A memory card failing is nearly always about photos and video that aren’t backed up — a card that suddenly asks to be formatted, isn’t recognised by the camera or computer, or was formatted by accident with the shots still on it. In most of these the images are still physically on the card and recoverable. Whether it’s an SD card recovery, microSD, CompactFlash or XQD, the diagnosis is free and no-recovery-no-fee applies.
Don’t keep shooting, and don’t let the camera reformat it — new photos and a format are what actually overwrite the old ones. Take the card out and let us image it.
Most memory-card problems are logical: the file system corrupts — often from pulling the card mid-write or a flat camera battery — and the card asks to be formatted even though the photos are still there. Accidental formatting is just as common, and in most cameras a format doesn’t actually erase the images, only the index. Physical faults happen too: a cracked card, worn contacts, or a failed controller. In the great majority of cases the data is intact and the task is to read it before anything new is written.
We image the card first, then recover from the copy — rebuilding the file system where it’s corrupt, or carving the photos and video directly by their signatures where the index is gone, which is how formatted and “empty” cards give their images back. RAW files, JPEGs and video from every major camera brand are recovered this way. For a physically damaged card or a failed controller, chip-level work reads the memory directly. Because it’s all done from an image, the original card is never put at further risk.
We recover SD, SDHC, SDXC, microSD, CompactFlash, CFexpress, XQD and older card formats from cameras, drones, phones and dash cams — SanDisk, Lexar, Sony, Kingston and the rest. Send the card itself; if it’s a phone’s internal storage rather than a card, that’s a phone recovery, so send the handset instead.
Usually not. That message almost always means a corrupt file system, not lost images — the photos are still on the card. Don’t format it; we image the card and rebuild or carve the images from the copy.
Very often, yes. In most cameras a format only clears the index, not the images themselves, so as long as you’ve stopped using the card we can carve the photos and video back. The key is not shooting anything new onto it.
Sometimes — it depends on the damage. If the memory itself is intact, chip-level work can read it directly. The free diagnosis tells you what’s recoverable and the price before you commit.
Yes — RAW, JPEG and video from every major camera and drone brand. Video files are larger and occasionally fragmented, but they’re recovered the same way, by rebuilding the file system or carving by signature from the image.
A free diagnosis first, always — then a fixed written quote before any work begins, and no fee at all on most jobs if the data doesn’t come back. Memory card recovery is typically a fixed price agreed up front; chip-level work on a physically damaged card is quoted after the free diagnosis. Drop your device at our Leeds address in The Pinnacle, or post it in fully insured from anywhere in Yorkshire; whichever route it takes, it’s handled in-house by our own engineers and never outsourced.
Free diagnosis, a fixed quote in writing, and no fee on most jobs unless your data comes back. Take the card out, stop shooting, and get it to us — the photos are usually still there.