Recovery methods · separate export drive
recovered-media validation: measure recovery success
How do I judge the result of recovered-media validation?
Short answer
Only with several checks together: exact size, an intact container, the expected video and audio streams, full duration and a match with the shot list or production notes. A thumbnail or a clip that plays for a few seconds proves little. Rate each important file as complete, partial or unusable before deciding.
The situation
Candidate files exist, but their completeness and production value are still unknown.
No single indicator settles this. Size, container structure, stream list, duration and the match with the production notes each cover a different failure, and a file only counts as recovered when all of them agree. Judged one at a time, a broken clip can pass any of them.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Each check misses something on its own. A plausible size says nothing about the order of the data inside, an intact container can describe streams that stop early, and a duration is a declared value rather than a measured one. Thumbnails are the weakest of all, because they are stored separately from the footage.
File count, names and thumbnails measure something different from a full stream and format test. For recovered-media validation, this matters because reliable validation combines size, container, streams, duration and production context
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Build a review list of the files that matter, putting long clips and irreplaceable frames above routine material.
- 2
Read size, container type, streams and declared duration for each of them with an information tool before playing anything.
- 3
Play every important clip to its final second and open every important photo at full zoom, noting where playback breaks.
- 4
Give each file one of three verdicts, complete, partial or unusable, and keep that list with the exported material.
Do not close the review after a thumbnail grid looks healthy, and do not overwrite the source while files are still unrated. Thumbnails come from a separate part of the file, and an incomplete verdict list leaves you without a second chance at the 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.
A verdict list describes the outcome; it does not improve it. File Recovery Hero performs no repair and cannot recover a scene that was never written or already replaced, so partial files go to a repair tool on a copy, or the shot is reshot.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
The review is finished when every file on the list carries a verdict, the complete ones matched on size, container, streams and full playback, and the partial ones are documented with the point at which they fail. Nothing should still carry the .UNVERIFIED suffix 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 separate export drive be recovered in this situation?+
No single indicator settles this. Size, container structure, stream list, duration and the match with the production notes each cover a different failure, and a file only counts as recovered when all of them agree. Judged one at a time, a broken clip can pass any of them. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not close the review after a thumbnail grid looks healthy, and do not overwrite the source while files are still unrated.
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?+
The review is finished when every file on the list carries a verdict, the complete ones matched on size, container, streams and full playback, and the partial ones are documented with the point at which they fail.