This wikiHow teaches you how to recover photos and other data from a damaged memory card, as well as format a damaged memory card so that it can be reused.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Recovering Data from Memory Card
Step 1. When the camera displays a Card Error, Read Error or similar message, stop using the memory card
Turn off the camera, then remove the memory card. If you continue to use the memory card, you may destroy all the data on it.
Step 2. Find a data recovery program
Even if your memory card has been damaged, you still have the opportunity to recover the data on it. Some of the commonly used data recovery programs include:
- Recuva - After selecting the device to restore and selecting the Photos option, Recuva will attempt to recover the data on your memory card in the background. Generally, it is recommended that you recover data with Recuva.
- CardRecovery - After doing a simple setup, CardRecovery will scan the SD card connected to the computer. To continue using CardRecovery after the trial period ends, you must purchase a license.
- Photo Rec - This program for advanced users has a minimal interface. Use PhotoRec if you understand how to use the command line interface.
Step 3. Download and install the data recovery program of your choice
Visit the official website of the program developer, then click the Download button. Save the installation file, then double-click the file to install the program.
The location of the button to download the program will vary depending on the program you selected. If you can't find the button, look at the top or side of the developer's site page
Step 4. Connect your memory card to the computer
Most computers have an SD card slot. This slot is in the shape of a thin square, and is marked with the word "SD" next to it. You can find the memory card slot on the edge of the laptop, or around the CPU.
- If your computer does not have an SD card slot, you can use a memory card reader. These memory card readers are available cheaply, and connect to a computer via USB.
- You may need to allow your computer to access the SD card before proceeding.
Step 5. Open the data recovery program from its installation folder
Step 6. Follow the on-screen guide
Generally, you will be asked to select the memory card to recover, and select the Photos option in the Scan Criteria section. After adjusting the options, the program will start scanning your SD card.
After the scanning process is complete, you will be prompted to copy or export the salvageable photos to a specific folder on your computer (for example, on the Desktop)
Method 2 of 3: Repairing a Memory Card in Windows
Step 1. Connect your memory card to the computer
Most computers have an SD card slot. This slot is in the shape of a thin square, and is marked with the word "SD" next to it. You can find the memory card slot on the edge of the laptop, or around the CPU.
- If your computer does not have an SD card slot, you can use a memory card reader. These memory card readers are available cheaply, and connect to a computer via USB.
- You may need to allow your computer to access the SD card before proceeding.
Step 2. Press the Win button in the lower left corner of the screen
Step 3. Enter My Computer in the search field
Although "My Computer" has changed its name to "This PC" or "My PC" in Windows 8 and 10, typing my computer into the search bar in the Start menu will still open the My Computer window.
Step 4. Press Enter key to open the My PC window
Step 5. Pay attention to the Devices and Drives section under the My PC window
You will see the primary drive (C:) and other drives connected to the computer. One of these drives represents your SD card.
If you don't know the drive letter of the SD card, leave the My PC window open, then remove the SD card. Remember which drive "disappeared", then reconnect the SD card
Step 6. Remember the drive letter of your SD card
Windows primary drive has drive letter C:. Therefore, your SD card will have another drive letter.
Step 7. Press Win. key + X to open the quick access menu in the lower left corner of the screen, just above the Start button.
To open the quick access menu, you can also right-click the Start button
Step 8. Click Command Prompt (Admin)
A command line window with administrator privileges will open. You can use this window to format the SD card.
This option is not available if you are not using a computer administrator account
Step 9. Enter the chkdsk m command:
/r to the command line window. Replace "m:" with your SD card's drive letter, for example "e:". The chkdsk command is used to check and restore the health of the drive.
Use a single space between "m:" and "/r"
Step 10. Press Enter to start the drive repair process
The computer will try to restore the drive if possible.
- If a command line window asks for permission to access the drive, grant it permission by pressing Enter.
- After pressing Enter, you may receive the Cannot open volume for direct access error message. This error means that your SD card is not corrupted and does not need to be formatted, or that your SD card is no longer salvageable.
- In some cases, the Cannot open volume for direct access error is caused by an antivirus preventing the formatting process. Turn off your antivirus while formatting the drive, then try formatting the drive again.
Step 11. Once the check and restore process is complete, remove the SD card from your computer and then return the SD card to the camera
Method 3 of 3: Repairing a Memory Card on Mac
Step 1. Connect your memory card to the computer
Since not all Macs come with an SD card reader, you may need to purchase an external SD card reader.
- You can find the memory card slot on the edge of the laptop, or around the CPU. On some desktops, the memory slot may be on the edge of the keyboard.
- Some devices require you to enable disk settings via USB in order for the computer to access the SD card.
Step 2. Click the blue face icon in the Dock to open Finder
Step 3. In the toolbar at the top of the screen, click Go
Step 4. Click Utilities to open the Utilities folder
This folder holds various Mac system tools, including Disk Utility.
To open the Utilities folder, you can also press Shift + Command + U
Step 5. Double-click the gray drive icon with a stethoscope on it to open Disk Utility
Step 6. Select your memory card
The memory card will generally appear in the External section in the left pane of the Disk Utilities window.
If your memory card is not detected, remove the memory card, then reconnect it to the computer
Step 7. In the options bar at the top of the Disk Utility window, click the stethoscope icon to open the First Aid options
Step 8. In the First Aid window, click Run
If you see the message Your disk is about to fail, your memory card may no longer be salvageable.
Step 9. Wait for the repair process to complete
After the process is complete, you can return the memory card to the camera.
In some cases, the memory card repair process may stop with the The underlying task reported failure error message. Try restarting your Mac and repeating the repair process
Tips
- To extend the life of the memory card, avoid removing the memory card while the camera is writing files, avoid using the camera when the battery is low, and turn off the camera before removing the memory card.
- Memory cards have a limited lifespan of 10,000 - 10,000,000 write and erase cycles. Therefore, it is recommended that you back up the contents of the memory card and replace it every few years, depending on how often you use the memory card.
- You can buy an 8GB SD card for under IDR 100,000.
