Renton 17593 Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 OK, to cut a long story short I have taken a lot of photos at an important event with my Canon Ixus 400 camera. When I got this (nearly 3 years ago), compact flash memory was expensive, and the camera only came with a puny 32 Mb card. So I bought a generic "Viking" 256 Mb card, and as such the number of photos I could take was easily adequate. Last night I was at an important family function, and took a few snaps, which I really would like to see and keep. Having plenty of space left over, I took the camera to the Cheviots with me today where I had a long and tiring hike, photographing many beautiful landscapes. Anyway, there was nothing to indicate anything was wrong, and the camera wasn't dropped or soaked or anything. But on my return, it appears the card has died - upon trying to view the photos I took I get a "Memory card failure message" . Now, two questions: Can anyone recommend a place I can retrieve any of these photos, or is it a dead cause? Is there a greater probablity of this really annoying shit happening if you buy cheap generic cards? That's for future reference, obviously. Really pissed off, hope someone can advise, even in the negative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 34166 Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 I don't think you can get the photos back if the card is fucked. As for there being a greater probability of this happening if you buy cheaper cards, the answer is yes, I think so. I bought a card recently off Amazon and if you read a lot of the reviews it did seem that the cheaper cards were the ones with the most negative "this card keeps crashing" type responses. Good luck getting the pics back anyway if it's possible. Just had a quick look on Google actually and it looks like there is software out there to do this sort of thing. Whether it's any good or not, I don't know. Type compact flash memory photo retrieval into Google and have a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 17593 Posted June 11, 2006 Author Share Posted June 11, 2006 I don't think you can get the photos back if the card is fucked. As for there being a greater probability of this happening if you buy cheaper cards, the answer is yes, I think so. I bought a card recently off Amazon and if you read a lot of the reviews it did seem that the cheaper cards were the ones with the most negative "this card keeps crashing" type responses. Good luck getting the pics back anyway if it's possible. Just had a quick look on Google actually and it looks like there is software out there to do this sort of thing. Whether it's any good or not, I don't know. Type compact flash memory photo retrieval into Google and have a look. 147593[/snapback] Cheers mate, will give that a try. Still waiting for some more knowledgeable types though. But seriously, kids, don't rely on flash memory is my tip for today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sima Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Chloe O'Brian should be able to help you out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 17593 Posted June 18, 2006 Author Share Posted June 18, 2006 Just tried another Compact Flash card, and that doesn't work either. So it's the camera that's knackered, out of warranty. Still, maybe I will be able to get my images back after all..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 34166 Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 Assuming you haven't been taking any dodgy photos just take it to Boots and use one of the machines where you just stick the SD card in and view your photos. Either that or buy an SD card reader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinofbeans 86 Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 i used to do this for a living, sounds like your controller chips knackered on your first card. this often happens when the camera/ device is running on a lower than average voltage ( when the battery is on its last legs before a charge). the card will start getting read/write errors before hand. as soon as you get your first you can stop but the damage is incremental and unless you consult a hardware expert things will go tits up quite quickly. i can't help with regards software as to be honest software ain't gonna help. the only way for me is to look out for a hardware data recovery company. also it seems that your camera's controller is knackered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 0 Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Viking cards are pretty good, they're essentially the same as some of the 'big brand cards'. If you peel the Viking label off, it often shows a brand underneath that's twice the price of the card you got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 17593 Posted July 19, 2006 Author Share Posted July 19, 2006 i used to do this for a living, sounds like your controller chips knackered on your first card. this often happens when the camera/ device is running on a lower than average voltage ( when the battery is on its last legs before a charge). the card will start getting read/write errors before hand. as soon as you get your first you can stop but the damage is incremental and unless you consult a hardware expert things will go tits up quite quickly. i can't help with regards software as to be honest software ain't gonna help. the only way for me is to look out for a hardware data recovery company. also it seems that your camera's controller is knackered. 160951[/snapback] That sounds about right. The first card is totally knackered, but I managed to get the photos off my second card using a card reader. The camera appears to be OK now, but I'm probably going to upgrade shortly anyway. Bought a new compact flash card in the mean time - 8 quid for half a gig from Amazon - how do they make a profit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo 133 Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 i used to do this for a living, sounds like your controller chips knackered on your first card. this often happens when the camera/ device is running on a lower than average voltage ( when the battery is on its last legs before a charge). the card will start getting read/write errors before hand. as soon as you get your first you can stop but the damage is incremental and unless you consult a hardware expert things will go tits up quite quickly. i can't help with regards software as to be honest software ain't gonna help. the only way for me is to look out for a hardware data recovery company. also it seems that your camera's controller is knackered. 160951[/snapback] That sounds about right. The first card is totally knackered, but I managed to get the photos off my second card using a card reader. The camera appears to be OK now, but I'm probably going to upgrade shortly anyway. Bought a new compact flash card in the mean time - 8 quid for half a gig from Amazon - how do they make a profit? 161518[/snapback] Should have tried ebuyer.co.uk, I got a 1gig Compact Flash card for £14 last week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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