How to recover lost photos & videos from memory cards with free software for Windows

http://blog.danimations.com.au Learn how to recover lost photos & video easily after memory card errors. This video installs and demonstrates the free image recovery tool in Zero Assumption Data Recovery for Windows software, and also shows you how to lock, unlock and format your card media. This process can also undelete files inaccessible due to card formatting or accidental deletion. SD card recovery and repair is demonstrated, but XD, memorystick, compactflash, microSD and other card formats can all utilise the same easy process. This is the first in a series of Danimations Digital Media Tips. To suggest a future episode topic, please leave a comment on our channel page.

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Closed Caption:

One of the worst things that can happen to
you as a digital photographer
is a card error
but don't panic,
with the right software and about an hour
of your time,
you'll be able to recover the majority of
your data from that disc.
To make sure you don't overwrite any data
on the card, write-protect it by flicking
this tab.
Next you'll need some data recovery software.
Now there are stacks of data recovery programs
available.
Many of them are free, many of them claim
to be free
but they're not all created equal.
What I like about Zero Assumption Data Recovery
is that the interface is simple,
it's quick to install,
it doesn't deceive you by suggesting it's
free when really it's not
and it has a utility specifically for recovering
images and video from card media.
So we're just completing the install now,
fairly typical process...
and we're ready to launch.
Now if you're running anti-virus software,
just make sure it's turned off because it
can slow down the data recovery process.
Now, free image recovery is what we want.
Next, select the drive that your card is currently
in...
and click 'Next'.
Your card is now being scanned to find your
data, the file structure and any damage the
disc may have received.
Be patient, this does take a while
Post-processing also takes a while, and when
your files are displayed,
you'll notice their names have changed.
So the best thing to do is to click 'root'
and recover everything.
Don't click 'save' though, that saves the
program's state, but it won't start the recovery
process.
The magic button here is 'Next'
Now choose a folder to recover your data into...
and
click 'Start'.
Now you can relax while the software copies
your data from your card to your hard drive
and into the folder you selected earlier.
When
it's done you can review a report.
This run recovered 701 files in 35 minutes.
Now the majority of your photos and videos
have been recovered, let's get your card reformatted,
and get you back out in the field.
Start by unlocking your card.
Now right click on your SD card drive, click
'Format'
and you're well on your way.
Happy shooting!