Data Recovery ProA card described as corrupted usually has a damaged file table, not damaged photos. Don't format or repair it; scan it read-only and recover the photos first.
Cards get corrupted when they're pulled out mid-write, when a camera's battery dies, or simply with age. The symptoms are the same: the card asks to be formatted, shows the wrong size, shows empty folders or files with garbled names, or the camera says card error.
Data Recovery Pro reads the card block by block, read-only. If the file table is partly readable, the quick scan uses it; the deep scan then finds photos, videos and documents by their signatures regardless.
What to expect
| What happened | Chance |
|---|---|
| Asks to be formatted | Good |
| Empty folders or garbled names | Good |
| Card error in the camera | Varies |
| Not seen by any computer | None for software; a lab may help |
The ratings are a rough guide. We haven't measured recovery rates.
Recover them in four steps
- Stop using the card or driveDon't take more photos, copy files to it or format it. Every new file can overwrite one you want back.
- Connect it to your computer and open Data Recovery ProUse a card slot or a USB reader. If your computer offers to format or initialise the card, click Cancel or Ignore. Data Recovery Pro asks for permission so it can read the card directly.
- Scan and previewThe quick scan takes seconds; the deep scan reads every block. Files appear as they are found, each marked intact, partly damaged or not checked, so you see what can be recovered before you decide.
- Recover to your computerChoose the files you want and save them to a folder on your computer or another drive, never back to the card. You only pay if you choose to recover more than the free allowance.
Questions
Can it fix the card?
No. It never writes to the card. Once your photos are safe, format the card in the camera, or replace it if it keeps failing.
The scan is very slow.
Damaged areas take longer to read. Leave it running; you can pause and resume later. More on slow scans.
Will every file come back perfectly?
Most come back exactly as they were, but no one can promise every file. If part of a file was overwritten, Data Recovery Pro recovers what is left and marks it partly damaged. It doesn't repair files. Anything fully overwritten can't be recovered by any software.