# Is there any way to rescue pictures off a corrupted flash card? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 7, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-rescue-pictures-off-a-corrupted-flash-card/414753 "2007-08-07T16:59:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-rescue-pictures-off-a-corrupted-flash-card/414753/1 "2007-08-07T16:59:15Z")
I’ve got a camera with a compact flash card that seems to have gone kaput. Unfortunately, there are still some pictures on the card I’d like to rescue. When I access the flash card via a USB port (either using the camera or using a seperate reader), the computer recognizes it as an external drive. I can see the directory, and a list of files, with names and sizes and creation dates. However, it appears that (judging by the dates) the newest files may be missing. When I try to copy files to the computer, I get, for most files, the message, “The file or directory is corrupt and unreadable.” For a handful of files–the first one listed, the last one, and an, apparently random collection in-between, I can actually download the file. The camera works fine with another flash card, so it’s definitely the card. I suspect I’m just SOL, but is there anything else I can try that might recover the pics on the card? ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-rescue-pictures-off-a-corrupted-flash-card/414753/2 "2007-08-07T17:07:07Z")
There are numerous software downloads you can use to try and recover the photos from your corrupted flash card. One I have used with good results is [PC Inspector Smart Recovery](http://www.pcinspector.de/smart_media_recovery/uk/welcome.htm) . Good luck! Try not to delete anything from the flash card until you have made the recovery attempt. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-rescue-pictures-off-a-corrupted-flash-card/414753/3 "2007-08-07T17:19:42Z")
[QUOTE=Dorjän] There are numerous software downloads you can use to try and recover the photos from your corrupted flash card. One I have used with good results is [PC Inspector Smart Recovery](http://www.pcinspector.de/smart_media_recovery/uk/welcome.htm) . Good luck! Try not to delete anything from the flash card until you have made the recovery attempt. [/QUOTE] And don’t write any files to it either! The card may think the space occupied by the corrupted files is available for reuse. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-rescue-pictures-off-a-corrupted-flash-card/414753/4 "2007-08-07T19:45:30Z")
[QUOTE=Dorjän] There are numerous software downloads you can use to try and recover the photos from your corrupted flash card. One I have used with good results is [PC Inspector Smart Recovery](http://www.pcinspector.de/smart_media_recovery/uk/welcome.htm) . Good luck! Try not to delete anything from the flash card until you have made the recovery attempt. [/QUOTE] Holy crap, that worked like a charm! 215 pictures recovered. (I could neither read nor write to nor delete files from the card normally, so no danger of overwriting files.) Thanks a bunch! ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-rescue-pictures-off-a-corrupted-flash-card/414753/5 "2007-08-07T19:56:55Z")
Glad to help _doffs hat_😃