Audio · exFAT recorder card
FLAC recording: find after an import failure
Where are losslessly compressed FLAC files after a failed import?
Short answer
First run a FLAC integrity test on the imported copies: a transfer that failed midway leaves files that look normal in the folder but fail their checksum or length check. Search the destination and trash, copy again from the card, and scan the unused card read-only only if the originals are no longer on it.
The situation
losslessly compressed FLAC files is incomplete at the destination and no longer appears reliably on the source.
At the destination the takes look present and normal, yet something does not add up against the card. FLAC makes this case decidable: every imported file can be tested, and a transfer that broke off produces a copy that fails its checksum instead of quietly passing.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
A copy that stops midway leaves a file with the right name, an ordinary icon and truncated content. Where the import was set to delete the source afterwards, the card entry can already be gone. Because FLAC frames carry checksums and STREAMINFO holds an MD5 of the decoded audio, a test run separates good copies from broken ones without guesswork.
Move, rename, catalog and delete-after-import steps can fail at different moments and leave source and destination in different states. For FLAC recording, this matters because STREAMINFO, metadata and frame checksums allow strong 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
Run a FLAC integrity test over every imported file before searching anywhere, so you know which takes are actually damaged.
- 2
Search the destination and the trash for the session date, including any staging folder the importing software uses.
- 3
Where the card still holds the original, copy it again and verify the new copy with the same test.
- 4
Only for takes missing from the card as well, scan the card read-only and export to a drive other than the destination.
Do not delete the imported files before the test has run, and do not let the importer clear the card after a transfer it never verified. A file that fails its checksum is still evidence of which take is affected, and the card copy may be the only intact version.
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.
File Recovery Hero reads exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 sources plus uncompressed images on macOS and Windows. It does not repair a FLAC that failed its checksum, and a destination formatted as APFS or ext4 is out of scope, so a backup or snapshot answers that side.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
An import counts as good when each file decodes without a CRC error, matches the MD5 in its STREAMINFO block, and reports the duration the recorder logged. Files that pass need no further comparison; the ones that fail have to be copied again from the card or recovered from it.
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 recorder card be recovered in this situation?+
At the destination the takes look present and normal, yet something does not add up against the card. FLAC makes this case decidable: every imported file can be tested, and a transfer that broke off produces a copy that fails its checksum instead of quietly passing. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not delete the imported files before the test has run, and do not let the importer clear the card after a transfer it never verified.
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?+
An import counts as good when each file decodes without a CRC error, matches the MD5 in its STREAMINFO block, and reports the duration the recorder logged.