A card that will not mount, appears empty, or is not recognised by any device is not always dead; however, the cause matters, since it determines what you should (and shouldn’t) do next. The possible causes range from a faulty reader to a corrupted file system to a counterfeit card. Below is some guidance on how to identify which, and how to get your photos off a card that has stopped reading without making it worse.
Most cards that stop reading do so for a fixable reason, such as a bad reader, dirty contacts or a damaged file system, and the data stored on the card is still there. The key is to diagnose why it is no longer reading before you reformat it.
When a memory card won’t read, it is almost always one of a few things. The least complicated is the reader or slot in use: a worn card reader, a dirty USB port or a laptop slot that has stopped making contact. Another common cause is the card’s contacts, which may be bent, worn down or dirty so that the card does not seat properly. A third potential source of problems is file-system corruption, which usually occurs when a write is interrupted (removing the card mid-save, or the camera battery dying while writing data); the data is retained on the card, but the index is unreadable. Less often it is physical damage (a cracked or snapped card) or a counterfeit “fake capacity” card, which was doomed to fail once it filled up. Each points to a different next step.
Two minutes now could save you a recovery bill.
Before you assume the worst, test your memory card in a different card reader and a different computer, using a proper card reader instead of the camera, since camera slots and cables are a common point of failure. Have a careful look at the gold contacts and gently reseat the card; a wipe with a dry cloth can fix a grimy connection. If your card works in another machine, do not celebrate and carry on: copy your important files off it now, because a card that reads intermittently is warning you. If it still won’t show up anywhere, the problem is the card, and it is time to think about recovery rather than more attempts.
A card that mounts but appears empty, displays the wrong capacity or wants to be formatted has almost certainly suffered file-system corruption, and importantly, the photos usually remain on the card. The correct course of action is to read the card at a low level in a proper card reader and carve the files out past the damaged file system, saving them to a separate storage device. Windows’ chkdsk can sometimes repair the file system, but it could write over some of your existing data as it does, so only run it once your files have been copied off: the same principle behind recovering any formatted or reformatted media. If in doubt, do not experiment on the only copy; get a diagnostic.
If the card is physically damaged (cracked, snapped or put through the wash), or it turns out to be a counterfeit that reported far more storage space than actually existed, it becomes a job for the bench rather than a card reader. Physically damaged cards can often still be read by accessing the memory directly, and counterfeit cards can usually be recovered up to their real capacity. Either way, it begins with a free diagnostic, and a single memory card is from £250 +VAT. If the shots on it are irreplaceable, that is far better than another round of reinserting it and hoping.
There is usually one of a few possible causes: a faulty card reader or port, dirty or worn contacts, file-system corruption caused by an interrupted write, physical damage to the card, or a counterfeit fake-capacity card. The first three are often fixable, with the data intact; the last two require bench work. Trying the card in another reader tells you a lot before you go further.
If the card mounts on another reader, copy the photos off immediately. If the card appears empty or asks to be formatted, do not format it: the photos are usually still present and can be carved off by reading the card at a low level. If the card cannot be read on any device or is damaged, send it in for a free diagnostic rather than continuing to retry it.
Not if the data is important. A format request is asking to wipe the card, and while formatting may let you reuse the card, it will erase the photos stored on it. Recover your files first, and then format the card. If recovery software cannot see the card, get it diagnosed rather than formatting and hoping.
Not necessarily. Even with no recognition anywhere, the card may simply have worn contacts, physical damage or be a failed counterfeit, and in most of those cases the memory can still be read directly on the bench. A free diagnostic is worth having before you write the card off, especially if the images on it are irreplaceable.
Whatever the type of fault (corruption, physical damage or a fake-capacity card), recovery from a single memory card costs from £250 plus VAT. You get a free diagnostic and a fixed written quote before any chargeable work, and all the work is done in-house.
Do not reformat the card or keep reinserting it. Send the card to us and we will let you know what can be recovered before you spend anything, with a free diagnostic and a fixed written quote.