Do you know how I can access these nice photos again?

Alger0349 · Oct 28, 2013

I have taken many nice photos with my Nikon digital camera. But, it became really strange this morning. I just suddenly got a card error message. So, I picked out the inner memory card and tried it on my computer. But, it asked me to format it before using.
Have any idea of my problem? Do you know how I can access these nice photos again? Is there a way for me to get back all my photos?
Please, help me!

480sparky · Oct 28, 2013

First: DO NOT USE THE CARD! DO NOT TAKE ANY MORE IMAGES ON IT!

The, search the forum for "Memory Card Recovery". There's a million threads on it.

KmH · Oct 28, 2013

If you've been using the card for long term storage there is an even money chance you'll be unsuccessful recovering most of the photos.

A memory card in the camera is intended to be used as a short term memory.

Best practice at the end of each day you take photos is to upload the photos to a storage device, like the hard disc on a computer, verify the upload was successful, and then to reformat the memory card in the camera so it is ready for the next day you take photos.

I'm pretty much willing to bet you have been using the camera for deleting images from the card to make room to add more images.
Doing so is probably the leading cause of the type of problem you now have.

Aldrich003p · Oct 29, 2013

Alger0349 said:
I have taken many nice photos with my Nikon digital camera. But, it became really strange this morning. I just suddenly got a card error message. So, I picked out the inner memory card and tried it on my computer. But, it asked me to format it before using.
Have any idea of my problem? Do you know how I can access these nice photos again? Is there a way for me to get back all my photos?
Please, help me!

It sounds like you have got a memory card problem. So, if you really want re-access your photos on this camera memory card, you’d better immediately stop using this memory card. In your case, anything new on the same camera memory card can be a really great threat to your original photos.

In fact, as I know, you do have two ways for get back your wanted photos back.

Firstly, you should inner this memory card to your computer and download a data recovery program to help you out.

Nowadays, there are plenty of data recovery programs that can help you restore your needed data. But, some of them will also make things worse, especially some fake ones. So, if you really doubt, you can firstly use some memory card data recovery freeware that can work perfectly on your memory card, such as Recuva, Power Data Recovery and iCare Data Recovery Free and more.

But, if the data recovery freeware cannot make a sense, you’d better send it to a data recovery company or experienced expert for help.

Good luck!

SnappingShark · Oct 31, 2013

Do not use the card again in your camera. It is now damaged and cannot be relied upon.

Try to use a different computer, or even a different OS (sometimes they read files differently) - then try an undeleting program (yes, watch out for spy/ad/bloatware).

A memory card cannot be damaged by constant saving/deleting/moving use. There's no moving parts in it. It is either damaged by element conditions, sloppy handling, or by an unfortunate manufacturing defect in either the card itself, or the device attempting to read/write from it.

I hope you manage to get your pictures back. If you can't get them back, don't throw the card away - save it somewhere and try again at a later date - you never know what new technology will be about to read damaged cards.
Just don't use it again in your camera!

480sparky · Oct 31, 2013

BrightByNature said:
Do not use the card again in your camera. It is now damaged and cannot be relied upon.

Try to use a different computer, or even a different OS (sometimes they read files differently) - then try an undeleting program (yes, watch out for spy/ad/bloatware).

A memory card cannot be damaged by constant saving/deleting/moving use. There's no moving parts in it. It is either damaged by element conditions, sloppy handling, or by an unfortunate manufacturing defect in either the card itself, or the device attempting to read/write from it.

I hope you manage to get your pictures back. If you can't get them back, don't throw the card away - save it somewhere and try again at a later date - you never know what new technology will be about to read damaged cards.
Just don't use it again in your camera!

Contrary to popular belief, computers DO make mistakes. And making a mistake on a memory card can corrupt the data, but doesn't mean the card is damaged.

KmH · Oct 31, 2013

The CF and SD memory cards used in DSLR cameras are flash memory. They do not have any moving parts.

If they are continually left in a camera the camera to card contacts can become corroded. Removing the memory card helps to burnish the card and camera card slot contacts and minimizing any corrosion buildup.

Flash memory has a memory wear factor which is a finite number of program-erase cycles (P/E cycles) that begins to deteriorate the integrity of the storage.

Part of what is done when a flash memory card is re-formatted is that unusable memory sectors are identified and made unavailable to the File Allocation Table (FAT).

Alger0349 · Oct 31, 2013

I am really a computer noob and don’t know much of camera problems. So, after reading all your answer I know that data recovery program may be my best way to go. So, after searching some related articles and threads overt the internet, I directly try the way of Aldrich003p, especially his mentioned data recovery freeware. So, after applying all these freeware on my computer, I have restored most of my photos on the camera. They all work well, especially the mentioned last freeware.
Thank you for all your prompt answers.
Thank you very much!!