Recovery methods · stable readable exFAT source
read-only recovery scan: measure recovery success
How do I judge the result of read-only recovery scan?
Short answer
Not by file count: names and thumbnails show that candidates exist, not that recordings are complete. Open every important photo fully and play the longest clips to their end, comparing durations with your notes. File Recovery Hero names unconfirmed exports .UNVERIFIED; check those first and keep the source unchanged until the review is finished.
The situation
Candidate files exist, but their completeness and production value are still unknown.
A finished scan produces a list, and a list is not a result. What matters is whether each file carries its complete payload from the first byte to the last, in a form the camera originally wrote. That question is answered by opening files, not by reading a count.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
A scan reports what it could identify, and identification happens at the start of a file. A thumbnail embedded in the first kilobytes renders even when the rest of the frame is missing, and a video container can list a duration it cannot deliver. Long recordings are the most exposed, because they span the most clusters.
File count, names and thumbnails measure something different from a full stream and format test. For read-only recovery scan, this matters because a safe scan keeps the read source and export destination separate
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Keep the card connected but untouched until the review ends, so a second pass remains possible if the first result disappoints.
- 2
Sort the exported files by size and duration, and put the longest recordings and the irreplaceable frames at the top of the review list.
- 3
Open each item from that list completely, scrubbing video to the final second rather than sampling the first few frames.
- 4
Mark every file as complete, partial or unusable in a simple list, and rename the confirmed ones away from the .UNVERIFIED suffix.
Do not judge the run by the number of files found, and do not delete the source once the first thumbnails look right. Counts include duplicates, fragments and stray previews, and the card remains the only place a second, better-targeted pass can read from.
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.
Validation shows which files are damaged; it does not mend them. File Recovery Hero marks unconfirmed exports with .UNVERIFIED and repairs no broken clip, so a truncated recording stays truncated and a repair tool working on a copy is the remaining option.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Success is measurable: a recovered photo opens at its full pixel dimensions with intact detail in the corners, a clip plays from start to end with sound in step with the picture, and the duration matches the shot list. Files still carrying .UNVERIFIED have not passed this test.
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 stable readable exFAT source be recovered in this situation?+
A finished scan produces a list, and a list is not a result. What matters is whether each file carries its complete payload from the first byte to the last, in a form the camera originally wrote. That question is answered by opening files, not by reading a count. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not judge the run by the number of files found, and do not delete the source once the first thumbnails look right.
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?+
Success is measurable: a recovered photo opens at its full pixel dimensions with intact detail in the corners, a clip plays from start to end with sound in step with the picture, and the duration matches the shot list.