For casual or professional photographers, an SD card is the heart of their craft, storing cherished images captured after hours of effort. But what happens when your SD card starts throwing errors – like the card is unreadable, incompatible, or damaged? These errors may lead to corruption or the disappearance of your cherished images.
However, you don’t need to panic. This blog post will guide you through what to do when your SD card throws errors and how to repair corrupt or damaged images.
What Causes SD Card Errors in Cameras?
There can be various reasons your SD card throws errors, such as the camera cannot read the card, the SD card is not recognized, the card cannot be accessed, etc. Some of the possible reasons for these SD card errors are:
- Physically damaged memory card.
- Improper ejection, sudden power loss during data transfer, etc.
- Malware or virus intrusion.
- Using the same memory card on multiple devices.
- Using low-quality or counterfeit SD cards on the camera.
- Your camera does not support the SD card’s file system.
- Your system or camera does not support the SD card’s file system.
SD card errors can result in corrupted or damaged images, i.e., images that won’t open in any photo viewer app, images that are partially blank or have distorted lines, etc.
What to Do When You Discover SD Card Errors?
- Stop using the SD card immediately after encountering it to prevent data overwriting.
- Power off the digital camera and eject the SD card properly to avoid further damage.
- Use a reliable card reader to check if your computer can detect the SD card. If the card is readable, copy all the data. However, if the card isn’t showing up, proceed to the below steps.
Methods to Fix SD card errors
Now that you know the possible causes of SD card errors, let’s examine some of the best solutions to fix this problem.
1. Check the SD card for damage.
First, inspect your SD card for any physical damage, such as scratches, cracks, or bending. If you notice any damage, replace the card immediately, as physical damage is irreparable.
2. Check the SD card slot.
Often, a dirty SD card slot can cause your memory card to throw errors, as it cannot make a proper connection. Use a soft cloth to clean the SD card slot, then reinsert the card to see if the error is fixed.
3. Restart or Reload the Camera
Restart your digital camera, as it helps reset its internal settings. You can even reload the camera to fix the SD card errors. To reload the camera, switch off the camera, take out the memory card, and disconnect the battery. Wait for 15 minutes, connect the battery, insert the SD card, and then switch on the camera. See if the error is resolved with this step. If not, move on to the next method.
4. Check the SD card compatibility.
Ensure your SD card is compatible with your digital camera. To do this, check the user manual or official website of your digital camera.
If your card is compatible with the camera but throwing errors, try to use a different SD card.
5. Reformat the SD Card
If your SD card is throwing errors or not working on the digital camera, it can be due to a file system error. Moreover, if your memory card is corrupted or not formatted correctly, your camera can’t read it. Try reformatting the card again to resolve the file system issue in the SD card. Here’s how to format the SD Card on a Nikon Camera
- Press the MENU button on the top-right of the Nikon camera.
- Move the wrench icon to the Setup menu item.
- Now, select the Format Memory Card option and choose whether to format the SD or Compact Flash cards.
- Confirm your choice by pressing Yes.
You can even format the SD card on your computer by following the below steps:
- Connect your SD card to the Windows PC.
- Go to My PC and choose your SD card. Right-click on your SD card and select Format.
- In the Format window, specify the file system and set a volume label for your SD card. Then select the Format options and click Start.
- Windows will start formatting your SD card.
6. Update Camera’s Firmware
Outdated firmware on digital cameras can lead to compatibility issues with your SD cards. You must always install the latest firmware upgrade on your camera by visiting the manufacturer’s website. Once you have updated the firmware, restart your camera and check whether the card is readable.
Workarounds to Repair Corrupted Photos
Once you have fixed the SD card errors, you can try these troubleshooting steps to repair corrupted or damaged photos.
View the Photos on Another Photo Viewer
If your photo files do not open in your existing photo viewer software, try opening them in another software like Picasa Photo Viewer, Google Photos Library, Adobe Lightroom, or Adobe Photoshop.
Make Sure Your Photo Viewer App is Up-to-Date
If you can’t open images in Adobe Photoshop or another image-viewing app, ensure the program is updated. If not, update the photo viewer app first and then try opening the photo files again.
Change the File Format of the Photo
Often, converting the file format of your photo to another format, like RAW to JPG or PNG, can fix the problem. You can use any photo editing app or online photo converter tool to change the file format of your corrupt photo. Some of the best photo editors are Microsoft Paint, Adobe Photoshop, etc., and the best online photo converter tools are Zamzar, FileZigZag, and CloudConvert.
Fix Photo Files using the Best Photo Repair Tool.
If none of the above workarounds can repair your corrupt photos, use professional photo repair software.
Stellar Repair for Photo is a robust photo file repair tool that fixes corrupt, damaged, pixelated, and distorted images captured using digital cameras. The software repairs photos shot from DSLRs like Canon, camcorders, smartphones, etc.
The Stellar Photo Repair tool can work on all kinds of photo corruption issues, such as corrupt headers, data, invalid image file structures, missing SOS markers, etc. You can even repair inaccessible, pixelated, tinted, fuzzy, grainy, and blurry images stored in SD cards, HDDs, flash drives, memory cards, and other storage media due to corruption.
Bottom Line
Various reasons may cause your SD card to throw errors, which can result in corrupted or damaged photos.
You can fix the ‘SD card errors’ by following the abovementioned methods: reloading the camera, updating the firmware, and reformatting the card. However, if nothing works, replace your SD card. Remember to use a high-quality, compatible SD card for your computer.
Moreover, Stellar Repair for Photos should be used to repair corrupted photos caused by various SD card errors in the camera.