i need a free photo recovery program that doesnt require a sd reader

[red]

hi,i accidentaly erased all of my pictures and i need a free photo recovery tool but i dont have any sd readers (i have a canon powershot sd300) any suggestions?thanks!

[judge9847]

hi,i accidentaly erased all of my pictures and i need a free photo recovery tool but i dont have any sd readers (i have a canon powershot sd300) any suggestions?thanks!

If you run Norton Utilities there is a file recovery program in there that MAY work. When I had the same sort of issue it didn't. I had to buy a recovery program to do the job in the end.

It had a try-before-you-buy feature but any photos recovered were splashed with the name of the program and other details. It rendered them unusable as images but it did prove the program worked.

There are lots that do the same thing.

[red]

thanks, where do you get norton utilities?what program did you buy to get your pics back and how much was it?

[Rhys]

I'd only recommend Symmantec's Norton Untilities for Windows 9x systems. Don't use it on XP as it destroys XP's installation history so it's impossible to recover from a bad installation.

Rhys

[1SFG]

well it's not free - but depending on your location you might want to check your local book store for a british publication called digital camera magazine. i picked a copy up here in the states ($15) and it came with two of those freebie discs that often accompany magazines. one of them has a file recovery program on it.

[judge9847]

thanks, where do you get norton utilities?what program did you buy to get your pics back and how much was it?

My apologies - I didn't see your response to my post until now.

Rhys is right, you do have to pay for Norton so if you haven't got it, then it's probably not worth buying for just the recovery part of it. As I said, it actually didn't work for me when I was in the same situation. And if Rhys is right about it not working with XP then that's another reason for not getting it.

There are no free utilities that I know of. All of the ones I've ever looked at offer you the opportunity to make sure they work before you buy them but any images that are recovered are splashed with a huge logo and date and so on, just to make sure they're of no use to you. You have to buy the program. There may be free utilities that do the job but I've never found one. I'm in the UK and the DCM is a good mag but the file recovery program they supplied on the CD was exactly the same as all the others - it worked but only to prove that it did. Images were deliberately ruined by the trial software and you had to buy the license to use it.

I bought something called Object Rescue but only because it gave me the option of starting the recovery at any number sector on the card: I had a corrupted first few segments which no other recovery program I tried could even get round so Object Rescue was a real bonus.

I found it here and it cost me about $30 I think it was - but it was well worth the investment. I might just need it again!!!

Again, my apologies for not getting back to you earlier.

[Steve Cifra]

I have used http://www.z-a-recovery.com/digital_image_recovery.htm with good results.

Steve

[judge9847]

I have used http://www.z-a-recovery.com/digital_image_recovery.htm with good results.Steve

However, by their own admission the program is VERY limited in what it can do. It's only directly compatible with 13 models, with another just another 10 needing a card reader ... and one that doesn't work at all. Outside that, nothing.

I'd suggest you pay your money and get a result.

[SoCalTom]

However, by their own admission the program is VERY limited in what it can do.

for the first time, i accidentally deleted all images on my sony memory stick (in a reader) before i saved them. the referenced program brought them all back - for free!. can't beat that with a stick. i say, try the freebie first.

tom - socal

[matt2sol]

I experienced corruption of several files on my Canon Powershot SD300. I was very elated to find the link to Zero Assumption and their freeware version. It completely restored the corrupted files and saved the day. Luckily I had a camera that seems to be supported but it is certainly worth a try even if yours is not listed, it's free!. I used my card reader in place of the camera to access the card. 15 minutes later and I have all the files back. Thanks for the link.
(http://www.z-a-recovery.com/sysreq_ir.htm)