Sydney · Australia-wide
Memory card recovery when the camera asks to format.
Cameras, dashcams, drones and phones. A format prompt usually means the filesystem broke, not that the footage is gone.
Before you do anything else
Protect the only copy.
- 01
Power it down
Every minute a failing drive runs can overwrite the bytes you need.
- 02
Skip consumer scanners
Desktop recovery apps write as they scan. That is the opposite of imaging a dying disk.
- 03
No repair, no format
chkdsk, First Aid and reinstall fix the disk; they do not preserve what was on it.
- 04
Call, then decide
Free triage: lab job, cleanroom referral, or Recovery Studio.
When / stop
Stop using the card.
Every new photo or clip can overwrite the last recoverable file. Do not format “just to see”. Do not run recovery software that writes its output back onto the same card.
Physically damaged or unreadable cards still belong in the lab. A healthy image of a formatted card is a job Basic can attempt on your Mac once you have a copy.
What we do
Signature and filesystem, on a copy.
Image the card read-only. Rebuild FAT/exFAT where possible; carve photos and video when directories fail.
Interrupted recordings often need index rebuild from the stream itself.
Stop writing to the card. Do not save recovery output onto the same media.
We do not run a cleanroom. Mechanical failures (clicking, non-spinning, head crash) are referred after free assessment. We will not open the drive on a bench and make it worse.
What it costs
Published band, then a fixed quote.
USB sticks and memory cards from $249 after free assessment. Fixed quote. No recovery, no fee. Assessment is free. The figure you agree is fixed before recovery starts. Full lab bands and Recovery Studio licences are on Pricing.
FAQ
Common questions.
I already formatted the card. Is it over?
Not always. Quick formats often leave payloads. Stop using the card and send it.
Can Recovery Studio work on an SD image?
Basic can work own-media images and folders. Failing or physically damaged cards still belong in the lab.
What does it cost?
This band starts at $249. Full table on Pricing.
Next step
Tell us what failed.
Free assessment. Fixed quote before recovery starts. No recovery, no fee. Sydney drop-off or Australia-wide by tracked post.