Bench work · memory cards and cameras
When you delete a folder, only the folder's index entry is removed. When you format a memory card in the camera, a new blank index is created over the previous index. There are many cases when cards won't read in the camera body but will read perfectly well on a lab bench. The frames remain in their original location until new data is written on top of them. This page describes what a free download actually finishes, why a 50MB RAW image may weigh 5MB, and how frames are completely restored. Cards, external drives and the drives out of computers, from Hull and the East Riding. We don't take phones.
An engineer will take the details
0800 6890668
| What you see | What the fault is | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| You deleted the wrong folder | Only the index entry was cleared; the image itself remains at its original location on the card and continues to be viewable until new images are written to that same area of memory. | Remove it from your camera and safely store it. |
| Your card had been formatted within your camera | A blank index is placed over the old one; usually the frames underneath remain intact. | You've got good chances if you didn't take any more shots. |
| ‘Memory card error’, with a prompt to format | Index corruption occurred; what's underneath is probably unharmed. | Always decline when asked about formatting your card. |
| All files returned but none would open. | It looks like what you have are screen preview JPEG images, or fragments of the beginning part of each frame. | There's a very high chance those entire frames are still intact. |
| Coloured bands running through a RAW image, or grey tones appearing lower down. | Each frame most likely went down in separate runs, or parts of each frame have been overwritten. | Put back together the way the manufacturer intended |
| Video that will not load | 4K videos are split much more severely than photos | Merged based on correct frame boundaries |
Every piece of gear that shows up receives a case number on the very same day it arrives. An engineer examines it and determines what is really wrong with it and there is no charge for this. We give you straight language about which files we will be able to copy from the disk and which ones we won't be able to. Then we provide you with a single price quote, in writing, based upon these findings. We don't begin working on anything until you agree to the quoted price.
We create a bit-for-bit image of the entire card before we do anything else. Any work performed thereafter is done using that copy. We only ever read the card once, and never alter it.
If the table can be restored to its previous state, your files retain their original names, folder hierarchy, dates, etc. If it cannot, we perform carving. Each format is processed according to its unique specifications. Once carved, each complete RAW frame is rebuilt from the fragmented runs it was broken into. A thumbnail does not count as a result.
No job goes back before every single frame that has been recovered has been examined at 100%, viewed on a monitor, and verified. A number shown in a report doesn't mean anything. Viewing the frame on a monitor, fully sized, does.
You will not be charged while you think about this. First, you receive a list of everything that was recovered from the drive. Once you have seen the list and given us the go-ahead, the bill comes next. Files are returned to you on media purchased specifically for this job and we cover the return postage as well. Your job is kept open by us until you can view them on your personal computer.
Typically, what determines whether we can recover images is how much the card was used again after the incident occurred. If you remove the card immediately upon noticing something has gone wrong, you'll likely find yourself in a good position to recover your photos. On the other hand, if you continue using the card while taking additional exposures (i.e., new images), there's a high likelihood these new exposures will overwrite your lost images. Stopping immediately is always the best course of action for recovering your images.
The free app produced previews, but only 600 of them, and none large enough to print. The card hadn't seen use since the wedding, therefore we could easily make a duplicate of it. Then we reassembled each CR3 from the individual pieces that made up each image. All 640 images successfully returned at their correct print sizes.
It will work often enough on small JPEGs, from a card you put away at once. Video, RAW and other types are a different story. This type of tool counts anything they find, including any screen preview inside a frame. Thus your numbers look good, but your folder is full of rubbish. First image the card. Next decide how much one real file should weigh before you compare those numbers.
Nearly everything can be blamed on two things. Either the tool took the small screen JPG out of the RAW and left the rest behind or it only took the first chunk of a frame that had gone down in multiple places on the card. Either way, the sensor data usually went nowhere. Read according to the manufacturer's own layout, the frame comes back, unless something was written over that ground since.
Most likely not. All a camera does is write an empty file system on top of the pictures. The pictures remain underneath where they were always located. Store the card away now and the odds are good. Every shot that you take after this will cut into those!
No. Phones & tablets are not accepted in our lab, & we do not make exceptions. If the pictures were copied to a card, an external drive, or a computer, you need to call us first before sending the item(s) by post. Call for a quote or complete our quote form first! Then send the card, the external drive, or remove the hard drive from the computer & send it by post, tracked & insured to the Leeds intake lab. Or bring them in person (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, no appointment necessary). Keep your handset safe. Better you hear this now than after you have sent it.
Leave it off. There are only a few start attempts left in your failing drive and each attempt uses up a little more of what remains. Our complimentary diagnosis will determine what files are readable.