CF card failed

I was doing a photo shoot for a friend's mother, and her family. It was a very important shoot, since the mother's family were from out of town.


With camera, flash in hand (5DMk2, 580EXII), I took the pictures. All went well.


Until I got home, pulled the card, and tried to download the images.


Zippo. The computer couldn't see the card. Typically, I use the photo downloader in Photoshop Bridge.


I stuck the card back into the camera. The camera also would not read it. It said it needed to be formatted.


I have several recovery programs for FAT drives (Runtime is the one that does a good job). Even this program could not find the card.


I've tried USB card readers, everything I can think of, and nothing is successful.


I thought that if I formatted the card in the camera, I could at least do a recovery on it. However, the camera couldn't format the card, either.


Even though it's solid state memory, I tried lightly tapping it, inserting, reinserting the card into the various readers I have.


I'm stuck. I don't know what more I can do at this point.


It's a Transcend brand CF (32 Gb, 400X, UDMA). I tr


This is the first time I've ever had a card go bad on me.


Any suggestions, or do I now own a small boat anchor?

Hi, I recommend to connect the CF via card reader, that it would be recognised as removable device.


For recovery images, i strongly recommend File Scavenger v3. I used it several years ago and it worked perfectly on HDD. I tried it for USB flash, and it still worked nice.


Use crack, or buy that program.

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<p class="MsoNormal"]Hi Alan:
<p class="MsoNormal"]<o:p></o:p>
<p class="MsoNormal"]THE GOOD NEWS is
that you do not own a new boat anchor. The Transcend cards have a life time warranty,
except for the industrial CF cards. I went through a very similar experience
about 5 months ago. I had taken pictures of my daughter&rsquo;s senior prom and went
to download them to the computer &amp; the computer could not read the card I &ldquo;safely
removed it from the computer and put it back in the camera and got the same
message can&rsquo;t read the card ( I have a 50D ). I had noticed that when I formatted
the card last it hesitated part way through for a couple of seconds and then
completed formatting.
<p class="MsoNormal"]<o:p></o:p>
<p class="MsoNormal"]When I could not do anything with the card my wife ( oh how
they make our lives so much better than without them ) suggested that I call
Transcend and go over the problem with them. By that time they were not able to
help me retrieve any data off the card, but they were very happy to tell me
that the card a CF 16GB 133x had a lifetime warranty. All I had to do was send
it in, which I did and a little more than a week later the new one arrived. I
found out by reading the accompanying material that all of their except the
industrials have a lifetime warranty.
<p class="MsoNormal"]<o:p></o:p>
<p class="MsoNormal"]So sorry I can not help you with any retrieval but at least
you know you do not have a new little boat anchor.
<p class="MsoNormal"]<o:p></o:p>
<p class="MsoNormal"]Godspeed
<p class="MsoNormal"]<st1:city><st1:place>Wayne</st1:place></st1:city>

Kamelot, I tried using the internal card reader (it's certainly a USB connection) and three different external USB card readers. It won't recognize the device.


Wayne, thanks for that information. I will contact them.


Did they say that it was possible to recover data from a card that couldn't be read, if they gave it a try? I would surely like to get those files. My friend told me not to fret about it, but I feel bad that this happened, and I want to make it right for him.


Thanks again.


Alan

Hi Alan:


For me and what happened to the card they did not think so and when they received my card they did not call to tell me that they could get anything. Your case may be different though because it was not exactly like mine. So all you can do is ask them and pray that somehow something maybe retrieved.


Yea,, I can feel that disappointment which you have because your friend is important to you and trusted you enough to ask you to do this. He does sound reasonable and seems to understand that stuff happens that we just can't control in our lives. I know that does not make it any better or make you feel any better, but that just may be the best that you can get out of it.


Somehow, in time you will be able to do something for him that will help you all feel better. What you give is what you often get in life and your intentions were nothing but honorable so sometime you will be able to reap benefits from your good intentions. Wish I could be more helpful, &amp; let us know what happens with transcend. OK.





Godspeed


Wayne

Wayne, thanks for your kind words. I'll let everyone know what happens.


Alan

<span class="field-item-description"]

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alan

Kamelot, I tried using the internal card reader (it's certainly a USB connection) and three different external USB card readers. It won't recognize the device.

---

I think, that your internal card reader is too old to read and recognise your UDMA CF.
You have to connect your card via reader, which can "understand" the UDMA technology. I have internal card reader too. It can read 16 different types of cards. And there is CF compartment, but it doesn't read my CF, because my card works with UDMA technology.

When you could connect your card via card reader and your PC recognise your card as removable device, then you could easily recover your photos with File Scavenger v3 [;)]

Kamelot, I guess I'm not understanding what you're saying.


I have several UDMA cards, and they all could be read just fine on the internal card reader, plus the several external USB card readers.


This particular card (the Transcend) was working fine in each of these slots before it could no longer be accessed.

oh sorry, i didn't understand too then..


Have you tryed to view all memmory devices with partition managing software? maybe there you will see your card partition between all other hhd's or removable devices.

No, I haven't tried that yet, but how would the card's data be put to the partition, if the computer can't read the data from the card?


Shouldn't that have to occur first? And, if the camera is unable to read the card, and can't format it, then it tells me that the card is no longer a removable HDD.

<span style="color: #999999;"]Sorry I was testing my Safari browser and I didn't think it would work, but it did...sorry, don't pay any attention to my "test"[A]

Alan,


I have no idea whether or not my suggestion will make sense to you, but I would check contacts on your memory card. Sometimes, they get dirty or even disfigured, or some kind of a foreign matter may be stuck to them. Anyway, proceed with caution because those contacts are delicate. Good luck!

Good suggestion. I don't know for sure, but based on a cursory look, the contacts appear to be aligned correctly, and they look fairly shiny. I had to borrow someone's heavy duty "cheaters" to see the contacts, but they don't look disfigured or corroded.


I've tried wiggling the card and/or slightly moving it while in the various readers, but to no avail.