Help! I've Lost My Pictures!

[lady ranger]

I can't recover the photos on my SD card.  Everything was normal and then yesterday when I went to look at some recent pics everything was gone.  I didn't delete anything, no one else was handling my camera and there were no error messages.  When I plugged the card into my computer is shows that about 2/3 of the space is used but all I can see are 8 pictures that I took after everything else disapeared.  Any suggestions?  I'm not sure quite what to do.

[scrapjanny]

Can  you see the photos if you view them on your camera?  Are you trying to view them through My Computer, or are you using a picture viewer such as Shutterfly or Snapfish?

[iReNa]

Did they maybe get saved to the camera's memory instead of the SD card ?

[starvette]

Did you remove the card from the camera properly, (off)? Cards can get corrupted. What brand is it?
I'll get back to you late, I'm am running late.

[lady ranger]

Can  you see the photos if you view them on your camera?  Are you trying to view them through My Computer, or are you using a picture viewer such as Shutterfly or Snapfish?

I can't view the pictures through the camera.  Doesn't work when I put the card in the card slot in the computer.  Haven't tried anything like Shutterfly.

[lady ranger]

Did they maybe get saved to the camera's memory instead of the SD card ?

Doesn't look like the camera has any built in memory.  It won't work without the SD card.  Camera is a Canon PowerShot S2IS.

[lady ranger]

Did you remove the card from the camera properly, (off)? Cards can get corrupted. What brand is it?
I'll get back to you late, I'm am running late.

I didn't have the card out of the camera until after the pictures didn't show up.  When I did take it out, camera was off.  Card is a2GB GXT Ultra High Speed.  don't remember for sure where I bought but think it was at a camera shop.

I checked the disc for errors and it found none.  I also ran a disc scan and no problems.  It shows that there are 897 files on the disc (8 after the problem so the disc still works) and still nearly 1/3 of the disc is free space.

[scrapjanny]

Doesn't look like the camera has any built in memory.  It won't work without the SD card.  Camera is a Canon PowerShot S2IS.

I have the S1IS, and I had a problem with the image sensor (which was fixed super-fast and free of charge).  On their website is a list of known problems.  Try checking there to see if yours is listed.  There is also the possibility that you have a defective card.

ETA - I Googled your problem, and the suggestion given most often is to get an image recovery program for your computer.  You might be able to recover your lost photos.  Also, they say not to use the card for anything else, because you might overwrite the missing files.  You can begin here.  http://www.z-a-recovery.com/digital-image-recovery.htm.  I haven't tried this myself, so I can't vouch for its usefulness.  I just wanted to give you a place to start.  I really hope you can find your photos.  I know how heartbreaking it is when this happens.

[lady ranger]

Thank you so much for the help Janny!  I googled my camera for problems then did the same for the SD card.  I found a lot of problems with the card.  I went to the website for the manufacturer and they had a free program called Digital Image Recovery and it worked.  All 887 pictures have been downloaded to my hard drive.  It took most of the afternoon but it was time well spent.

[puppyscrapper]

Thank you so much for the help Janny!  I googled my camera for problems then did the same for the SD card.  I found a lot of problems with the card.  I went to the website for the manufacturer and they had a free program called Digital Image Recovery and it worked.  All 887 pictures have been downloaded to my hard drive.  It took most of the afternoon but it was time well spent.

Wow! How wonderful that you were able to recover the pics!!    Makes me think I really should pull my card out & save mine to disc!!

[scrapjanny]

Thank you so much for the help Janny!  I googled my camera for problems then did the same for the SD card.  I found a lot of problems with the card.  I went to the website for the manufacturer and they had a free program called Digital Image Recovery and it worked.  All 887 pictures have been downloaded to my hard drive.  It took most of the afternoon but it was time well spent.

   I'm so glad you were able to get your photos back!  I'm glad I could help.  Enjoy your photos. 

[starvette]

Cool! I would recommend not using that card anymore. It may corrupt again.