Techrod

It's unlikely the files are gone from your PC. Some search strategies to try:
- If per chance you inadvertently deleted them look in your trash folder. Sort trash folder by date modified.
- Search your PC for files with the date 12/25/2016. To do this, open File Explorer - in top right hand search bar, enter filter for date modified as 12/25/2016 or a long time ago t get 2016 files or search by *.JPG
- Look at the name of the image files on your SD card and then search your PC using a lower index number, e.g. if IMG2546.JPG is the first file on your SD card search for IMG2536.JPG or an earlier index depending if you took photos in the meantime.

More generally, get a second SD card, or set of cards if you have a dual slot camera, and rotate the cards only when the card(s) in your camera are full. This is a strategy that delays formatting the card(s), giving you more time to organise and process images and recourse to the card(s) if something happens on the PC. Someone else said this: it really is best to use a digital asset manager to organise your images.

Best of luck!

PW4GDF

I would go into every folder I have on my computer. I don't know how you file, but go into documents, videos, every file and folder you have. I have put things into the wrong folder and had to search. Also if you are doing a search can you find what the NEXT picture # would be on your camera and perhaps you can work back from there?

Jim Plogger Loc: East Tennessee

There are so many suggestions posted here but you have not indicated whether or not if you did the simplest and easiest thing first.....a simple search by typing the date 12/25/2016 or*.jpg or if raw *.CR2 (Canon), *.nef (Nikon) or *.(whatever your raw file type may be). Have you done this? Typing the date will return all files with that date.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

This is an excellent computer search tool - Everything.

https://www.voidtools.com/

jimvanells Loc: Augusta, GA

Sandisc cards come with recovery program. If you do not have a recovery program, but a new card that has the program and download it and run it on your card. The images are probably still there. Remember reformatting your card only erases the files addresses, the files are overwritten when new files are added to the card. There may be some or many of the files still on the card. Worked for me.

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

You may have lost your pictures, but there is an important lesson to be learned for everyone from you desaster. ALWAYS verify your file transfer before formating the original media and ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR FILES! There are many ways to do that. Cloud backup is good if you have a relatively few number of pictures. Because I always shoot in raw and each exposure is at least 40Mb that is cost prohibitive for me. Instead, I use a Drobo, which is a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) system. My main files are downloaded to a 5TB external hard drive that is used only for photos. Copies of those files are automatically written to four 5TB hard drives in my Drobo. If any of the hard drives become corrupted, I still have multiple backups of my data. That does not, however, protect my files in case of a catastrophe such has a house fire. Offsite backup is also required for complete protection.

For offsite backup without the expense of cloud backup, I periodically copy my main photo hard drive to another hard drive and store it at my son's house. This strategy actually requires two drives. Every two weeks, I copy my data to one of those two drives and take it to my son's house. I take the other drive from my son's house home and use that for the next bi monthly backup. If you don't have a child who lives near by, you can keep your drive in you car's locked trunk, in a bank safe deposit box or elsewhere.

tesblg

You might want to try:

http://m.cardrecovery.com/download.asp

jackpi Loc: Southwest Ohio

The photos you recorded over--to bad! Even the Department of Homeland Security can't recover them. Your marriage--diamond earrings should do the trick.

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

I have seen 3 pages of excellent suggestions, but no response from the OP. I'd be interested in knowing if there has been some success.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

She busy she hired a blood hound.

Jim Plogger Loc: East Tennessee

mffox Loc: Avon, CT

Are you certain you saved it on your PC, or did you put it into a "cloud", such as Google?

DMGill Loc: Colorado

I'll second the suggestion to use the Piriform program Recuva. I used it last year to recover a file that appeared to have been deleted from a firm's computers by an unkown person with malevolent intent. Others failed in their attempts before I used Recuva and suceeded.

picsman Loc: Scotland

As others have said use recovery software, formatting the card is not the end!

guligian Loc: Louisville KY

I have had little success. I have given up on recovering from the PC, because I do not think it is there. I am now focusing on the ST card. Thanks for all the great suggestions.