Emergency · video card and destination drive
Large video will not copy from the card
Why can small files copy but one large video cannot?
Short answer
Often the destination is the problem: a FAT32 drive cannot hold files larger than 4 GB, and a nearly full disk stops long clips first. Check destination format and free space. If the copy fails at the same point on a suitable drive, the clip likely crosses an unreadable area; image the card instead of retrying.
The situation
Photos or short clips copy successfully, but a long MP4, MOV, or MXF fails.
Small files copying while one long clip fails puts the destination in the spotlight first. A FAT32 disk refuses any file over 4 GB, and a nearly full drive stops the biggest file before all the others, both without any fault on the card.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
A long recording occupies thousands of clusters, so it is statistically the file most likely to touch a weak area, and it is also the only one large enough to hit a file size limit. If the copy always stops at the same position in the file, the card is suspect; if it stops at different points, the destination or the connection is.
The large file may cross an unreadable region, be truncated, exceed a destination-file-system limit, or contain invalid extents.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Check the destination first: its file system and its free space must both be able to take a file of that size.
- 2
Copy the clip to an exFAT or NTFS drive with ample room and watch where the transfer stalls this time.
- 3
If it fails at the same point again, stop copying and image the whole card in one pass with error logging.
- 4
Recover the clip from that image, export it to another drive and check where the picture breaks if anything is missing.
Do not restart the same failing copy again and again, and do not split the clip with a tool that writes to the card. Repeated reads over a damaged region make it worse, and a card that is already struggling may not survive another dozen attempts.
03 / Choose the method
Match the tool to the source
For stable, readable exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 or uncompressed IMG, DD, RAW and BIN images.
Unconfirmed exports are marked .UNVERIFIED.
If the clip crosses an area the card cannot read, the gap stays a gap; software cannot invent the missing frames. File Recovery Hero reads exFAT, NTFS and FAT cards and uncompressed images read-only, and it does not repair the container that a missing section leaves behind.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
The copy is complete when the file on the destination has exactly the size the card reports and plays from beginning to end. If the length is short or the picture stalls at one point, note the position: it marks the part of the card that no longer reads.
Keep the source until two verified copies exist. One working preview is not enough.
Sources and technical references
FAQ
Questions about this recovery case
Can video card and destination drive be recovered in this situation?+
Small files copying while one long clip fails puts the destination in the spotlight first. A FAT32 disk refuses any file over 4 GB, and a nearly full drive stops the biggest file before all the others, both without any fault on the card. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not restart the same failing copy again and again, and do not split the clip with a tool that writes to the card.
Does scanning write to my memory card?+
Your memory card is only read. Nothing is saved to it.
How do I know whether the result is complete?+
The copy is complete when the file on the destination has exactly the size the card reports and plays from beginning to end.