Video · professional exFAT card structure
MXF with sidecar files: recover after an interrupted recording
What can I do with MXF clips with XML and metadata sidecars after a recording interruption?
Short answer
Usually the MXF media was being written while its XML sidecar and clip list were not yet updated, so camera and editor may not list the take. Keep an untouched copy of the whole card. Check the MXF file itself on a copy before assuming the recording is lost.
The situation
MXF clips with XML and metadata sidecars is missing, too short or unreadable after power loss, a card error or an unsafe stop.
The camera stopped between two writes. Essence was already streaming to the card while the XML descriptor and the clip list still described the previous state, so the take exists as data yet appears nowhere in the card index the camera reads.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Broadcast recording appends essence continuously and updates the accompanying metadata when the clip closes. An unsafe stop skips that closing update, which leaves an MXF whose body is largely intact but whose header duration, index table and sidecar entry are missing or stale. Camera and editor both list the card from those records, which is why neither shows the take.
The payload may have been written before duration fields, indexes, directory entries or closing structures were committed. For MXF with sidecar files, this matters because some NLE workflows rely on clip lists, XML or directory context in addition to readable essence
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 recorder down properly instead of pulling the card, then remove the card once the write indicator has gone out.
- 2
Copy the entire card structure to a disk first, folder tree included, so the interrupted clip and its neighbors stay together.
- 3
Inspect the MXF on that copy with a media tool before concluding anything; essence that plays proves the recording reached the card.
- 4
If the file is absent from the card as well, scan the exFAT volume read-only and export to a different drive.
Do not let the camera repair or rebuild the card so the clip shows up again, and do not overwrite the interrupted MXF with a repair attempt. Work on the duplicate; the card is the only thing that still holds the essence exactly as it was written.
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 copies and exports what the exFAT card holds read-only; it does not rewrite a clip list, repair a truncated MXF header or extend a recording that never finished. Material after the interruption was never written. Scan free, export with the 50 € license.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Play the recovered MXF from the copy and note where it stops. A file that runs to the moment of the interruption and then ends is the expected outcome, not a failure. Compare that timestamp with the camera log, and confirm audio tracks are present for the whole length.
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 professional exFAT card structure be recovered in this situation?+
The camera stopped between two writes. Essence was already streaming to the card while the XML descriptor and the clip list still described the previous state, so the take exists as data yet appears nowhere in the card index the camera reads. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not let the camera repair or rebuild the card so the clip shows up again, and do not overwrite the interrupted MXF with a repair 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?+
Play the recovered MXF from the copy and note where it stops.