A memory card can fail in its file system, at the contacts, in the controller, or in the NAND itself — corrupting, demanding a format, snapping, or just going silent. We pull photos, videos and files back from SD, microSD and CompactFlash of every make, from a corrupt directory through to a snapped monolithic card read chip-off.
$ bdr diagnose /dev/sdb → Device: SanDisk Extreme · 128 GB SDXC → Status: CORRUPT — card asks to be formatted → Client: confidential · Guildford, Surrey $ bdr engineer-working → Read-only image: taken · card untouched → File system: rebuilt from image → Photos + video: carved · CR3 + MP4 $ bdr verify → ✓ RAW photos — 2,140 files → ✓ video clips — 318 files → ✓ card recovered — memories back
The moment a camera, phone or computer calls the card corrupt, asks to format it, or throws an error, set it aside — no formatting, no more photos. Each fresh write can land on top of the photos and videos still on the card. Skip repair tools and chkdsk, and if a microSD has snapped, hold on to both halves. The earlier the card is put down, the more comes back.
From a card abruptly demanding a format to a microSD snapped in two, these are the memory-card failures we see most — corruption, failed contacts, controller faults, worn NAND, and an accidental format.
Every make and type of card is in scope — SD, microSD and CompactFlash, standard and monolithic, current or long discontinued. What’s inside — the controller and NAND — decides recoverability, not the label.
microSD, microSDHC and microSDXC · SD, SDHC and SDXC · CompactFlash, CFexpress, CFast, XQD · Memory Stick · MMC and xD cards · out of cameras, phones, drones, dashcams and CCTV.
When a card won’t show up, we repair the contacts or sidestep the controller to get at the memory within.
Tell us what went wrong — corrupt, not reading, snapped, formatted by mistake — and an engineer pins down the fault and returns a written quote, usually within 48 hours.
If the card still reads, a read-only image is taken straight away, so your original is never written to and recovery works off the copy.
Where the card won’t be detected, we repair the contacts or bypass the controller to get at the memory inside.
A dead, snapped or monolithic card has its internal contacts exposed, or the chip lifted, so the NAND flash reads directly, then we undo the ECC and scrambling to rebuild the image.
The file system is rebuilt from the image and your files extracted; where the structure has gone, we carve the photos and videos out by signature.
Recovered photos and videos are checked to actually open, and the files confirmed complete, before anything is returned.
Your data comes back verified on a fresh drive, or by secure download for jobs up to 75GB.
Any make of card — SanDisk, Samsung, Lexar and the rest — recovered by rebuilding corrupt cards and reading the NAND head-on.
Tell us what happened and we’ll get back to you, usually within a working day.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 01483 901310.
A single fixed price to recover one memory card — after a free diagnostic and a written quote, before any work begins.
A sample of recent memory-card jobs spanning corruption, contact, controller and NAND faults. Identifying details stripped; every result checked.
The card was physically sound; the file system had corrupted mid-write. We imaged read-only and rebuilt the directory, recovering the full shoot.
Being monolithic, the snapped microSD had no board to mend. We found the internal contacts, read the NAND directly, and reconstructed the photos.
A failed controller had left the card undetected. We bypassed it to reach the memory, then imaged the flash.
Two years of loop recording had worn the NAND. We read the flash gently, re-read weak pages, and carved the footage from the image.
Water had corroded the contacts, though the memory survived. We cleaned the card, restored the contacts, and read the NAND.
The format had cleared the file-system entries, not the photos. We imaged the card and carved the images back by signature.
Send the card in for its free diagnostic with a brief note on what happened; an engineer evaluates it and confirms the exact quote in writing before any work starts.
Getting your data back starts with getting the card to us. Pack it safely, enclose your contact details, and once we've run the free diagnostic we confirm your exact quote in writing before any work begins.
Posting it? A tracked, insured service is what we’d recommend. Rather drop it in? You’re welcome Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm — just package the device up as above first.
Need a scoped quote first? Describe the card and fault on the form and an engineer will assess it and reply with a tailored quote.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 01483 901310.
The technical questions we get most about failed memory cards.
Usually. A corrupt card is most often a damaged file system rather than lost photos — we image the card read-only and rebuild the directory, or carve the images out by signature where the structure has gone.
Often. A card that isn’t recognised has failed contacts, a dead controller, or corrupt firmware. We repair the contacts or bypass the controller to reach the NAND, then image it.
Yes. Most microSD are monolithic — controller and NAND in one sealed chip — so there’s no board to mend; we expose the internal contacts, read the flash directly, and reconstruct the photos.
Usually not. A standard format clears the file-system entries, not the underlying data, so stop using the card immediately and we can generally recover the photos by rebuilding or carving them.
A single memory card is a flat £250 + VAT, opening with a free diagnostic and a written quote. Chip-off or contact-level work takes a 50% deposit with the balance on success — so most jobs stay no fix, no fee.
On most jobs, yes. Chip-off and contact-level recoveries take a 50% deposit and the balance only falls due on success, so an unrecoverable card never runs up the full fee.
Every make and type — Samsung, SanDisk, Lexar, Kingston, Sony, PNY and the rest, across SD, microSD, CompactFlash, CFexpress, XQD and Memory Stick formats. Because we work at NAND level, the brand rarely shifts recoverability.
A locked SD card is usually just the physical write-protect switch or a soft flag — the data is intact. We read the card read-only anyway, so a lock doesn’t block recovery.
Not on a failing card. Recovery software keeps the card powered and writing, which can overwrite photos or finish off a weak card. If it matters, stop now and let us image it first.
Most card recoveries finish inside a few working days. Chip-off and heavily worn NAND take longer, depending on the card and the state of the flash.
Drop it at our Guildford unit, Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm, or post it in a small padded envelope — well protected, with your contact details enclosed.
Free diagnostic, a flat £250 + VAT per card, no fix no fee on most jobs, and SD, microSD and CF cards of every make recovered, photos and videos alike. Start your recovery today.