SB flash recovery and recovery from camera memory cards begins with an attempt to image the entire memory device.

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If the device is defective and an image cannot be secured, the problem is further identified as originating from the controller chip, the devices firmware, or  the actual memory chips. If the memory chips are defective, no data recovery will be possible. If the controller is non-operational we can either replace the defective controller or remove and read the individual memory chips.

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If the USB flash drive or camera card is able to be imaged, the problem will likely be a logical software issue with the file system. In most cases, whether the result of read errors, re-formatting or deleting data, we will be able to repair or rebuild the necessary file system structures required to access your data or photos. When you delete or reformat your device the file system will basically re-write the tables or indexes that define where the pictures are stored BUT the actual images will remain.

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Unlike a computer where the file may be broken into many pieces and stored in many different locations, a camera stores the individual pictures or video sequentially arranged with one image following the next. This is very good for USB flash recovery purposes as we can literally search through the raw data for unique photo or video file headers. Once we find a header or start of an image, we can rip off the data from the beginning of the header to the start of the next. While we won’t have the original file names, we will have your images in perfect condition. BUT please be aware that with some cameras, the re-format or re-initialization routine may overwrite the entire contents of the card and destroy any chance of seeing your data again.