By Alfred DeBat If you accidentally pushed the “Delete” button on your digital camera with a memory card full of photos you want to keep, don’t panic. Unless you start shooting over again with the same card, the photos will still be there. However, you did erase the image file names, and the camera or a computer won’t recognize the files as photos. There are several other ways of “losing” photos on a camera memory card, and we’ll describe them later. The digital photographs aren’t really gone. They are still on the card, but due to file corruption, formatting errors, or deletion, you can’t locate them with the camera’s on-board software. Do not respond to camera software error prompts, such as “Media is not formatted. Would you like to format now?” Take that memory card out of the camera and put it safely aside. The next step is to purchase an image data recovery program for your computer that can read deleted files. Then run the image data recovery program on your computer with the memory card in a card reader connected to the computer. Programs are different for Windows and Macintosh operating systems, so note which version of a software package is applicable. Most of the programs are sold either as online downloads or packaged products. No program claims to be 100-percent effective. You can check with manufacturers regarding which image formats are covered, but most work with popular JPEG, TIFF, and GIF formats, as well as many others, and operate with any type of camera memory card. Here are several recently introduced programs: BadCopy Pro ($39.50) from JufSoft Inc., Sarasota, Fla. (www.jufsoft.com), is available as an online download for Windows operating systems from the company website and requires 2 MB of disk space. A free evaluation version is available. Using a standard “wizard” interface, recovery and preview is easy with most tasks fully automatic. Digital Picture Recovery software ($39) was created by Photo Recovery Lab, South Pasadena, Fla. (www.dtidata.com), a company that specializes in professional digital image recovery. The Windows program operates with most camera cards and every type of memory card reader. Currently, the lab has a special offer: For $79 the service will recover images on any size flash memory card with any number of photos, plus give you a copy of Digital Picture Recovery software at no additional cost. ImageRecall Don’t Panic 2 ($39.95) software for Windows or Macintosh is available from FlashFixers, Stratham, N.H. (www.flashfixers.com). Free trial versions can be downloaded from the FlashFixers website, where full versions can be also purchased. MediaRECOVER ($29.95) from MediaRecover, Decorah, Iowa (www.mediarecover.com), is a digital image and data recovery program that is available for both Windows and Mac OS X. It offers 24-hour/seven-day-a-week e-mail technical support, as well as upgrades to the latest version of the software. PhotoRecovery ($39.95) software from LC Technology International Inc., Clearwater, Fla. (www.lc-tech.com), is available for both Windows and Mac OS X with a one-year free upgrade. If the camera manufacturer provides special driver software that appears on the computer screen, a reader is not necessary. PhotoRescue Wizard ($29 online) from DataRescue, Liége, Belgium (www.datarescue.com), is available in both Windows and Mac OS X versions. The company states that PhotoRescue supports the recovery of all file and media types, and its algorithms are especially optimized for JPEG, TIFF, GIF, and BMP files. Buyers receive one year of technical support and free upgrades. Zero Assumption Digital Image Recovery 1.0 (freeware) for Windows is a free download of 650 KB available from www.z-a-recovery.com. Designed as a specialized image recovery tool working with digital images, Zero Assumption can recovery deleted digital photos from memory cards, as well as restoring images from corrupted card directories. A list of compatible camera models is found at the Zero Assumption website. Some reasons for lost pictures, aside from accidental deletion, are formatting errors, as well as file editing and deleting images too many times using the camera’s on-board functions, rather than with a computer. Problems can occur with memory cards that are maxed out with too many pictures, weak camera batteries, exposure to strong magnetic sources and static electrical charges, as well as extreme hot or cold temperatures. Other actions causing photos to disappear include removing a memory card from the camera before it completes writing a picture file on the card, turning off the camera before it finishes writing the image, removing the memory card from the card slot of a desktop inkjet printer before the printer completes the job, and dropping or physically damaging the card. |