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In this article, Mytour will guide you on how to recover photos and data from a damaged memory card. It also provides additional instructions on reformatting the memory card if it can be repaired and reused.
Steps
Recover Data from the Card
Stop using the card immediately. If your camera displays messages like "Card Error," "Read Error," or similar, turn off the camera and remove the memory card. Continuing to use the card after receiving such notifications will reduce the chances of data recovery.
Find a data recovery program. Even if the card is completely damaged, there's still a chance to recover your data. Here are some popular free data recovery programs:
- Recuva - After selecting the drive (in this case, the SD card) and checking the "Photos" option, Recuva will handle everything automatically. Recommended for most users.
- CardRecovery - After a quick setup, CardRecovery will scan the SD card. Once the trial period ends, you'll need to pay to continue using the service.
- Photo Rec - This program has a minimal interface and requires knowledge of Command Prompt navigation, making it less recommended for beginners.
Download and install the chosen data recovery program. Typically, this process involves visiting the program's homepage, clicking the Download button, and double-clicking the downloaded file.
- The download button's location may vary. If you don't see it, try looking at the top or side of the page.
Connect the memory card to your computer. Most computers have a rectangular SD card slot labeled "SD," usually located on the side of laptops or on the CPU for desktops.
- If your computer or Mac lacks an SD card slot, you can purchase an SD card reader to connect via USB, costing around 200,000 VND.
- You may need to grant your computer permission to access the SD card before proceeding.
Open the data recovery program. The program will be installed in the location you selected during the previous step.
Follow the on-screen instructions. You'll need to select the memory card as the scan location and choose "Photos" in the recovery program's scan criteria before scanning the SD card.
- Once the scan is complete, most programs will offer options to organize or export all photos to a location of your choice (e.g., the desktop).
Repair Memory Card on Windows
Connect the memory card to your computer. You can use the long, flat SD card slot labeled "SD" integrated into your computer. Typically, this slot is located on the side of laptops or on the CPU case for desktops.
- If your computer or Mac doesn't have a memory card slot, you can purchase a card reader to connect via USB. Card readers cost less than 200,000 VND.
- You may need to grant your computer permission to access the memory card before proceeding.
Click on ⊞ Win. This button is located at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Type "My Computer" into the search bar. On Windows 8 and 10, "My Computer" is referred to as "This PC" or "My PC," but typing "My Computer" will redirect your search to the default version of My Computer.
Press the ↵ Enter key. This action opens the This PC window.
Check the "Devices and drives" section. This section is located near the bottom of the "This PC" window. Here, you'll see the "OS (C:)" drive (the main drive) and other connected drives, one of which is your memory card.
- If you're unsure which drive is the memory card, keep this window open and remove the card to see which drive disappears. Remember to reinsert the card before proceeding.
Remember the drive name. The default drive is "C," so your memory card will be assigned a different letter.
Hold the ⊞ Win key and press X. This opens the Windows quick access menu via the Start button at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
- You can also right-click the Start button to open this menu.
Click on Command Prompt (Admin). This opens the Command Prompt, allowing you to format the memory card.
- You must have administrator privileges to perform this action.
Type chkdsk m:/r into Command Prompt. Replace "m:" with the letter corresponding to your memory card's drive (e.g., "e:"). The "chkdsk" function will check the selected drive for errors and repair any damaged sections.
- There should be only one space between "m:" and "/r".
Press the ↵ Enter key. This initiates the checking process. If Command Prompt identifies any issues that need fixing, it will attempt to repair them if possible.
- If Command Prompt requests permission to proceed, press Enter.
- You might see the message "Cannot open volume for direct access" after pressing Enter. If this error appears, your memory card doesn't need formatting (it's not damaged) or cannot be repaired further.
- In some cases, the "Cannot open volume for direct access" error occurs because your antivirus software is blocking the formatting process. Try disabling the antivirus temporarily while formatting the drive to see if it resolves the issue.
Eject the SD card. Once the process is complete, you can safely remove the memory card from your computer and reinsert it into your camera.
Repair Memory Card on Mac
Connect the memory card to your Mac. You may need to purchase an SD card reader since not all Macs come with a built-in card slot.
- If your Mac has a card slot, it will be located on the side of the laptop or at the back of the CPU for desktops. Sometimes, the card slot is on the side of the keyboard for certain desktop models.
- Some devices require you to enable USB drives through settings before the computer recognizes them.
Open Finder on your Mac. It's the blue face icon located on the system tray.
Double-click on Go. It's located on the toolbar at the top of the screen.
Double-click on Utilities. This opens the Utilities folder, where you can run Disk Utility.
- Alternatively, you can hold ⇧ Shift and ⌘ Command and press U to open Utilities.
Double-click on Disk Utility. The app resembles a gray disk icon with a stethoscope on top.
Select the memory card. You'll find the memory card listed under the "External" category in the left column of the Disk Utility window.
- If the memory card isn't listed, try ejecting and reinserting it.
Double-click on First Aid. This is the stethoscope icon located in the options bar at the top of the Disk Utility window.
Click the Run button. If you see a notification saying "Your disk is about to fail," the memory card cannot be repaired.
Wait for the memory card to be repaired. Once your Mac notifies you that the process is complete, you can safely remove the memory card and reinsert it into your camera.
- You might encounter the error "The underlying task reported failure." In this case, restart your computer and run the repair process again.
Tips
- You can avoid damaging or corrupting your memory card by not removing it during saving or writing, avoiding saving when the device is low on battery, powering off the device, and removing the card when possible.
- Memory cards don't last forever. They have a lifespan of 10,000 to 10 million write and erase cycles, so it's recommended to back up your data and replace the card every few years, depending on usage.
- A new 8GB memory card costs less than 200,000 VND.
Warnings
- Even if the memory card can be repaired, consider purchasing a new one instead of reformatting the old card, as a previously damaged card is less reliable than a new one.
