Recovery methods · exFAT source or image
media file signature scan: start safely
How do I start media file signature scan without changing the source?
Short answer
First pick only the formats your camera or recorder actually wrote, such as MP4 and ARW, because every extra format adds false candidates. Then separate source and destination: identify the card by model and capacity and export to a different physical drive. Never write test files to the card before the scan.
The situation
The source and destination for media file signature scan have not yet been safely separated.
A signature scan ignores directories and looks for byte patterns that mark the beginning of a known format. That makes it independent of a damaged file system, and it also makes the format selection the most important setting: every format you enable adds candidates that have to be checked.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Recognition happens at the start of a file, and different formats behave differently there. MP4 and MOV need a moov section to describe their streams, a WAV file begins with a RIFF header of 44 bytes in the canonical case, and raw photo formats vary by manufacturer. Scanning for formats the camera never wrote produces noise, not results.
Selecting the wrong device or export path can make a sound method destructive. For media file signature scan, this matters because signatures locate possible starts while endings, fragmentation and structure still need validation
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
List the formats the camera or recorder actually writes, checking a known good card from the same device if you are unsure.
- 2
Enable only those formats in the scan settings, leaving document and archive types switched off entirely.
- 3
Identify the source by model and capacity, open it read-only and point the export path at a different physical drive.
- 4
Let the scan run across the whole volume rather than stopping at the first hits, then export in one batch.
Do not write a test file to the card to check that it still works, and do not enable every known format because it seems thorough. A test write can cover recoverable data, and a long candidate list buries the few files you actually need.
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.
Signature scanning works on data that can be read: File Recovery Hero covers exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 sources and uncompressed images, not encrypted media, APFS volumes or a card with physical faults. Scanning costs nothing, exporting requires a licence.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
The start was clean when the candidate list holds mostly the formats your camera records, the sizes look plausible for that device, and the source still reports unchanged free space. Export lands on a second drive, and the first opened candidate shows a real frame.
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 exFAT source or image be recovered in this situation?+
A signature scan ignores directories and looks for byte patterns that mark the beginning of a known format. That makes it independent of a damaged file system, and it also makes the format selection the most important setting: every format you enable adds candidates that have to be checked. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not write a test file to the card to check that it still works, and do not enable every known format because it seems thorough.
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 start was clean when the candidate list holds mostly the formats your camera records, the sizes look plausible for that device, and the source still reports unchanged free space.