Is there any reliable SanDisk data recovery software?

agent47

I’m in a bit of a bind. I shot a bunch of photos (nothing I can retake) and now my SanDisk SD card isn’t showing them anymore. The camera says “no images” ( the card shows up on my computer, just looks empty).
I’m guessing the card got corrupted somehow while in the camera? No idea what exactly went wrong. I haven’t touched the card since. Just looking for options. Googled around like crazy and now my head’s spinning. I found “SanDisk RescuePRO” but I’m not even sure if it’s legit. Looks like it’s made by something LC Technology, not SanDisk Is this real? Anyone actually used this or had better luck with something else on a SanDisk card?
Would really appreciate advice from people who’ve recovered from memoty cards before and can recommend reliable SanDisk recovery software.

HopeInSleep

RescuePRO Deluxe is the “official” app, in a sense. SanDisk doesn’t develop it themselves (LC Technology does) but they’ve been bundling it with their SD cards for years. Usually you’ll find an activation code inside the packaging if you buy a new card. So in that way it’s kind of “free” for SanDisk users. But … I’ve honestly never heard anything good about it.
Don’t get hung up on using something with the SanDisk name. It’s not like your files are locked behind some proprietary format just because they were on a SanDisk card. An SD card is an SD card There isn’t some brand-only SanDisk recovery tool; ANY decent recovery utility can handle it.
My advice go with any well-reviewed data recovery software. Stuff like: Disk Drill (easy to use, super capable) PhotoRec (totally free, but a pain to use) or Recuva (free, but honestly not so great in my experience ). If you haven’t written anything to the card, you’ve got a decent shot.

SocialImpactCoder

What computer are you using, Mac or Windows? Makes a difference when we’re talking about which tools to run.
Also, before you go any further, check the size of the SD card. If it shows anything weird, like 32MB instead of 64GB, forget about it. That usually means the controller’s toast. Had a case like that myself no software’s gonna fix that. At that point, it’s basically trash unless you’re willing to pay for a pro lab (I doubt those photos worth the price tag).

agent47

@HopeInSleep Thanks a ton for the breakdown, that clears thimgs up. Appreciate the SanDisk sd card recovery software suggestions too! Will give those a try.

agent47

@SocialImpactCoder I’m on a Windows 10 laptop, and I can see the SD card just fine in File Explorer and Disk Management. It shows the full 64GB capacity, no weird sizes or errors. As far as I can tell, the card itself is fine… it just empty.

Nonprofitech

If you already have an activation key for RescuePRO, mihght as well give it a go. It’s not exactly cutting-edge or anything, but for basic stuff like accidental camera formats (which I’m guessing is what might’ve happened here 😅) it can get the job done. Happened to me once, didn’t really get time to read what the camera was saying and pressed OK way too quickly… whole card wiped in seconds.

lastKnownGood

Nonprofitech Man, that “accidental format” thing is way too real. These camera prompts are straight-up traps. Like, I had a Nikon that literally just popped up “Format card?” and my brain went “sure, sounds good” without processing it at all. 200 photos gone.. I had a whole day of shooting on that card. Luckily I was smart enough to stop using it immediately after and managed to recover everything, but it almost happened again on a different camera. At this point I’m tempted to tape over the OK button just to protect myself haha.

CuriousCamel

I’m dealing with basically the same problem. I’ve got a SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB card that I used in my Sony A6400. Everything looked fine while shooting, but now the card just shows up empty..

agent47

@Nonprofitech No i don’t have an activation code. I never really keep that stuff from packaging, figured I’d never need it 😅

crimsonKing

Just to share my experience. I actually tried the SanDisk RescuePRO Deluxe not too long ago. A friend had a new SD card with the code and wasn’t going to use it, so I… “borrowed” it 😅The activation code only gives you a 1 year license. After that it’s done, its not a lifetime thing, which kinda sucks.

And its REALLY slow. Probably the slowest recovery software I’ve ever used. When I scanned a 32GB card, it showed an estimate of 700 minutes and counting. I waited for like 30 minutes, saw it barely moved and peaced out. Ended up trying TestDisk instead (or more specifically - PhotoRec). Not saying it’s the best Sandisk recovery option, but at least it actually does somethng. Would recommend it over RescuePRO any day.

KeepStronger

+1 on Disk Drill here. haven’t used it on a SanDisk card specifically, but I’ve run it on a ton of other stuff: USB drives, external hard drives, memory cards from various cameras, consistently solid. The only real downside is that it’s not completely free. You get like half a gig of recovery for free, and then you have to upgrade

0neWire

I’d say skip RescuePRO. It’s a subpar piece of software with a SanDisk label slapped on it. Outdated interface, painfully slow. There are way better Sandisk data recovery software out there. Go with something like:

DMDE
Disk Drill
PhotoRec
Recuva

And yea I know Recuva gets a lot of eye rolls, but at least it’s not a complete waste like RescuePRO. Plus it’s completely free, no activation codes.

Naheri

Honestly surprised by the RescuePRO hate here. I’ve used it twice (on a SanDisk Ultra and an old Lexar card) and it worked fine both times. Yeah, the interface is janky, but it recovered what I needed. Recuva didn’t even find my videos.

crimsonKing

Naheri How long did you have to wait for it to finish the scan?

HopeInSleep

Naheri Glad it worked for you But RescuePRO just isn’t what I’d call a serious data recovery tool. It’s like… I dunno like those emergency tire inflator kits, they MIGHT get you to the next gas station, but if your tire’s shredded, it’s game over. For anything beyond a simple delete wouldn’t trust it. And if the SD card is actually corrupted (like OP suspects) you’re way better off using something built for real recovery.

agent47

@0neWire Thanks for the suggestions!

Nonprofitech

lastKnownGood that might be it actually. if you’re using the same SD card in different cameras, that can totally trigger the format prompt. Most cameras don’t like cards that were used in a different system, the camera might see the structure as “foreign” and ask to format. It’s usually recommended to use an SD card exclusively with one device if you can.

Naheri

crimsonKing I don’t remember the exact time, but it definitely wasn’t fast. I think it took around 5 hours. Not totally sure, I just let it run overnight.

DanyOrtega89

I swear I saw a thread on reddit a while back some guy said he used to work for the company that developed RescuePRO , and even they knew it wasn’t exactly top-tier software 😂
Apparently it takes forever with certain file types, like fragmented video files. PersonallyI find it easy to believe.

agent47

Quick update :
Currently scanning the card with Disk Drill, seems to be moving pretty fast. I’ll let it finish and report back with what it finds. Fingers crossed. Also downloaded TestDisk and DMDE.