At Coventry Data Recovery, we offer specialist SD card recovery solutions backed by over 25 years of forensic-level experience. Whether you’ve accidentally deleted files, physically damaged your card, or are facing logical corruption, our engineers are trained to recover data from all brands, card formats, and failure types.
We support private individuals, photographers, filmmakers, security professionals, and businesses across the UK in recovering data from failed SD and microSD cards – even those that are unrecognisable by the system.
✅ Supported SD Card Brands & Formats
We recover data from the top 30 SD and flash memory card brands in the UK:
Brands:
SanDisk, Samsung, Kingston, Lexar, Toshiba, Sony, Transcend, PNY, Integral, Verbatim, Patriot, ADATA, Greenliant, Angelbird, Delkin Devices, Gigastone, Apacer, Mushkin, Corsair, TeamGroup, Ridata, Silicon Power, Emtec, Netac, OCZ, Fujifilm, Hama, Pretec, Panasonic, Kodak
Card Types:
- SD (Secure Digital)
- microSD / microSDHC / microSDXC
- SDHC / SDXC
- CF (CompactFlash)
- xD Picture Card
- MMC (MultiMediaCard)
- UHS-I, UHS-II Cards
- Video Speed Class Cards (V30, V60, V90)
- Industrial & High Endurance Cards
- WiFi-enabled SD Cards
🔧 Services Offered
We recover data from SD and memory cards used in:
- Cameras (DSLR, Mirrorless, Drone, Action Cams)
- Smartphones & Tablets
- CCTV and Surveillance Systems
- Dashcams & Car DVRs
- Industrial Equipment
- Embedded Systems (e.g. Raspberry Pi)
- Audio Recorders, GPS Devices, Dataloggers
We can recover:
- Photos (RAW, JPG, PNG)
- Videos (MP4, MOV, AVI, AVCHD, 3GP)
- Audio (WAV, MP3)
- Documents and custom files
⚙️ 30 Most Common SD Card Failures & Recovery Process
Each issue is explained with technical clarity and how we resolve them:
1. Accidental File Deletion
Cause: Human error using Delete or Format option
Recovery: Raw sector scan and file signature carving using forensic recovery tools. File metadata rebuilt.
2. Accidental Formatting
Cause: Quick format performed on camera or PC
Recovery: Scan for prior partition and volume structures, use journal analysis if exFAT/FAT32 supported.
3. File System Corruption
Cause: Improper ejection, voltage instability
Recovery: File Allocation Table or exFAT boot sector repaired. Files recovered using allocation cluster mapping.
4. Memory Card Not Recognised
Cause: Controller failure or broken trace
Recovery: Electrical probing via JTAG or chip-off NAND extraction, using dedicated SD readers.
5. Read/Write Errors
Cause: Weak NAND blocks or logical bad sectors
Recovery: Clone card sector-by-sector, bypassing retries. Rebuild file structure from known metadata.
6. Controller Failure
Cause: Failed controller chip logic
Recovery: BGA NAND desoldered, data read using monolith pinout or chip reader. Data reassembled using ECC tables.
7. Physical Damage
Cause: Cracked or bent card, exposure to heat or force
Recovery: Reconstruct circuit using micro soldering. If needed, chip-off method is applied.
8. Bent or Broken Pins
Cause: Mishandling in card readers
Recovery: Pads reflowed using precision soldering. Replacement interface created for data extraction.
9. Bad Sectors
Cause: NAND cell degradation
Recovery: Low-level imaging with bad sector handling. Remap data, reconstruct partial files.
10. Partition Table Corruption
Cause: Improper formatting or virus damage
Recovery: Partition table manually rebuilt with GUID/MBR tools. Recovered using hex editor alignment.
11. Virus or Malware Infection
Cause: Auto-run malware or file hiding
Recovery: Identify and clean malicious code. Hidden or obfuscated files revealed and extracted.
12. File Transfer Interruptions
Cause: Power loss during write
Recovery: Recover partial files, restore pre-crash file structure using FAT table repair and timestamp mapping.
13. Overwritten Data
Cause: New files copied over deleted space
Recovery: Header/footer signature scans to recover fragments, reconstruct using heuristics.
14. Unsupported File System
Cause: Card used in a proprietary system
Recovery: Custom reverse engineering of file system. Data extracted using raw analysis.
15. Water or Liquid Damage
Cause: Card submerged or exposed to condensation
Recovery: Card cleaned in isopropyl bath, dried, imaged. If controller is dead, chip-off NAND performed.
16. Electrical Damage
Cause: Short circuit via faulty reader or static
Recovery: Dead circuit bypassed; direct NAND interrogation used to retrieve raw dumps.
17. Wear and Tear
Cause: NAND endurance exceeded (especially in low-end cards)
Recovery: Recover healthy blocks using dynamic read retries and ECC rebuilding.
18. Slow Response / Freezing
Cause: Firmware degradation or weak controller
Recovery: Stabilise using low-voltage controlled access. Clone before further data loss occurs.
19. Manufacturing Defect
Cause: Internal firmware loop
Recovery: Dump firmware and emulate controller behaviour. Rebuild file mapping table.
20. Uninitialised Card Warning
Cause: Boot sector deleted or corrupted
Recovery: Recreate missing exFAT/FAT32 structures. Rebuild root directory entries.
21. “This Card Cannot Be Used” Warning
Cause: Incompatibility or corruption
Recovery: Reinterpret using universal mount drivers. Clone and emulate working card image.
22. Monolith Card Failure
Cause: All-in-one chip card fails (e.g., ultra-slim SDs)
Recovery: Identify pinout, perform direct NAND access using monolith reader.
23. File Structure Corruption (Directory Tree Gone)
Cause: Card abruptly removed
Recovery: Manually reconstruct folders using forensic timestamp and file fragment sorting.
24. Recovery After Format on Unsupported Device
Cause: Formatted on incompatible camera or system
Recovery: Scan unused space, find previous file boundaries using allocation unit size.
25. Capacity Showing 0MB
Cause: Controller crash or metadata corruption
Recovery: Use vendor-specific recovery utilities. Read data directly from flash storage layer.
26. Card Keeps Disconnecting
Cause: Power instability or oxidised contacts
Recovery: Stabilise using regulated reader. Use firmware-dumping utilities to pull data mid-session.
27. Deleted Video Files Not Playing
Cause: Incomplete file headers or damaged indexes
Recovery: Repair MOV/MP4 containers using forensic video repair utilities.
28. Damaged Flash Wear-Leveling Table
Cause: Card near end of life
Recovery: Bypass wear-levelling layer by raw access. Reconstruct data blocks based on sequence patterns.
29. Recovery from Shadow / Cache Files
Cause: Part of data cached but not saved
Recovery: Dump volatile area (if available), attempt file reconstruction via known temporary file formats.
30. Hybrid Card in DVR/NVR Failing
Cause: Proprietary file system corruption
Recovery: Reverse engineer file system layout. Extract footage using video recovery tools aligned to timestamps.
💼 Why Choose Coventry Data Recovery?
- 25 Years of Proven Experience
- Forensic Lab-Grade Tools (Monolith, Chip-off, ECC Mapping)
- Recovery from All SD & Flash Card Types
- Cleanroom and ESD-Safe Handling
- GDPR-Compliant Secure Data Practices
- Emergency Recovery Services Available (48-Hour Critical Response)
We are the trusted partner for photographers, law enforcement, media companies, schools, and individuals across the UK needing expert SD card recovery.
📞 Contact Coventry Data Recovery Today
If your SD card or flash media has failed, stop using the device immediately. Every write attempt can damage potential recovery chances.
Contact Coventry Data Recovery now for a FREE diagnostic and professional evaluation of your memory card.