Video · high-speed exFAT card
high-frame-rate MP4: recover after an interrupted recording
What can I do with slow-motion or HFR MP4 clips after a recording interruption?
Short answer
Copy first, repair second: an interrupted HFR clip usually misses its moov index, and a repair tool needs a reference clip recorded in exactly the same high-frame-rate mode. A reference shot at normal frame rate can produce the wrong duration or speed. Note the camera's HFR setting and playback rate before any repair attempt.
The situation
slow-motion or HFR MP4 clips is missing, too short or unreadable after power loss, a card error or an unsafe stop.
An HFR take that stops unexpectedly leaves a large payload and no index. Because capture rate and playback rate differ in this mode, a rebuilt file can look plausible and still be wrong: the duration a repair reports depends on which rate it assumed.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
High frame rate recording fills the card quickly and writes its sample table when the take ends. A power loss, a card error or a card that cannot keep up with the data rate cuts that final step. The frames are present, but nothing in the file states how many were captured per second, which is exactly the number a player needs.
The payload may have been written before duration fields, indexes, directory entries or closing structures were committed. For high-frame-rate MP4, this matters because recording rate and playback rate can differ, making an incorrect duration look plausible
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Power the camera down and take the card out, since a card that struggled with the data rate may fail again.
- 2
Record the HFR mode in writing: capture rate, resolution and the playback rate the clip was meant to have.
- 3
Copy the interrupted file to a disk and keep that copy as it is, working only on further duplicates.
- 4
Shoot the reference clip in exactly the same high-frame-rate mode, then repair a duplicate against it.
Do not use a reference clip recorded at a normal frame rate, and do not let the camera try to fix the take. A mismatched reference produces a file that plays at the wrong speed and reports a duration that has nothing to do with the shoot.
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 the card read-only and exports the file; it does not rebuild the sample table, set a frame rate or repair a container. If the card itself failed physically rather than losing power, that is a case for a data recovery lab.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Check the frame rate the repaired copy reports against the mode you noted. Motion should look smooth at capture speed and stretch correctly when conformed for playback. A clip whose duration is a neat fraction or multiple of the expected length was rebuilt with the wrong rate.
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 high-speed exFAT card be recovered in this situation?+
An HFR take that stops unexpectedly leaves a large payload and no index. Because capture rate and playback rate differ in this mode, a rebuilt file can look plausible and still be wrong: the duration a repair reports depends on which rate it assumed. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not use a reference clip recorded at a normal frame rate, and do not let the camera try to fix the take.
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?+
Check the frame rate the repaired copy reports against the mode you noted.