Case Study

32 GB Transcend SD Card - Video & Photo Recovery from Physically Damaged SD card

Recovering memories , 95% of data recovered in 20 days

Overview:

A Transcend 32 GB Class X SD card encountered a severe physical issue, causing it to display only 10 GB of its actual capacity. This led to a significant concern, as the card contained crucial photos and videos.

Client Background:

An individual client using a Transcend SD card recently faced unexpected data accessibility issues, which compromised essential files.

Addressing Key Challenges in Data Recovery:

The main challenge was the physical damage to the SD card, which caused it to show a reduced capacity of 10 GB instead of its actual 32 GB. This discrepancy indicated a serious underlying issue that needed specialized attention to prevent permanent data loss.

Drive Specifications:

Brand: Transcend
Capacity: 32 GB
File Types: Photos, videos, JPEG

Issue:

The SD card exhibited physical damage, leading to a significant reduction in its detected capacity. This physical problem posed a risk of losing valuable photos and videos stored on the card.

Data Recovery Actions & Approach:

Our meticulous recovery process involved the following key steps:

Initial Analysis: We analyzed the SD card using a specialized flash media tool. We observed that only 10 GB of capacity was visible, significantly lower than the actual 32 GB.
Physical Examination: We carefully removed the protection layer of the SD card. During this process, an unknown pinout was discovered. This pinout was not found in the existing database, which made the recovery process more complex.
Soldering: To proceed, we soldered all relevant test points to a special adapter. This step was crucial to identifying the data and control signals required for recovery.
NAND Chip Reading: The data dump was read page-by-page. This detailed process revealed numerous bit errors within the data.
Re-read Method: A re-read method was applied 5–10 times to correct the dump. This iterative process was essential to minimize errors and ensure the accuracy of the recovered data.
Algorithm Application: An appropriate algorithm was applied to the corrected dump. This final step successfully reconstructed the client's data.

Data Recovery Success:

Despite the complexity and physical damage, 90–95% of the data was successfully recovered. The recovery process took approximately 20–25 days, demonstrating the thoroughness and expertise in handling such cases.

Conclusion:

The successful recovery of most of the client’s data from the physically damaged Transcend SD card highlights their proficiency in dealing with complex physical data loss scenarios. The meticulous approach, from initial analysis to applying advanced algorithms, ensured a high data recovery rate, thus safeguarding the client’s valuable photos and videos.

Business Need

The client needed to recover essential photos and videos from the damaged SD card to avoid the permanent loss of valuable memories. The challenge was to restore the data despite the physical damage and reduced detection capacity.

Solution Approach

We began by analyzing the SD card with specialized tools to confirm the capacity discrepancy. After removing the protection layer and identifying an unknown pinout, we connected the test points to an adapter. We then read and corrected the data dump through multiple iterations and applied an appropriate algorithm to reconstruct the recovered data.

Result

Despite the complex physical damage, we successfully recovered 90–95% of the data. The entire recovery process took approximately 20–25 days, demonstrating our expertise in handling, such intricate cases and effectively safeguarding the client’s valuable data.