Emergency · faulty exFAT SDXC card
Recover data before repairing an SD card
Should I repair a faulty SD card or rescue the files first?
Short answer
Rescue the files first: repair tools make a file system consistent, not complete, and can discard deleted entries or orphaned data. Image or scan the card read-only, verify the recovered media on another drive, and only then repair or reformat the card, ideally practising any repair on a disposable copy of the image.
The situation
The operating system offers repair while important media is still missing.
Repair and rescue want opposite things from the same card. A repair tool aims at a consistent file system and is free to discard whatever does not fit that picture, including the entries your missing files depend on. Rescue therefore goes first, always.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
When the operating system flags an exFAT card as damaged, it is comparing the allocation table, the directory and the volume header and finding contradictions. Repair resolves them by choosing one version and writing it down. Deleted entries, orphaned chains and half-updated records are exactly what gets dropped in that process, and they are what a scan lives on.
Repair tools aim to make the file system consistent, not to preserve deleted entries or every original byte.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Decline the repair prompt and leave the card connected read-only, or eject it until you are ready to work on it.
- 2
Make an uncompressed sector image of the card, which gives you both a backup and a safe surface for later experiments.
- 3
Scan the card or the image read-only, export everything you need to another drive and check the files there.
- 4
Only with verified copies in hand, repair or reformat the card, ideally practising the repair on a duplicate of the image first.
Do not let the system repair the card first and recover afterwards, and do not reformat it to make it usable for the next shoot. Once the repair has written its corrected structures, there is no version of the card left that still describes the missing material.
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 and uncompressed images without ever writing to them, which is why it fits this order of work. It does not repair a file system or a damaged single file, so the repair step itself needs other tools.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Before the card is repaired, every file that matters has to be open and complete on another drive: photographs at full resolution, clips playing to the end, documents scrolling to the last page. Treat the recovery as unfinished while a single important file is still unchecked.
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 faulty exFAT SDXC card be recovered in this situation?+
Repair and rescue want opposite things from the same card. A repair tool aims at a consistent file system and is free to discard whatever does not fit that picture, including the entries your missing files depend on. Rescue therefore goes first, always. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not let the system repair the card first and recover afterwards, and do not reformat it to make it usable for the next shoot.
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?+
Before the card is repaired, every file that matters has to be open and complete on another drive: photographs at full resolution, clips playing to the end, documents scrolling to the last page.