Noooooooo!!!!! Camera card Problem

[~Wingnut~]

Hi

I have just inserted my memory card from my digital camera into the front of my computer (it has the slots in the front to put a variety of sized memory cards in)

I was just trying to view the pictures to save to the computer when the comp went all funny ( it kept freezing but would then go back to being fine) and my screensaver disappeared (icons remained tho) and it said to restore something (I didn't look long enough to take note sorry) I took the card out before clicking anything, the comp went back to normal but now the comp says the card needs reformatting and when I put it in the camera it says card error!!

Please please please, someone help me I went to a wedding this weekend and took some fantastic photo's, please help me get them back,  I'm close to tears here sorry I can't be more technical with what happened when the comp went all funny.
I would be most greatful of any suggestions

~Wingnut~ 

[stevie21]

It might be that in removing the card from your computer without closing any programs that may have been reading from it or writing to it that there are errors on your memory card.
With the correct equipment they're probably not fatal but you might need some kind of data retrieval software/service to rescue the images.

I'm not too convinced that you'll be able to fix this yourself.
Out of noseyness (and possibly to help others help you) what type of memory card is it?

[dodgyshirt]

Download This free trial version of Digital Photo Recovery first to find out if the photos can be retrieved. It works for all types of memory card.

[Aquariel]

Download photorec from here:

http://www.artplus.hr/adapps/eng/downloads.htm

It's free and it recovered my memory card photos better than the commercial software.

[~Wingnut~]

Hi Thank you so much for your replies, I really do appreciate it :o) (more than you'll ever know!)

I am giving your advice ago Aquariel. It has managed to retrieve the pic's but when I view some of them half of the actual picture is missing (like it hasn't downloaded properly), so I am going have a fiddle about today.
The card is a 64MB Olympus XD picture card stevie21 :o) and I am looking into your suggestion too dodgyshirt :o)
Thank you again
~Wingnut~

[Aquariel]

If some of the pictures are incomplete it may be that the file system on the memory card has been corrupted and therefore the different parts of the picture cannot be joined together properly.   Some parts of the card may already have been overwritten and it may not be possible for 100% recovery.

But it's worth trying all of the trial software to see if any work better.  Although you will have to buy the commercial software to get it working properly as some of the trial versions put messages across the picture urging you to buy the full version!

[~Wingnut~]

Hi Aquariel

Thanx for replying :o)  I think you are right that the pictures are corrupted, a few seem to be ok and the ones I had locked on the memory card so that they could'nt accidently be deleted are complete. I just can't work out how I can have corrupted the card? Both cards infact. I put in my 16MB one (came with the camera) and it worked fine (this is after the other one had got wiped) then I THINK I ejected the card (I'm being honest here, usually I just pull the card out, it's only the other day that I noticed you could eject the disk)  could this be why both cards have become corrupted? because I ejected the disk? That's the only thing that I can work out that I have done differently from when I have used it before.Have I done soemthing really bad? Any suggestion's would be of great help.
I hope that all makes sense above.
Off to get another card this afternoon, I just don't want the same thing to happen again!

Thank you so much for your help

~Wingnut~

[Aquariel]

I've had the same thing happen to me for no reason where the camera says that the card is corrupt and it wouldn't work again without a complete reformat.  I think these memory cards are just over-sensitive!

Most cameras have a light that flash while the card is being written to, just like floppy disks, so it's possible you ejected it during that time.  It's probably best to remove/replace the card when the camera is off.

Most memory cards are pre-formatted when you buy them, but it's best to format them in your camera first before using them.