CharlieDutch Loc: Illinois

This has been addressed here in the past, and a lot of good ideas and replies have been given, but so far I haven't been able to save the photos on 2 SD cards that have been somehow damaged. I'm not sure how. I keep the cards in a hardshell case designed to carry SDs.

Anyway, I've tried to recover the photos using 3 different 'Recovery Tools', and each one shows the photos as it works to extract the photos. But when I download the recovered pics to my computer, this is what I get...almost all load as grey.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

letmedance Loc: Walnut, Ca.

Have you tried a different card reader?

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

Broaden the scope of your solution. Maybe it’s not the cards. Do you download from your camera or do you use a card reader? Have you tried a different card reader? Replaced any cables involved? Tried a different port on your computer? Downloaded to a different computer? Tried dragging and dropping instead of whatever ever method you use? Two failed cards at once doesn’t really sound like a card problem.
…Cam

CharlieDutch Loc: Illinois

When I put these cards in my camera, the NO IMAGE message pops up. So I can't use the cable to download from my camera, it won't let me. I have only one SD port on my computer to use. I didn't think of asking to use a friends' computer. I figured that since my other SD cards work fine, it wasn't my camera or computer. But I'll get hold of my son and have him bring his laptop over next time he stops by.

The one card has the photos from my older brothers' 50th wedding anniversary. There were many others there taking photos, but I'd like to have mine as well.

Thanks for all your help so far.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

Use the recovery software "Save" button to save the recovered file, not the file from the card.
Otherwise, just to have a copy, view full screen and screen save the image you on your monitor.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Looks like a serious problem you have there. Curious, which Pentax camera are you using? I use a K-3, K-5, K-20. Can you view the files on your SD cards using the camera? Did you shoot Raw or JPG? What sort of computer are you using, PC or Mac? It is strange to me that most of the images are grey and a few have an image. The resultant image files seem to be corrupted, but not all. Could there be dirty contacts on or in your SD card, camera, card reader, computer SD card slot, computer USB port? Seem there is an intermittent problem. Or might even the camera processor be damaged? I have never had an SanDisk Card go bad. But sometimes my PC's card slot reading of 64GB cards gets fussy. The fact that your recovered images are grey and not white or black seems strange too and possibly diagnostic for the recovery app you used. Hopefully some one can actually answer your question and help you get your image files. Just do not reformat the card with your files possibly still on it.

CharlieDutch Loc: Illinois

I use a Pentax K-01. The files don't come up on the camera, when I try to preview the photos on the camera, I get the "no images" message. The shots were mostly JPG, on 32GB cards. I'm using an HP PC, fairly new, maybe a couple of years old. I have about a dozen SD cards, all of them work fine on my camera and computer, except these 2.

I contacted support from 2 of the 3 recovery apps, neither one had heard or seen this before.

When I put the cards in the camera, and use the cable from the camera to the computer, the computer reads the card as "this file is empty".

When I put the card in the slot on the computer, I get the same message.

But when I run the recovery app, I see the thumbnail photos on their app. But I can't seem to transfer, copy / paste, or anyway 'save' the photos to my computer or CD/DVD.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

What brand and model of card?

If not using already, change to SanDisk Extreme Pro for the size / speed that best fits your needs. Their 32GB cards at 95 MB/s are $13 each this morning at B&H. You can go larger or faster, but these are fine for general photography and I haven't had one fail in 10 years usage of this size.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Will the recovery app show you the file size for each photo? It may be that the data for many of the photos is no longer on the cards. If that is the case then there is nothing to recover, and since it happened on two cards at the same time your problem probably lies elsewhere. The camera, perhaps. Have you tried taking a 3rd card and shooting some photos under similar conditions, indoors, flash, etc, and checking the results?

Richard West Loc: Finger Lakes Region in upstate NY

SanDisc has a recovery program you can try. Very effective.
Also, try a software program called “ Recover My Files”. I’ve used this with some success.
Don’t be surprised, though, if a lot of your files are corrupted, showing streaks of color through the images. With some time in Photoshop or Affinity you can minimize the visual look of the streaks and convert the image to B&W. Won’t be perfect, but at least you’ll have an image.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

I do not have a Pentax DSLR, however - some camera models offer the ability to direct where the pic file is saved...is it possible that the picture file destination has been inadvertantly changed in the menu? Looking back at the examples, it appears there may be other factors at play.

Perhaps a full camera reset would be helpful, and make sure you have a fully charged battery (low voltage can impact functions on some camera models). If you have tried a new formatted card, do you still get the intermittant pics. If so, Air blow out the card slot, with the power off/battery out - put some alcohol on the suspect card contacts (wet the cards contacts) and insert it, pop it out, insert it again (wet contacts, don't flood the card compartment) several times, blow it out again, making sure it has dried - put in a known good card and fully charged battery, turn the camera on and take a good string of images, see if any improvement. DO NOT STICK ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE CARD INTO THE CARD SLOT, as this could push it into a definite repair trip.

Good luck and let us know if anything we have suggested works!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Are these raw files, or JPEGs? Raw files contain JPEG previews that can be displayed by some operating systems and applications. If you don't have the right "stuff" in your software to decode the files, they may display as gray panes.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

delder Loc: Maryland

It sounds possible that the camera was switched to RAW and the computer can't read it without a program?

CharlieDutch Loc: Illinois

One of the recovery programs I've been using in EaseUS Date Recovery Wizard. Once it gets done scanning the card, it gives me a display, or preview, of the photos. They're there, on the card. I can see them in the "preview". But then I click the "Recover" button, and the only thing transferred to my computer are the grey boxes. I can open the boxes, just like a photo, but all I get is a bigger grey box. No matter what I use to open them.

I've also used Wondershare Recoverit. No luck there either.

The photos are mostly JPG, but my computer reads RAW as well, as I've taken hundreds of shots and processed them in RAW on this computer.

Again, I'd like to thank you all for the ideas and suggestions. If you have anymore I'm open to any and all.