SD Recovery
Anyone happen to know of any tools that might be of use in recovering a failing 1 GB SD card? My iQue 3600 no longer reads it, refuses to format it, and my PowerBook only goes to 5% when erasing the volume… I suspect what little hardware exists is failing.
11/17/05 Update
No luck on any of the fronts mentioned in the comments :-( However, I did take it apart (no surprise there) and learn something from it, so it’s not a total loss. You can see from the photos (one, two) that the write-protect “switch” is just a mechanical interlock like those on 1.44 MB floppy disks. Also, the two power pins on SD cards extend just a hair further to meet the connecting pins only microseconds before the data pins touch (to power-up the card before use).
November 3rd, 2005 at 1:29 am
Maybe if you have access to a PC (windows) and see it you can do a full format on it? Or if the SD card’s connection pins are dirtry you can try cleaning it. Or it might be the cardreader’s problem? If these solutions doesn’t work, you should try calling the company’s tech support and check if your warranty is still valid. I don’t think these flash memory based hardwares break alot, but maybe you are just unlucky. Good luck!
November 3rd, 2005 at 2:22 am
I think diskutilities formats the volume when erasing so, a PC would really be of no greater use assuming that I am correct on this matter.
November 3rd, 2005 at 7:22 am
I may give the warranty a try, despite lack of a receipt. I know it’s been less than a year that I’ve owned it… Thanks!
November 4th, 2005 at 9:55 pm
Hey, Collin! I’m not totally sure if you merely want to reformat the card (either high or low level) and/or recover the contents from it. I can address the latter. At an ACAMUG meeting in early 2003 I did a quick presentation on the PhotoRescue app from DataRescue.com. At the previous meeting I tried browsing the Canon EOS D60 pictures I took in February at WDW directly off the CF card via PCMCIA with Canon’s included software and it trashed my card! But the software got the data back off of it. Maybe you should send them an email. Don’t confuse them with ProSoftEng.com’s PictureRescue app and DataRescue app. I nearly did recently. Side note: OWC is selling ProsoftEng’s DriveGenius for $65 + $5 UPS 2-3 (?) day. It just arrived today a week after I ordered it (OWC “lost” all traces of my first order yet sent an email confirmation). The Apple retail stores have it for $99, although you get a big cardboard box for the extra money instead of just a DVD case with inserts and disc. Anyhow … back to topic, if you still have problems with it and are back in this neck of the woods then you can try it in the Powershot SD450 I’m giving Karen for Christmas.
November 5th, 2005 at 1:36 am
I’m not worried about recovery, really. At this point, I would be happy to to have the hardware work…