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Corrupted SD card please help!

Tags: Hardware, Smartphones

Please help! I’ve got a corrupted SD card for my Android phone which has precious photos on it. It’s a 64gb Verbatim which I formatted last week (I believe I formatted in my laptop as exFAT so it can be read by multiple devices. I moved files across to it from my other SD card I was using and all has been working fine.

Yesterday however, I took it out and put it in my MacBook to transfer a large zipped file onto it. I wonder if this file caused issues because when I put it back into the phone it said it no card inserted. I then tried copying the file to another card and I got the same message. When I removed the zip file from that card, it worked again. But unfortunately I went to remove the file from the Verbatim card in the Mac, I got an error message saying the card is ‘not readable by this computer’. If I try it in my PC I get the error message of an invalid directory name.

If I put it back in my phone, it says issue with card and requests it to be formatted.

I don’t know if it was the zip file that caused the issue or putting the card into different devices. Whatever the cause, I’m pretty gutted. Most of my photos are backed up but on this card I had not got around to backing up as it’s a new card.

I really don’t want to format it until I’ve exhausted all possibilities.

I used Terminal on Mac to try and repair the disk but I’m getting error messages saying ‘Unable to repair this whole disk: A GUID Partition Table partitioning scheme is required (-69773)

Obviously if I do have to end up formatting it I can try recovery software but I’m not sure what software to use as there are so many out there.

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Reply To: Corrupted SD card please help!

In reply to Corrupted SD card please help!

I’m afraid there is no easy solution. For the recovery, use the software that works.
In the future, be more careful with backups. And never “move” across devices or partitions if you can “copy”.

Reply To: Corrupted SD card please help!

In reply to Corrupted SD card please help!

There are several reputable recovery tools you can use. Recuva, PhotoRec, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard (it may require a paid license for full features), and Disk Drill – this offers a good balance between functionality and ease of use, with a free version available for basic recovery.”

Reply To: Corrupted SD card please help!

In reply to Corrupted SD card please help!

When you delete a file on your SD card, it’s not actually deleted, it just makes room for new data. Thus, most of your photos are probably still there unless they have been overwritten. Perhaps the problem is due to a zip file transfer or using the card on different devices, which has corrupted the file system.

Here’s what you can try:

The first step is to stop using the card. Do not write to the card again, as this could overwrite the very files you are hoping to recover.

Work with the image of the card, not the card itself. This is a good idea if the card behaves unpredictably or is partially unreadable. Creating an image, that is, a backup, allows you to try recovery on a copy without risking further damage to the card.

You can use dd in Terminal on a Mac to create an image. There are plenty of instructions online, search for something like “how to create an SD card image using dd”. GUI utilities like Win32DiskImager can also do the same in Windows.

Then try other recovery options. Recuva or EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard work great, but I would suggest trying R-Studio and/or TestDisk/PhotoRec as well, in my opinion these applications do a better job.

Use Disk Utility or Terminal on a Mac: If your Mac recognizes the card but doesn’t read it, you can recover it. Here’s how to locate and recover the card:

Open Terminal and run the command diskutil list. The list will list all connected disks with their IDs. Find your SD card by its size and name, say /dev/disk2. Use the listed ID with the following command: diskutil repairVolume /dev/diskX, replacing diskX with your card’s ID, such as disk2. This can fix minor file system errors without formatting the card.

As a last resort, you can contact professional recovery services. Specialized companies such as Salvagedata. They can usually recover data even if the card is physically damaged or the file system is unrecoverable. If your photos are irretrievable, this is often the safest method of professional recovery.

Each recovery attempt slightly reduces the chances of success, so if your photos are very important, it’s best to contact a professional service right away.

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