Data Recovery Case Studies From Our Brisbane Lab

Formatting writes a fresh, empty file system to the card, so the camera or computer shows no files. A quick format usually leaves the recordings themselves in place until new data is written over them; an overwrite format writes over the data area as well. Both SD card case files here started from formatted cards, and the result depended on what had survived, not on the word formatted.

Often, if nothing new has been recorded and the card was not overwrite-formatted. Recovery means finding the surviving video and photo structures, rebuilding complete files from them and checking each one. Anthony's 70 priority videos and Annaka's 27 latest-session recordings were rebuilt that way. Neither result predicts another card, so every card is assessed on its own. More on SD card data recovery.

Missing or wrongly joined data can cause it, but so can a heavy video format, a slow drive or the player itself. In the Sony case, the clip that froze decoded all 1,704 of its frames and a 1080p viewing copy played smoothly. Keep the recovered originals untouched and tell us which files misbehave and what you play them on. What to do when recovered videos freeze.

A file's date is whatever the camera's clock believed when it recorded, and camera clocks can reset. The date stamped onto the picture usually comes from the same clock, so it is not a second opinion. In Annaka's case, recovered videos dated 2019 showed a pattern consistent with clock resets, so none was rejected on its date alone. Recording order, content and the client's own review are what tie footage to a real day.

Usually, if it has not been run much since the fall. A drop damages the heads and can leave a light contact mark on the platter, while the data underneath stays intact until the drive is powered on again on damaged heads. Recovery is a matched donor head swap, then imaging with the damaged zone read last, as in the WD_BLACK case. Switch it off and leave it off.

Often, if it has not been powered on since. In the power surge case, a blown protection diode and a failed motor controller made the drive look dead; moving its original ROM information to a compatible donor board let it be imaged end to end. In the bushfire case, the enclosure had melted, yet the family's photo and video library was recovered. A melted case says nothing about the platters either way, so keep every part, including the original board, and leave the drive unplugged.

If the files matter, do not try to fix it. Repair tools, chkdsk and the camera's format prompt all write to the card, and writing is what turns recoverable footage into lost footage. Stop using it, keep it safe and send it to us on a free Express Post label. The card is imaged first and the recovery work happens on the copy.

Every job is classified Level 1 to Level 5 after a free diagnostic, and you get a fixed quote before work starts; we do not charge by the hour. Levels 1 and 2 are success fee only. From Level 3 up there is a fixed upfront fee agreed in writing, plus a success fee once your files are recovered and checked. As a published example, the dropped WD_BLACK was a Level 4 head swap, a band we guide at $1,400 to $2,400 + GST. See our No Data, No Fee policy.

It depends on the fault more than the device. A formatted card that reads cleanly moves faster than a drive that needs a donor head swap, or a card with slow, difficult areas like Annaka's. The diagnostic gives you the level and the expected timeline, and Critical or Emergency 24/7 service is available when a deadline cannot move.

Yes. Each case file describes a real job. Where a client is named, it is with their permission and by first name only. The WD_BLACK photos show the actual case drive; the bushfire and power surge cards use lab photos labelled as not the case drive; the artwork on the SD card cases is labelled AI-generated and shows no client footage.

No. A case file shows how one device behaved and how it was handled. Two cards with the same symptom can hold very different amounts of surviving data, so your device is assessed on its own, and you see what was recovered before any success fee is charged.