EOS 4000D Memory card formatting

[Marimend]

August 20th, 2022, my brother has used my camera to take pictures. I have a EOS 4000D camera. Once my brother gave me back the camera, I looked through the photos. I had protected all the photos he had taken. I took out the memory card, connected it to a flash drive and then connected it to my laptop. However, I do not own a fancy laptop, I own a Chromebook. All the photos popped up. I was editing some of the photos and saving them after I was done. After a while all the photos disappeared. A message popped up saying that it didn’t recognize the device and I needed to format the drive. So i reinserted the memory card back to the camera and a message popped up saying reinsert/change memory card or format, something like that. So now I cannot access any photos. And I know if I format the card it will delete the photos. Is there any way I can save the photos without formatting the memory card? Would inserting a new memory card still give me the same problem? (I barely used my camera and I had it for about 3 years. I never really had time to sit and learn everything about it as many events occurred along the way.) I need help!! 

[Tronhard]

Hi and welcome to the forum:

Sorry to learn you are having this issue.   Can you confirm that you were editing the images directly onto the memory card - as it would seem?  If so, it appears that there has been a corruption of the card filing system caused by a glitch with your Chromebook software.   I don't think the issue is with the camera, to be honest, considering the issue began  on your computer and not the camera.

Can you please confirm what kind of memory card you are using?  Is it a full-size memory card, or a micro-sd card with an adapter?

[Marimend]

this is what came with the camera.. it’s a full size SD card. My laptop does not have a slot for the sd card so I used the flash drive that was given with the camera. I, too, don’t think the problem is with the camera as it did start with my laptop. I was editing photos in hopes that I was saving them on my laptop. I don’t know much about stuff like this since I never had time to sit down and learn about it. I don’t know if everything I was editing was being put back into the SD card. 20 photos in I lose them all except one that actually saved into my files on my laptop. If the SD is corrupted, what is the best way to retrieve the photos??

 

[Tronhard]

Doing editing directly onto an SD card is notoriously risky.  The conventional wisdom is that one copies the files from the SD card to the computer and then does the processing on the copied files.  There are a couple of reasons for this.

The processing of files usually involves temporary files being created on the the file location.  Even when image processing is done, those files must be closed and that may not happen if the card is removed beforehand.  That can corrupt a card and essentially render it unusable - which is what I fear has happened. 

Copying the files onto your computer before any processing, ensures your original files are kept safe and so is the card.  Once the files are successfully copied, the card can removed from the computer. 

If this was a Windows computer, I would tell you to use the Eject feature, which is part of File Manager, that will close any open files, thus rendering the card safe to remove, and it tells you so.  Once the card is removed it can be put back in the camera, then when you are sure your files have successfully process the card can be formatted - which is normally done in the camera, not the computer.

[ebiggs1]

Don't you have a friend with another computer you can try the SD card in. I would do that. Whatever you do, do not format the SD card. It makes recovery all that much less successful. 

It looks like you have a Transcend SD card. Transcend has recovery software for it. Just search Transcend recovery software on google and you will find it. There may be just one file screwed up and the others are just fine.

[ebiggs1]

"this is what came with the camera.. it’s a full size SD card."

Canon cameras are not sold with a memory card included. I am going to guess you bought an Amazon camera package with all sorts of junk included. There is a good chance the SD card is a counterfeit. Sorry but those camera packages are a waste of money. If you get this sorted, throw that SD card away and buy one from a known good retailer. Not Amazon! Amazon itself is OK but you need to make sure whatever you buy is from Amazon itself and not one of their marketplace retailers.

It is possible that the camera is not even a Canon USA product. It may be what we call a "grey market" camera. This means there is not USA warranty on it.