraid that the card may be broken, after only 2 and a half months. Could that be possible? It costed me 90 dollars (that's the price when you add import taxes and such if you buy from Argentina) and it'd be a real pain if it was broken, not to mention I would forever fear that my other card could die at any moment and lose reliability for any job. It's making me a bit afraid already... If Recuva fails I will try Panasonic's program. I hope I don't lose the footage.

  • charlie_orozcocharlie_orozco

    image

    I got the videos back! After trying a lot with different programs, PhotoRec did the job! It took about 1.5 hours but it recovered all the videos (albeit a couple of them lost a few frames). I'm so relieved. Thanks @matthere, you led me to the answer to my problem.

    If any of you reading this loses any videos to a corrupted card or delete them by mistake, use PhotoRec: http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec It's open source, you can donate if you feel like it. I will certainly do that once I'm able to.

    The videos were recovered as M2TS with a long coded name (even though they originally have an MTS extension). I ran the program in my second (and older) computer where the card didn't spontaneously disconnect every five minutes (I guess the card reader doesn't like my main PC) and it scanned the whole card finding the lastest videos I shot as well as some I recorded last week (which were erased by me when I formatted the card after copying them to my PC and to get the card free for yesterdays shoot). They were scattered along 6 folders and many JPEGs were found as well. At first the videos I was worried about played as 1688x24 videos, so I was scared (and was hoping that they just neede remuxing to work fine) and then when I brought them to my main PC they played just fine, and I was able to even edit them as they were. No need to remux them into an MTS container.

    Summing up, this program works great, save yourself the drama if you have any problem with your files. You'll get them back with this free program. I'm still afraid about the card failing again, and losing 90 dollars just like that, but at least I got the shots back, and now I trust I'll be able to get them back if I ever have to suffer another card failing (here's to hope I never have to experience this crap).

    Thanks again @matthere and @RockHunter! Best regards.

    PROBLEM SOLVED!.gif
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  • RockHunterRockHunter

    You are welcome and thank you for letting us know about PhotoRec because I've not heard of it before.

  • mattherematthere

    Glad to help :)

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