Recovery methods · IMG, DD, RAW or BIN image
sector-by-sector disk image: measure recovery success
How do I judge the result of sector-by-sector disk image?
Short answer
First check the image itself: its size should match the source capacity exactly, and any read errors during imaging must be noted, because unread sectors become gaps. Then judge recovered files from the image, not by their count: open photos fully, play long clips to the end and repeat the scan to confirm identical results.
The situation
Candidate files exist, but their completeness and production value are still unknown.
Two things get judged here, and they are separate. First the image: did the copy capture every sector of the source. Then the files taken from it: do they open completely. A flawless image of a damaged card and a flawed image of a healthy card look similar from outside.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Imaging tools react differently to read errors: some stop, some retry, some substitute zeros and continue silently. Zeroed sectors inside an image are indistinguishable from genuinely empty ones later, so a clip that ends abruptly may be a reading problem rather than a recording problem. The log written during the run is the only record of which happened.
File count, names and thumbnails measure something different from a full stream and format test. For sector-by-sector disk image, this matters because an uncompressed image freezes the source state for repeatable analysis
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Compare the image file size in bytes with the reported capacity of the source device before you scan it at all.
- 2
Read the imaging log and note every sector range that produced a read error, keeping that note beside the review list.
- 3
Scan the image and export candidates to a working drive, then open the longest recordings first and play them to the end.
- 4
Repeat the scan on the same image and check that the second run produces the same files with the same sizes.
Do not throw away the source card once the image exists, and do not overwrite the image with a second attempt. A repeated pass over a struggling card can read worse than the first, and the original medium remains the only way to fill sectors the image missed.
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.
Where the image already contains zeros, no scan of it invents content, and File Recovery Hero neither rewrites nor repairs damaged files. A card whose bad sectors keep growing needs a laboratory, and compressed or encrypted image formats cannot be opened by the scan.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
The result holds up when image size and device capacity agree exactly, the log lists no unread ranges, and two scans of the same image return identical file lists. Individual exports then need the usual test: full resolution for photos, complete playback with sound for clips.
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 IMG, DD, RAW or BIN image be recovered in this situation?+
Two things get judged here, and they are separate. First the image: did the copy capture every sector of the source. Then the files taken from it: do they open completely. A flawless image of a damaged card and a flawed image of a healthy card look similar from outside. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not throw away the source card once the image exists, and do not overwrite the image with a second attempt.
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 result holds up when image size and device capacity agree exactly, the log lists no unread ranges, and two scans of the same image return identical file lists.