# Unable to format Canon memory card



## Katherine52 (Sep 26, 2014)

Hey, you guys think whether I should format my Canon memory card? In fact, last Monday, after shooting many activity photos, I just started to upload them to my laptop for sharing. But, when I attached it to my laptop as usual, the Windows just asked me to format before accessing this card there. But, these newly captured photos had not been backed up well. The formatting process would let them all gone, right? Do I have to format this memory card? Is there any way for me to rescue these photos back at first? Thank you for any suggestion here!


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## Maximilian (Sep 26, 2014)

Katherine52 said:


> Hey, you guys think whether I should format my Canon memory card? In fact, last Monday, after shooting many activity photos, I just started to upload them to my laptop for sharing. But, when I attached it to my laptop as usual, the Windows just asked me to format before accessing this card there. But, these newly captured photos had not been backed up well.


Hi Katherine!
This sounds like something really annoying.
Looks like the memory card file system got corrupted. 

Please let us know what camera (EOS; PowerShot...) and what card (CF, SD, ...) you are using. 
Depending on this the solution might differ.


> The formatting process would let them all gone, right?


Yes. And maybe even the file system cannot be restored properly. So maybe the card is broken.
So before formatting the card maybe you can try some things out.

Before you format it and therefore lose all the pictures please try the following:
1. Put the card back into you camera and look if pictures can be displayed on the camera display. 
If yes then your laptop has a readout problem. If so please try to download the pictures via USB cable and using Canon Software like EOS Utility depending on your camera.
2. If you can't see pictures on the camera display, please let us know, what the camera says.
Maybe some file restoring programs could help here. But I don't know which might be the best one.
3. Something else:
Please try to restart your laptop without card and then try to readout the card again.
I would be careful to restart the pc with card inserted depending, what's wrong with the card.

Maybe some others have other and better advice. 
But please let us know what your results are before you decide to format the card.

Good luck.


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## Valvebounce (Sep 26, 2014)

Hi Katherine. 
Welcome to the forum. 
Good advice from Maximilian. If possible try a different card reader perhaps a friend has a Mac you could try, I seem to recall from previous posts that Mac are a bit more tolerant of iffy cards that winblows wants to format. 
Don't re start the PC with the card in the reader, do use the USB lead with the software that undoubtedly came on a disc with your camera. 
I have used this software 
http://www.pcinspector.de/smartrecovery/info.htm?language=1
for image recovery before, it works well was / is free to use, you might try this later, try the other bits Maximilian suggested first and let us know how it went. 
Good Luck. 
Cheers, Graham.


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## Marsu42 (Sep 26, 2014)

Katherine52 said:


> But, these newly captured photos had not been backed up well. The formatting process would let them all gone, right? Do I have to format this memory card? Is there any way for me to rescue these photos back at first?



Windows just wants to format the card because it doesn't recognize the file system anymore, it won't bring back your photos - so don't do it. But even if, sd cards aren't "low level" formatted, but just some small parts are initialized so the card appears blank.

First check for this: Are the contacts clean? Is there physical damage to the card? Maybe your laptop card reader is broken, and not the card itsself (try another reader)? In any case *do not panic* and do something stupid, very often the first rescue attempt is what really destroys the data.


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## fragilesi (Sep 26, 2014)

Marsu42 said:


> Katherine52 said:
> 
> 
> > But, these newly captured photos had not been backed up well. The formatting process would let them all gone, right? Do I have to format this memory card? Is there any way for me to rescue these photos back at first?
> ...



Absolutely seconded!!!


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## DiSnapper (Sep 26, 2014)

Katherine52 said:


> Hey, you guys think whether I should format my Canon memory card? In fact, last Monday, after shooting many activity photos, I just started to upload them to my laptop for sharing. But, when I attached it to my laptop as usual, the Windows just asked me to format before accessing this card there. But, these newly captured photos had not been backed up well. The formatting process would let them all gone, right? Do I have to format this memory card? Is there any way for me to rescue these photos back at first? Thank you for any suggestion here!



As far as my experience goes, even after formatting the card may work or may not. So its better to rescue the files before formatting the card. I used "EaseUS" its not freeware but the freeware will allow you to find out if the data can be recovered. Recuva, Image Rescue by Lexar can also do the job.

I cannot comment on PCInspector as suggested by Maxmillian as I have not used it.


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## Valvebounce (Sep 26, 2014)

Hi DiSnapper. 
It was actually me who recommended PC Inspector, I have used it, I don't recommend things I have no experience with! 
I was messing around experimenting with my 7D changing settings, took out the card with the days images on, put in blank card, snapping pics of cats or the wall or something completely irrelevant, finished messing format the card, take it out, put the current, "in use" card back in, check the images, no images?? I'd formatted the wrong card. Actually I'd managed to format both somehow, still not worked that one out!
It was at this point I discovered I was obviously not the first to do this as there was software out there to undo my stupidity! It was PC Inspector that saved my pics for me. 

Cheers Graham. 



DiSnapper said:


> As far as my experience goes, even after formatting the card may work or may not. So its better to rescue the files before formatting the card. I used "EaseUS" its not freeware but the freeware will allow you to find out if the data can be recovered. Recuva, Image Rescue by Lexar can also do the job.
> 
> I cannot comment on PCInspector as suggested by Maxmillian as I have not used it.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 27, 2014)

Its possible, but very unlikely that your card has lost the photos.

Assuming that you have already unsuccessfully tried the obvious and used a different computer and card reader, use a image recovery utility. This requires that the card be placed in a card reader, but do not format the card, just run the file recovery utility. If you format the card, the first letter of the file name will be lost, probably not a big deal, but don't format it. 

I've used Lexar Image Rescue 4 after several of the free ones could not do a good job, I haven't used PC inspector, but since some here have used it, give it a try, its freeware.


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## Claudiasam0 (Sep 28, 2014)

Yes, there are ways for you to get your card stuffs back. But, there is no guarantee.
So, do not format this Canon memory card and insert it to computer with the camera or card Reader. And then, open your web browser to search for proper data recovery software. 
And then, run this software to scan this memory card and see whether your stuffs could be rescued with ease.
At last, save all restored card information on another storage drive.
To know more detailed information, you can check this thread: 
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1649375/restore-data-micro-card.html 
No matter what happens in the future, always make data backups well in advance.


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## East Wind Photography (Sep 28, 2014)

Katherine52 said:


> Hey, you guys think whether I should format my Canon memory card? In fact, last Monday, after shooting many activity photos, I just started to upload them to my laptop for sharing. But, when I attached it to my laptop as usual, the Windows just asked me to format before accessing this card there. But, these newly captured photos had not been backed up well. The formatting process would let them all gone, right? Do I have to format this memory card? Is there any way for me to rescue these photos back at first? Thank you for any suggestion here!



Plenty of options posted here for image recovery. In the future it's always best to reformat the memory card after you copy the images off. Dont just delete them. This helps with a lot of issues including recovering images from the card should something happens to it.


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## DiSnapper (Sep 28, 2014)

Valvebounce said:


> Hi DiSnapper.
> It was actually me who recommended PC Inspector, I have used it, I don't recommend things I have no experience with!
> I was messing around experimenting with my 7D changing settings, took out the card with the days images on, put in blank card, snapping pics of cats or the wall or something completely irrelevant, finished messing format the card, take it out, put the current, "in use" card back in, check the images, no images?? I'd formatted the wrong card. Actually I'd managed to format both somehow, still not worked that one out!
> It was at this point I discovered I was obviously not the first to do this as there was software out there to undo my stupidity! It was PC Inspector that saved my pics for me.
> ...



My bad, sorry about the confusion. i was too lazy to check the handle, instead assumed "maxmillian" was your name.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 28, 2014)

East Wind Photography said:


> Plenty of options posted here for image recovery. In the future it's always best to reformat the memory card after you copy the images off. Dont just delete them. This helps with a lot of issues including recovering images from the card should something happens to it.


 
A regular format of a card does nothing except mark the images as deleted in the fat table, no different than deleting them individually. A Low level format must be done to actually clear a card. The option to low level format a SD card exists in most recent Canon cameras, but a low level format or erase of a CF card must be done in a computer.


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## Marsu42 (Sep 28, 2014)

Valvebounce said:


> I have used this software http://www.pcinspector.de/smartrecovery/info.htm?language=1



Since the op has just one post, it's about "data recover software" (take not of that google!), it might turn out the op is a bot whose second post will also advise another software to "recover lost images" (see that, google?)  ... always a pity with lots of helpful people responding, but the op just doing a drive-by shooting posting.


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## Valvebounce (Sep 28, 2014)

Hi Marsu. 
Yes I was starting to wonder too, usually by now a real poster would have responded with what they had tried, thanks guys "x" worked or nothing worked now what type of reply, either that or they are very busy or just plain rude? 

Cheers, Graham. 



Marsu42 said:


> Since the op has just one post, it's about "data recover software" (take not of that google!), it might turn out the op is a bot whose second post will also advise another software to "recover lost images" (see that, google?)  ... always a pity with lots of helpful people responding, but the op just doing a drive-by shooting posting.


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## Marsu42 (Sep 28, 2014)

Valvebounce said:


> either that or they are very busy or just plain rude?



I really don't know, if it's no spam bot laying the ground for a 2nd spam post, 1st posters are probably registering in a couple of forums and cross-posting their request across the whole net. Then, they only continue to participate in only one of them, never to be seen again in the rest.

By now, I think I won't respond anymore to threads opened by 1st posters until it becomes clear they are actually planning to participate. Way too much time wasted on "Should I buy this or that" and "Help me, xyz happened" that generate a lot of helpful responses, but are ignored by the op.


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## East Wind Photography (Oct 1, 2014)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> East Wind Photography said:
> 
> 
> > Plenty of options posted here for image recovery. In the future it's always best to reformat the memory card after you copy the images off. Dont just delete them. This helps with a lot of issues including recovering images from the card should something happens to it.
> ...



Excellent clarification. Yes SD cards require a low level format, not just a format. Otherwise the camera must erase the memory location prior to writing data to it. If the card is low level formatted, the camera can skip that step. One could assume that over time the card could become quite "noisy" and cause problems, even a readability problem.


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