Camera Card Data Recovery

York Data Recovery: The UK’s Premier Memory Card Data Recovery Specialists

For 25 years, York Data Recovery has been the UK’s leading expert in data recovery from all forms of flash memory media. We specialise in the intricate world of memory cards, where recovery demands a unique synthesis of NAND flash chip forensics, controller chip reverse-engineering, and an in-depth understanding of the SD Association’s specifications. Our engineers are adept at handling failures ranging from simple logical corruption to catastrophic physical and electronic damage. We support every memory card brand, type, and form factor, leveraging a state-of-the-art lab equipped with chip-off equipment, advanced hardware imagers, and a vast inventory of controller-specific firmware tools. All recovery cases begin with a free, no-obligation diagnostic.

A 25-Year Legacy of Flash Memory Expertise
A quarter-century in data recovery has allowed us to build an unparalleled knowledge base of flash memory technology. We have witnessed and adapted to the entire evolution, from the early SLC (Single-Level Cell) NAND in SmartMedia cards to the current QLC (Quad-Level Cell) and 3D NAND in modern SD Express and CFexpress cards. This historical corpus includes proprietary controller command sets for thousands of memory card models, common failure modes of specific controller families (e.g., the SanDisk 5xxx series’ tendency to fail after a sudden power loss), and the wear-leveling algorithms used by different manufacturers. This vast, accumulated knowledge allows us to bypass common pitfalls and implement proven, tailored recovery strategies that are simply beyond the capability of software-based solutions.

Comprehensive Memory Card Brand & Format Support

We recover data from all memory card formats, brands, and generations.

Top 40 Memory Card Brands & Best-Selling Models in the UK:

1. SanDisk: Extreme PRO, Extreme, Ultra, High Endurance

2. Samsung: PRO Plus, EVO Plus, EVO Select

3. Kingston: Canvas React Plus, Canvas Go! Plus

4. Lexar: Professional, Gold Series, PLAY

5. Sony: TOUGH, SF-G, SF-M

6. PNY: PRO Elite, XLR8

7. Transcend: High Endurance, 1000x

8. Integral: UltimaPro, Compact

9. Toshiba (Kioxia): Exceria, Exceria Pro

10. Patriot: EP Series, LX Series

11. Verbatim: Premium, Store ‘n’ Go

12. ADATA: Premier, Premier Pro

13. Silicon Power: Elite, Superior

14. TeamGroup: PRO, Elite

15. Delkin: Devices, POWER

16. Angelbird: AV Pro, SD Mk2

17. Wise: Advanced, Standard

18. ProGrade Digital: Cobalt, Gold

19. ATP: ProMax, Tough

20. Kingmax: Super Stick

21. Ridata: Ultra, Standard

22. TakeMS: Classic, Pro

23. MyMemory: (Various rebranded lines)

24. Polaroid: (Standard and High-Speed)

25. Samsung Pro: (Legacy, before PRO Plus)

26. SanDisk Industrial: (For embedded systems)

27. Micron (Crucial): (OEM, less common in retail)

28. Hoodman: RAW, Steel

29. Mukii: (Budget brand)

30. V7: (Budget brand)

31. Intenso: High Performance, Standard

32. Ineo: (Budget brand)

33. Philips: (Standard series)

34. Imation: (Historical, still encountered)

35. TDK: (Historical, high-end audio)

36. Viking: (Industrial/Commercial)

37. Swissbit: (Industrial)

38. Cactus: (Photography-focused)

39. Pergear: (Budget, photography)

40. Amazon Basics: (Rebranded, various sources)

Supported Memory Card Types & Interfaces:

• SD (Secure Digital): SD, SDHC, SDXC, SDUC

• microSD: microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC, microSDUC

• CF (CompactFlash): Type I, Type II, CFast

• CFexpress: Type A, Type B

• Memory Stick: Memory Stick, PRO, Duo, PRO-HG, XC

• xD-Picture Card: Type M, Type H

• MMC (MultiMediaCard): MMC, RS-MMC, MMCmobile, MMCplus, MMCmicro

• SmartMedia: (Historical, but we recover it)

• XDCA M Card: (Industrial)

• UFS Card: (Emerging high-performance)

In-Depth Technical Recovery: 30 Software & Logical Faults

Logical failures in memory cards are often exacerbated by wear-leveling and the lack of a standard interface, making software-only recovery unreliable.

1. Accidental Formatting (Quick & Full): The user formats the card in a camera or OS, removing the file system structure.

   • Technical Recovery: We create a physical image (sector-by-sector copy) of the NAND flash. We then use tools like PC-3000 Flash or DeepSpar Disk Imager to perform a file system carver. For FAT32, we scan for the “FAT32” boot sector signature and rebuild the File Allocation Table and root directory. For exFAT, we locate the Main and Backup Boot Regions and rebuild the FAT and Cluster Heap. We bypass the controller’s logical block addressing (LBA) and work directly with the physical page data, which often contains data from before the format due to the nature of wear-leveling.

2. File System Corruption (FAT32/exFAT Boot Sector Damage): The boot sector, critical for mounting the volume, is corrupted, often by an unsafe ejection.

   • Technical Recovery: We work from a physical image. We search for a backup boot sector (standard in exFAT, often present in FAT32 implementations). If found, we copy it over the primary. If not, we manually reconstruct the boot sector parameters (bytes per sector, sectors per cluster, total sectors) by analysing the raw data patterns and known file system structures, then use this to build a virtual file system for data extraction.

3. Virus/Malware Infection (Ransomware): Files are encrypted or hidden by malicious software.

   • Technical Recovery: After imaging, we attempt to identify the ransomware variant to find a decrypter. We then perform a physical-level scan of the NAND for unencrypted data remnants. Due to wear-leveling and the TRIM command (equivalent) in modern cards, data recovery is time-sensitive. We search for file signatures (JPEG, MP4 headers) in the physical page data, which may bypass the encrypted file system layer.

4. Unsupported File System/Reformatting in Another Device: A card used in a Linux camera is reformatted in a Windows PC, or vice-versa.

   • Technical Recovery: We perform a physical image and then run a multi-pass scan using various file system carvers (NTFS, EXT4, HFS+). The key is to ignore the current, incorrect file system and search for residual metadata from the previous, correct one. The wear-leveling algorithm often leaves previous data intact in physical blocks that are marked as free in the new file system.

5. Partition Table Corruption (Master Boot Record): The MBR or GPT partition table is damaged, making the card appear unallocated.

   • Technical Recovery: We scan the physical image for partition signatures (e.g., “55 AA” for MBR, “EFI PART” for GPT). We can often rediscover the partition boundaries by locating the starting sector of the file system boot record and calculating the partition size based on the file system’s own metadata.

6. Directory Entry Corruption: The folder structure is lost or damaged, but file data may be intact.

   • Technical Recovery: We use raw recovery (file carving) to extract files based on their headers and footers. For fragmented files, this is complex. We also attempt to rebuild the directory by scanning for long file name (LFN) entries and short file name (SFN) entries in the raw data, piecing together the original tree structure.

7. “Card Not Formatted” / “You need to format the disk” Prompt.

8. “Card is Write-Protected” Error (Software-based).

9. Data Corruption during File Transfer.

10. Photo/Video File Becomes Corrupted (e.g., JPEG with partial data).

11. Lost Partition on Memory Card.

12. Camera/Camcorder Fails to Recognise Card.

13. Operating System Reports “RAW” File System.

14. Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) Errors.

15. Invalid File System Structure Errors.

16. Journaling File System Corruption (for cards used in Linux).

17. Encryption Key Loss (on encrypted cards).

18. Thumbnail Previews Visible but Files Missing.

19. File System Inconsistencies after Recovery Software Use.

20. Accidental Deletion of Files and Subsequent Use of Card.

21. File System Overhead Sectors Worn Out (common in high-endurance applications).

22. Bad Cluster Marks in File Allocation Table.

23. Root Directory Corruption.

24. Long File Name (LFN) Entry Chain Corruption.

25. Master File Table (MFT) Corruption for exFAT.

26. Volume Label Corruption.

27. File System Parameter Block Corruption.

28. Unmountable Boot Volume.

29. Incorrect Cluster Sizing Causing Capacity Issues.

30. File System Driver Conflicts.

In-Depth Technical Recovery: 30 Hardware & Electronic Faults

Physical damage requires direct intervention on the card’s components, a highly specialised process.

1. NAND Flash Memory Chip Failure: The silicon itself degrades, leading to read disturbs, retention errors, or complete failure.

   • Technical Recovery: We perform a “chip-off” procedure. The NAND chip is carefully desoldered from the card’s PCB using a hot-air rework station. Each chip is read individually using a dedicated NAND reader (e.g., via PC-3000 Flash) to create a binary dump. The complex process of “reassembly” then begins, where we use specialised software to analyse the dumps, reverse-engineer the controller’s firmware algorithm (including page layout, block management, wear-leveling, and ECC), and virtually reconstruct the user data area. This requires a deep understanding of NAND page structure (main area + spare area) and BCH or LDPC ECC codes.

2. Memory Card Controller Failure: The card’s main processor (controller) is dead or has entered a fatal error state. This is the most common cause of a “not recognised” card.

   • Technical Recovery: We first attempt to place the controller into a “safe mode” or “boot mode” using vendor-specific commands sent via a universal reader. If this fails, chip-off recovery is the only option. The challenge is that the controller’s primary role is to run the Flash Translation Layer (FTL), which maps logical addresses to physical NAND pages. Without the controller, this mapping is lost and must be reverse-engineered.

3. Bad Sectors/Unreadable NAND Blocks: Physical blocks on the NAND flash become unreliable or unreadable.

   • Technical Recovery: We use hardware tools to apply read-retry techniques at a physical level. This involves repeatedly reading the problematic NAND page with slightly adjusted read reference voltages (V_read), attempting to find a “sweet spot” where the raw bit error rate (RBER) is low enough for our software ECC to correct. This process is time-consuming and requires deep knowledge of NAND physics.

4. PCB (Printed Circuit Board) Trace Damage: The delicate internal circuitry of the card is cracked or broken, often from flexing or impact.

   • Technical Recovery: Under a high-power microscope, we diagnose the broken traces. We then use micro-soldering techniques with enameled wire (as fine as 0.02mm) to bridge the broken connections. This requires a steady hand, a micro-manipulator, and a high-precision soldering station.

5. Water/Liquid Damage with Corrosion: The card has been exposed to liquid, causing oxidation and short circuits.

   • Technical Recovery: The card is carefully cleaned in an ultrasonic bath with a specialised electronics cleaning solution to remove corrosion. It is then thoroughly dried. We then inspect under a microscope for corroded components or traces, repairing them as necessary before attempting to power the card and image it.

6. Bent or Broken Pins (SD/CF Card): The metal contact pins are damaged.

   • Technical Recovery: For standard SD/CF cards, we can often carefully bend pins back into place. For severely damaged pins, we may perform a PCB-to-PCB transplant, moving the NAND and controller chips from the damaged card to a new, compatible donor PCB.

7. Firmware Corruption in Controller ROM: The microcode running on the controller itself is corrupted.

   • Technical Recovery: If the controller has a external SPI ROM, we can read, repair, and re-flash it. If the firmware is stored internally, we may be able to force a re-flash via a service mode using tools like PC-3000 Flash and our database of firmware.

8. Power Surge/Electrical Overstress (EOS): A voltage spike damages the card’s power regulation circuitry or controller.

9. Overheating Damage to Components: Chronic overheating desolders components or damages the silicon.

10. Wear and Tear (NAND End of Life): The NAND flash has reached its P/E (Program/Erase) cycle limit.

11. Physical Crack in the NAND Flash Die.

12. Detached Components from Impact.

13. Short Circuit in Voltage Regulator.

14. Corroded Crystal Oscillator.

15. Failed On-Card DC-DC Converter.

16. Damaged Ball Grid Array (BGA) under Controller.

17. Internal Trace Corrosion (Galvanic).

18. ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) Damage.

19. Controller De-lamination.

20. NAND Chip De-soldering due to Heat/Stress.

21. Broken Internal Interconnects.

22. Damaged Card Edge Connector.

23. Failed Internal Fuse.

24. Corrupted Configuration Registers in Controller.

25. “Locked” Card that Cannot be Unlocked (Hardware level).

26. Physical Damage to microSD Card Adapter.

27. Manufacturing Defects (e.g., Cold Solder Joints).

28. Incompatible Reader/Device Causing Electrical Damage.

29. Physical Abrasion of Contact Pads.

30. Internal Moisture Detection Strip Triggered.

Why Choose York Data Recovery?

• 25 Years of Flash Memory Forensics: Our deep knowledge of NAND flash and controller-specific recovery is your greatest asset.

• Chip-Off & Hardware-Level Expertise: We go far beyond software recovery, performing physical component-level repairs and NAND reading.

• Advanced Tooling & Clean Bench Environment: Essential for successful micro-soldering and chip handling.

• Free, Transparent Diagnostics: We provide a clear, detailed report and a no-obligation quote before any work begins.

If your memory card is failing, do not attempt to format it, run chkdsk, or use consumer recovery software. These actions can trigger the card’s garbage collection, permanently erasing your data. Contact the expert engineers at York Data Recovery today for your free diagnostic assessment.