Photos & RAW · exFAT image medium
TIFF camera images: find after an import failure
Where are deleted TIFF photographs after a failed import?
Short answer
First search the destination by file name, including the trash and any catalog or output folder. Large TIFF files take long to copy, so an interrupted import can leave truncated copies behind; compare their sizes with the source. If the originals are missing on both sides, scan the unused source medium read-only.
The situation
deleted TIFF photographs is incomplete at the destination and no longer appears reliably on the source.
With files of this size an import rarely fails cleanly. A copy that ran out of time or space leaves a picture at the destination that carries the right name and only part of the data, so a file listing alone will not show you what went wrong.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Copying a TIFF takes long enough for a cable, a sleep cycle or a full destination drive to interrupt it. The program may then have counted the picture as transferred, moved on and, in a move operation, removed the source. What remains is a short file at the target and a freed entry on the source medium.
Move, rename, catalog and delete-after-import steps can fail at different moments and leave source and destination in different states. For TIFF camera images, this matters because TIFF stores byte order, image-file directories and offsets that must point to complete strips or tiles.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Leave the source medium disconnected until the destination has been checked, so nothing is written over the freed entries there.
- 2
Compare the byte size of every imported picture with the value the source reported; a copy shorter than the original is the failed one.
- 3
Reconnect the source read-only afterwards and scan it for TIFF data instead of repeating the copy that has already failed once.
- 4
Export the recovered originals to a drive with ample free space and replace the short copies at the destination one by one.
Do not overwrite the truncated copies at the destination by starting the import again, and do not delete them either. They may hold rows the source no longer offers, and a fresh run failing at the same point can leave you with even less.
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.
This route covers pictures still held on a readable source medium. Files removed at a destination on macOS need the trash or a snapshot instead, because File Recovery Hero reads exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 volumes and uncompressed images only, and repairs no picture.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Two figures settle this: the byte size next to the source value, and the picture itself opened down to the last row. A file that matches in size but breaks off visually was damaged during the copy, not at capture, and should be fetched again.
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 image medium be recovered in this situation?+
With files of this size an import rarely fails cleanly. A copy that ran out of time or space leaves a picture at the destination that carries the right name and only part of the data, so a file listing alone will not show you what went wrong. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not overwrite the truncated copies at the destination by starting the import again, and do not delete them either.
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?+
Two figures settle this: the byte size next to the source value, and the picture itself opened down to the last row.