All photos gone off camera

philjayj · 15 Oct 2008 at 18:19

Hello all. My mate is away in Florida, and she has taken over 800 photos. She's text me saying the camera has messed up (how I don't know) and all the pictures have gone.

Whats the best way to try and recover them?

Many thanks

Pho · 15 Oct 2008 at 18:23

Firstly, don't try and use the card in the camera at all. Use a card reader and something like Recuva to recover the files (you may need to do a deep scan)

Twentymac · 15 Oct 2008 at 18:23

Unfortunately mate if there not showing up on the camera . I'd have to say that there completely gone and there's no way of getting them back !

jaybee · 15 Oct 2008 at 18:24

Gone as in, the CF card is empty? What about when you read it in a card reader rather than the camera? I agree, tell her to stop using it and dont try to take any more pics or write any new data to it. Get some recovery software and try to recover it.

33L · 15 Oct 2008 at 18:56

agreed the adta can probalby recovered for not a lot.
jsut advise to get a new card and try that! tell her to format it in the camera (thte new card that is)

philjayj · 15 Oct 2008 at 19:03

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, I'll try Recuva out when she gets home.

Tooks · 15 Oct 2008 at 22:00

Sandisk Rescue Pro is another good file recovery tool.

I got a second hand CF card in a camera I purchased recently, and I was amazed what it found!

I've got about 8 cd copies with licences kicking about here, so if you need one for your friend, drop me an email via trust and I'll pop one in the post for you FOC...

It will be most unusual if they're completely gone, and usually most of the pics can be recovered.

A.N.Other · 15 Oct 2008 at 22:29

Twentymac said:
Unfortunately mate if there not showing up on the camera . I'd have to say that there completely gone and there's no way of getting them back !

Probably the opposite as long as she hasn't written over them. I put some links to recovery software in the sticky

-RV- · 16 Oct 2008 at 12:38

Twentymac said:
Unfortunately mate if there not showing up on the camera . I'd have to say that there completely gone and there's no way of getting them back !

Seriously bad advice ! Ignore it

deshepherd · 16 Oct 2008 at 13:36

Pho said:
Firstly, don't try and use the card in the camera at all. Use a card reader and something like Recuva to recover the files (you may need to do a deep scan)

I'd agree ... unless the camera has started to overwrite the images then they should still be there. I think camera card use what amounts to the old FAT filesystem so deleting a file is (I think) initially just a matter of altering one bit in a directory entry and adding the sectors used to the free list. At this point it should be possible to recover everything (anyone remember Norton Undelete!) without too much problem. The more that has happened past the point of deletion then the more likely it will be that freed sectors may have been reused, directory entries replaced etc.

Anyway, been there when my son who was then 10 distraughtly announced while deleting pictures from his new camera he'd accidentally selected "delete all" instead of "delete" ... quick research on web provided various undelete tools and managed to recover all the pics!

philjayj · 17 Oct 2008 at 17:56

Hello, thanks for all your help. I've attached the camera to my PC, but when viewing the camera in My Computer, it doesn't show as a drive letter. How can I give it a drive letter?

Tooks · 17 Oct 2008 at 18:19

You may need drivers depending on the camera.

Can you not put the memory card in a card reader?

A.N.Other · 17 Oct 2008 at 19:29

You're more than likely going to need a card reader. A well-known catalogue store has some cheap ones or just get one online.

postmanfw · 17 Oct 2008 at 20:02

If its an sd card you can get usb card readers dirt cheap at auction.

First post of call will need to be the manufactures site to get camera drivers.

As previously said ...you have a very good chance of getting them all back using recovery software...ignore that advice that said otherwise

benneh · 17 Oct 2008 at 21:45

You'll definitely need a card reader. Whatever you do don't write anything to, or add anything to the card until after you've recovered the images. Get hold of a copy of Sandisk data recovery (I forget the exact name) and set to task, carefully.