It happens so many times that one deletes files from a memory card; only to realize that one needs them later. The loss of important files can be extremely disappointing if it contains personal memories, and very damaging if it means loss of work related documents. So what does one do to recover deleted files? Well, luckily files don’t really get deleted that easily off a memory card as one may think. Most memory cards have their own Trash Bin, which is like a Recycle Bin on one’s computer. This means that files stay there for a little while, and can be recovered.
However, this does not apply to all memory cards, or all types of files. Still, there’s no harm in trying. So here are some of the best ways to recover deleted files from a memory card.
Tips To Recover Deleted Files From A Memory Card
Avoid Writing New Data
One of the first things to ensure when trying to recover deleted files or data from a memory card is to not write any new data on it. This means that if it is a camera memory card, then no new pictures should be clicked on it, or no new files should be copied to it. That lowers the chances of recovering the data.
Check The Trash Bin First
This is as simple as inserting or connecting the memory card to one’s desktop or laptop, where one can open the folder and see the memory card’s Trash Bin in it. In most cases, the deleted files are stored there in a compressed form, till new data is written on the memory card. So files can be retrieved from that Trash Bin, either by copy pasting them back to the main Memory Card folder, or by using retrieving software, which is available on the web as free or paid downloads.
In-Built Software Apps
Some anti-virus software, as well as some operating systems has their own in-built apps to help recover lost or deleted data from memory cards. These apps identify the recently deleted files on the memory card, and let the users select the kind of files they want to be restored. Based on that, they have certain steps to be followed; and voila, the data is back! Some of these apps may be free, while majority of good ones are paid.
Third Party Apps
These are similar to the in-built apps, except that they are launched by third-party manufacturers, and sometimes work better than the in-built ones. They are also good for tracking files on various kinds of memory cards, as in-built ones may only read specific kinds of cards. These apps are again available in free and paid forms, both.
Most experts suggest that it is very important to ensure that the memory card is not formatted every time data is copied off it. This is because formatting the card will mean that the data can never be retrieved. Only when there are bugs to be fixed, or one is sure that they need the card to be fresh altogether, should one format the card totally. Otherwise, only deletion of the data should take place, so that files can be retrieved from the Trash Folder.
Author Bio: This is a guest post by Richard Hill. He came across a website where iphone 5 is now available at most affordable prices and provides the best deals on your rentals.
The things you were suggested in your last paragraph, ‘formatting the card will mean that the data can never be retrieved’ isn’t true and I’m completely disagree of it.
Whenever we format the drive i.e., memory card, only the data stored on it is deleted and can be recovered easily by using any powerful recovery tools like stellar phoenix photo recovery software (I’ve tried recently and works best in my case). Data directory location is remain saved and couldn’t be overwritten by formatting the card. Though, disk wiping software can erase all the mark of deleted or formatted data.
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