K5: accidental deleting of SD card folders

Andrew Crouch · 12-16-2011, 08:57 PM

I have a new k5.

I have noticed that the camera creates a new file folder for each day, which in itself seems like a good idea.

However, much to my annoyance, I have discovered today that deleting an earlier day's folder on the camera from the computer end (as seemed logical since I had earlier downloaded those photos) deletes all day folders and folder contents from the SD card, including as it happened a gem of a photo from today that I had not yet downloaded. Has anyone noticed this, and is there any possible way to retrieve the most recently deleted photos from the SD card (I haven't touched the card since this happened)??.

Would much appreciate any help.

Thanks

Andrew.

Docrwm · 12-16-2011, 09:01 PM

I believe that Sandisk has an SD recovery program that could fix your problem. Might check for it here and on there website. Good luck.

Ole · 12-16-2011, 09:05 PM

To be on the safe side I've made it a rule to never write to or delete anything on the SD card from the computer.

As Docrwm suggests, there is a good change that you can recover the deleted files.

Markbrumbaugh · 12-16-2011, 10:09 PM

I've deleted a previous day without deleting every day. ???

Philoslothical · 12-17-2011, 02:03 AM

Originally posted by Andrew Crouch

I have discovered today that deleting an earlier day's folder on the camera from the computer end (as seemed logical since I had earlier downloaded those photos) deletes all day folders and folder contents from the SD card

Under normal circumstances that does not happen, period. Something is wrong with your card, reader, or perhaps user error of some sort. The only way you could accidentally delete all the dated folders is if you either highlighted more than one before deleting, or deleted the whole DCIM folder by mistake.

First stop I'd make is to pick up Recuva if you're on Windows. Which OS and version do you use? It should be easy to recover the photos on the card provided you haven't written anything else to the card since.

sterretje · 12-17-2011, 04:08 AM

Important: do not use the card till you have recovered the images.

There are plenty of recovery tools; some already mentioned. I've managed to recover a card that was all of a sudden empty using photorec. Although it should not make a difference, it's often advised not to use the computer for anything but reading the card; delete and format on the camera. Format 'needs to be done' anyway on the camera to re-create the DCIM folder (although you should be able to recreate that folder from the computer as well in an additional step).

I would think that the behavior that you've experienced is strange; it should not wipe everything. Which cards are you using? SD, SDHC, SDXC? The camera's driver for SDXC is often blamed for lost images (there are one or more threads about this); the behavior that you have experienced might be related if you use SDXC cards.

I have not had any issues with my 8GB SDHC cards on my K5, but I also don't delete / format using a PC.

Good luck with the recovery.

Philoslothical · 12-17-2011, 04:32 AM

Originally posted by sterretje

Format 'needs to be done' anyway on the camera to re-create the DCIM folder

Nah, it's not needed for that. Putting a blank formatted card in my K-r, it creates the folders when you take your first shot. No biggie. Creating the folder from a PC also works of course, a folder is a folder. I often do this, and recreate the last dated folder, so that it knows where to continue the numbering from.

Originally posted by sterretje

the behavior that you have experienced might be related if you use SDXC cards.

Good point, if he's using SDXC cards, he must update to the current firmware.

stevbike · 12-17-2011, 04:41 AM

I will normally trans all files from a SD card to the computer regardless of the number images I have on it. It saved me the trouble of loosing pictures like what happened to you. I will back them up on to a external hard from there to make sure they are save. I did run into a problem with deleted images on an SD card and used a recovery program to save the deleted pictures that where on the card. That should work for you as well.

Andrew Crouch · 12-17-2011, 05:04 AM

I have tried 4 different recovery programs (including the SanDisk one) using your collective suggestions, and although they all retrieve 40 or so earlier jpgs, the one I really wanted (the most recently taken) was not recovered by any of them. I actually saw the photo on playback, so it was clearly stored prior to the deletion.

I am using a new SanDisk SDHC 4GB card, and Windows 7 in the computer. I didn't format the card in the beginning, because I have not needed to in the past with other cameras, as the camera always (as in this case) created the DCIM folder automatically. the card has behaved perfectly well for a couple of weeks until this happened.

I've run out of ideas. I've still not used the camera since the mishap, but it seems that unless someone is aware of a cleverer than average recovery program, i will just have to write it off to experience. Thanks for your suggestions though.

Andrew

Philoslothical · 12-17-2011, 05:54 AM

You can try this one, it's my fallback and has provided some good results as far back as the Windows 98 days.

However, if Recuva couldn't find it, even with the "deep scan" option, it sounds like it got deleted and overwritten before you became aware of losing it.

Is it possible that these folders were lost before you deleted the one that you think caused the issue?

If I were you, I'd go out and get a new card right away. Where did you buy the 4GB one? There are a LOT of counterfeit ones on the market, particularly branded as Sandisk. Some counterfeit cards have a much smaller capacity than they report, so "filling" the card actually overwrites data already on it. It's a good practice to only buy memory cards from reputable brick and mortar shops, although a handful of reputable online dealers should be safe too.

sterretje · 12-17-2011, 06:31 AM

Originally posted by Philoslothical

Nah, it's not needed for that. Putting a blank formatted card in my K-r, it creates the folders when you take your first shot. No biggie.

Thanks for that correction; will test it one day.

Docrwm · 12-17-2011, 07:04 AM

Sorry about the loss of photos. It's not necessarily the camera though, even Sandisk cards can fail or it could have been a glitch with W7.

normhead · 12-17-2011, 07:13 AM

There can be unforeseen mess ups for sure. I few weeks ago, I shot a few pictures, reviewed them on the camera after I took them, checked the histograms to make sure I had reasonable exposures... then got home and couldn't find them... I have no idea what happened, but like you, 4 pictures that were good enough that I remembered to look for them were just gone. I'm shooting with a K20D so not exactly the same but... sometimes stuff happens.

amc654 · 12-19-2011, 06:33 PM

I don't know if this will help, but I accidentally deleted a whole folder of shots (user error, not technical glitch) and successfully used "Pandora" recovery program. Worked great. Sounds like your card might be bad.

After that incident, I never store more than 1 days' shots on my card--I always download them to my computer and empty the card. If I shoot in the morning and plan to again in the afternoon, I still download the morning's session before shooting in the afternoon. Call me paranoid, but I'd rather be safe than sorry!

aleonx3 · 12-19-2011, 07:49 PM

That does not make sense to me. You said you delete the 'all day folders', do you mean all the folder created by the camera per day? Or do you delete the entire DCIM folder which contains all the sub-folders (per day)? I don't know if there is a way to delete a folder from the camera (be interested to know how). I don't usually delete any photos until the SD card is full or almost full and I usually use the PC to delete the files (never DCIM). Well regardless, always of course, I hope you can recover the files/photos.

12-16-2011, 08:57 PM	#1
Andrew Crouch Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 48	K5: accidental deleting of SD card folders I have a new k5. I have noticed that the camera creates a new file folder for each day, which in itself seems like a good idea. However, much to my annoyance, I have discovered today that deleting an earlier day's folder on the camera from the computer end (as seemed logical since I had earlier downloaded those photos) deletes all day folders and folder contents from the SD card, including as it happened a gem of a photo from today that I had not yet downloaded. Has anyone noticed this, and is there any possible way to retrieve the most recently deleted photos from the SD card (I haven't touched the card since this happened)??. Would much appreciate any help. Thanks Andrew.

12-17-2011, 05:04 AM	#9
Andrew Crouch Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 48 Original Poster	this is where I'm at I have tried 4 different recovery programs (including the SanDisk one) using your collective suggestions, and although they all retrieve 40 or so earlier jpgs, the one I really wanted (the most recently taken) was not recovered by any of them. I actually saw the photo on playback, so it was clearly stored prior to the deletion. I am using a new SanDisk SDHC 4GB card, and Windows 7 in the computer. I didn't format the card in the beginning, because I have not needed to in the past with other cameras, as the camera always (as in this case) created the DCIM folder automatically. the card has behaved perfectly well for a couple of weeks until this happened. I've run out of ideas. I've still not used the camera since the mishap, but it seems that unless someone is aware of a cleverer than average recovery program, i will just have to write it off to experience. Thanks for your suggestions though. Andrew

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12-16-2011, 09:01 PM	#2
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	I believe that Sandisk has an SD recovery program that could fix your problem. Might check for it here and on there website. Good luck.

12-16-2011, 09:05 PM	#3
Ole Administrator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,409	To be on the safe side I've made it a rule to never write to or delete anything on the SD card from the computer. As Docrwm suggests, there is a good change that you can recover the deleted files.

12-16-2011, 10:09 PM	#4
Markbrumbaugh Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 77	I've deleted a previous day without deleting every day. ???

12-17-2011, 02:03 AM	#5
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	Originally posted by Andrew Crouch I have discovered today that deleting an earlier day's folder on the camera from the computer end (as seemed logical since I had earlier downloaded those photos) deletes all day folders and folder contents from the SD card Under normal circumstances that does not happen, period. Something is wrong with your card, reader, or perhaps user error of some sort. The only way you could accidentally delete all the dated folders is if you either highlighted more than one before deleting, or deleted the whole DCIM folder by mistake. First stop I'd make is to pick up Recuva if you're on Windows. Which OS and version do you use? It should be easy to recover the photos on the card provided you haven't written anything else to the card since.

12-17-2011, 04:08 AM	#6
sterretje Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Roodepoort, South Africa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,561	Important: do not use the card till you have recovered the images. There are plenty of recovery tools; some already mentioned. I've managed to recover a card that was all of a sudden empty using photorec. Although it should not make a difference, it's often advised not to use the computer for anything but reading the card; delete and format on the camera. Format 'needs to be done' anyway on the camera to re-create the DCIM folder (although you should be able to recreate that folder from the computer as well in an additional step). I would think that the behavior that you've experienced is strange; it should not wipe everything. Which cards are you using? SD, SDHC, SDXC? The camera's driver for SDXC is often blamed for lost images (there are one or more threads about this); the behavior that you have experienced might be related if you use SDXC cards. I have not had any issues with my 8GB SDHC cards on my K5, but I also don't delete / format using a PC. Good luck with the recovery.

12-17-2011, 04:32 AM	#7
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	Originally posted by sterretje Format 'needs to be done' anyway on the camera to re-create the DCIM folder Nah, it's not needed for that. Putting a blank formatted card in my K-r, it creates the folders when you take your first shot. No biggie. Creating the folder from a PC also works of course, a folder is a folder. I often do this, and recreate the last dated folder, so that it knows where to continue the numbering from. Originally posted by sterretje the behavior that you have experienced might be related if you use SDXC cards. Good point, if he's using SDXC cards, he must update to the current firmware.

12-17-2011, 04:41 AM	#8
stevbike Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Newbury, Ontario Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 268	I will normally trans all files from a SD card to the computer regardless of the number images I have on it. It saved me the trouble of loosing pictures like what happened to you. I will back them up on to a external hard from there to make sure they are save. I did run into a problem with deleted images on an SD card and used a recovery program to save the deleted pictures that where on the card. That should work for you as well.

12-17-2011, 05:54 AM	#10
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	You can try this one, it's my fallback and has provided some good results as far back as the Windows 98 days. However, if Recuva couldn't find it, even with the "deep scan" option, it sounds like it got deleted and overwritten before you became aware of losing it. Is it possible that these folders were lost before you deleted the one that you think caused the issue? If I were you, I'd go out and get a new card right away. Where did you buy the 4GB one? There are a LOT of counterfeit ones on the market, particularly branded as Sandisk. Some counterfeit cards have a much smaller capacity than they report, so "filling" the card actually overwrites data already on it. It's a good practice to only buy memory cards from reputable brick and mortar shops, although a handful of reputable online dealers should be safe too.

12-17-2011, 06:31 AM	#11
sterretje Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Roodepoort, South Africa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,561	Originally posted by Philoslothical Nah, it's not needed for that. Putting a blank formatted card in my K-r, it creates the folders when you take your first shot. No biggie. Thanks for that correction; will test it one day.

12-17-2011, 07:04 AM	#12
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	Sorry about the loss of photos. It's not necessarily the camera though, even Sandisk cards can fail or it could have been a glitch with W7.

12-17-2011, 07:13 AM	#13
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	There can be unforeseen mess ups for sure. I few weeks ago, I shot a few pictures, reviewed them on the camera after I took them, checked the histograms to make sure I had reasonable exposures... then got home and couldn't find them... I have no idea what happened, but like you, 4 pictures that were good enough that I remembered to look for them were just gone. I'm shooting with a K20D so not exactly the same but... sometimes stuff happens.

12-19-2011, 06:33 PM	#14
amc654 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 101	I don't know if this will help, but I accidentally deleted a whole folder of shots (user error, not technical glitch) and successfully used "Pandora" recovery program. Worked great. Sounds like your card might be bad. After that incident, I never store more than 1 days' shots on my card--I always download them to my computer and empty the card. If I shoot in the morning and plan to again in the afternoon, I still download the morning's session before shooting in the afternoon. Call me paranoid, but I'd rather be safe than sorry!

12-19-2011, 07:49 PM	#15
aleonx3 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Brampton, Ontario Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,996	That does not make sense to me. You said you delete the 'all day folders', do you mean all the folder created by the camera per day? Or do you delete the entire DCIM folder which contains all the sub-folders (per day)? I don't know if there is a way to delete a folder from the camera (be interested to know how). I don't usually delete any photos until the SD card is full or almost full and I usually use the PC to delete the files (never DCIM). Well regardless, always of course, I hope you can recover the files/photos.