Finally had a Memory Card Failure -- SanDisk Extreme 128gb....

while I was uploading my files from my CF card to my computer the screen went blank. I checked the card and it was also blank. I bought a recovery program from the net for $70. it recovered some old files but not the ones from that day.

So I went to the Sandisk site and bought it's Recovery Pro program for $39 and it worked! retrieved my files. tested that card the next day after formatting and it was fine. but the next day it went blank again.

I called Sandisk and discovered the card had a 3-year unconditional warranty. the rep said they would warranty the card even without proof of purchase but it might take longer. With proof of purchase and pictures of both sides of the card Sandisk emailed me a paid return label the next day.

so cards do fail. even the best. I have always only used SanDisk, a local company, and I will continue to. great no-hassle service!

I'm curious as to what you mean. Did your card show up on your computer? Can you see it in explorer? The reason I ask is I have a failed Sandisk card from about 3 years ago and I have not done anything with it. At the time I was taking pictures my camera had a readout of some sort stating something was wrong. My card does not show up at all in explorer. It is not recognized at all. I was going to send it to a recovery company but haven't done it yet. So I'm curious as to if your card shows up in explorer and just doesn't list any photos or if it is not recognized at all.

ed rader wrote in post #18697607
so cards do fail. even the best. I have always only used SanDisk, a local company, and I will continue to. great no-hassle service!

SanDisk is very reputable but as to "local company", a bit of a stretch. The back of the packaging reads...

oh it's a local company. the card is coming from Milpitas, not China. Apple is also a local company. the "spaceship" is being built in Cupertino, not Shenzen.

I was downloading my card and saw the files disappear from my screen. when I re-opened the card it was blank. the files were still on the card obviously as I was able to download them. this took about 30 minutes. if you haven't formatted the card or rewritten over the files I would try the sandisk RescuePro.

ok got a confession to make. I had the same problem tonight with another card. completely lost all the files on a different card while downloading.

so, to date I've never had a card failure -- I think .

it has to be the card reader. no more cheapies for me. I reloaded the card with files after formatting it and downloaded them directly from the camera. no problem. i'll do this a few more times to make sure. I also ordered a Sandisk card reader from Amazon.

ed rader wrote in post #18699145
ok got a confession to make. I had the same problem tonight with another card. completely lost all the files on a different card while downloading.

so, to date I've never had a card failure -- I think .

it has to be the card reader. no more cheapies for me. I reloaded the card with files after formatting it and downloaded them directly from the camera. no problem. i'll do this a few more times to make sure. I also ordered a Sandisk card reader from Amazon.

I take note that in your original post you mentioned the issue was with a CF card. Get yourself a small but bright light and look into the "socket" of the reader. About an inch in you should see a double row of pins, 25 in each row. Check to make sure that none are bent.

Very carefully check the pin area on the cards as well. If any of the "holes" look damaged best to consider tossing the card. If the card socket in the camera needs to be replaced its about $300.

the card reader looks fine and remember this happened with two different cards. i'll never use this reader again or any cheap one. i had one of these before that failed as well as a couple of others over the years and the built in reader on my computer quit working a few years ago, as the one before it did.

my buddy seldom removes a card from his camera and always downloads directly with a cable. i'm starting to think he's on to something.

I had this happen and it was absolutely positively the card reader.. It corrupted the FAT table on the card and that was the end of that. And yes, I was able to rebuild the FAT with a 3rd party tool, but still.

The other times I have seen this is I use canon and sony gear. I've seen the same thing when I've popped an unformatted canon disk into the sony. Same fix. But still.

ed rader wrote in post #18698589
I was downloading my card and saw the files disappear from my screen. when I re-opened the card it was blank. the files were still on the card obviously as I was able to download them. this took about 30 minutes. if you haven't formatted the card or rewritten over the files I would try the sandisk RescuePro.

I can't recover something that is not recognized. That's why I asked.

sogs wrote in post #18699490
I can't recover something that is not recognized. That's why I asked.

If you insert the card into the camera, can you review the pics? Have you tried different card readers and different computers?

I've had files disappear from a card once.

I believe it was from a card I reused. Since then I only use a card once.

Jotto123 wrote in post #18699720
I've had files disappear from a card once.

I believe it was from a card I reused. Since then I only use a card once.

Is the risk of loss less with a new card?

They say electronic gadgets tend to fail more early in their life.

Jotto123 wrote in post #18699720
I've had files disappear from a card once.

I believe it was from a card I reused. Since then I only use a card once.

Can you clarify what you do? There is absolutely no reason to use a quality card once!

Who can afford to use a new card with every shoot!