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Start Free EstimateStop Before You Repair the Card
A corrupted card is recoverable right up until you write to it. Every repair prompt Windows and macOS offer writes to the card, and writing over damaged metadata is what turns a recoverable card into a lost one. Do none of these until your files are off:
- Don't click Format. Formatting rewrites the filesystem structures a recovery tool reads to rebuild your files.
- Don't run chkdsk /f. The /f flag writes its repairs to the card and can discard the directory entries and FAT chains your files still live in.
- Don't let Windows Scan and fix or repair the card. It is the same write-back repair as chkdsk under a friendlier button.
- Don't save recovered files back onto the same card. Writing recovered data over the card overwrites the copies you haven't pulled yet. Send output to a different drive.
What “Corrupted” Actually Means
“Corrupted” describes four different messages, and most of them point at the filesystem, not the flash. The map to your data is damaged while the data itself sits intact on the cells. One symptom is the exception, and it is the one that ends software recovery.
| What you see | What it usually means | Layer |
|---|---|---|
| Needs formatting | FAT or exFAT boot sector, FAT tables, or directory entries corrupted; data blocks usually intact | Logical |
| RAW file system | Boot sector or partition table lost, so the OS can no longer identify the FAT or exFAT volume | Logical |
| Unreadable, files missing, correct size | Directory entries or the FAT are damaged; the controller still enumerates the card normally | Logical |
| Not detected, 0 GB, or wrong capacity | Controller or Flash Translation Layer failure; the card no longer presents as a block device | Controller (lab) |
The split matters because it decides who can help you. The top three rows are jobs for read-only software. The bottom row is a job for a bench, & no download fixes it.
Read-Only Recovery While the Card Still Mounts
If the card still enumerates, shows its correct capacity, & gives you a drive letter even when it says it needs formatting, you have a safe read-only window. The whole trick is to never write to the failing card. Work against a copy, and let the card sit untouched.
1. Image the card first
Make a bit-for-bit image of the whole card to a file on a healthy drive before you run anything. Every later attempt then runs against the copy, so a failed scan never costs you a second chance at the original.
2. Use a read-only tool
Run a read-only carver such as PhotoRec, ideally through a write-blocked or read-only reader, against the image or the card. PhotoRec opens the source read-only and rebuilds files by their signatures instead of trusting the damaged directory.
3. Send output to a different drive
Point every recovered file at a separate drive, never back at the card. Writing recovered data onto the same card overwrites the files you haven't rescued yet.
4. Format only after the data is safe
Once your files are copied off and verified, then you can format the card to reuse it. If the read-only pass came up short or the card stops mounting partway, stop and send it in rather than escalating to repair tools.
When Recovery Software Can No Longer Help
Recovery software works only while the card enumerates to your computer, because it reads through the card's controller at the sector level. Once the card is undetected, reports 0 GB or the wrong capacity, or drops off the bus mid-copy, there is no block device left to scan, & the job moves to the lab.
Every consumer recovery tool, PhotoRec, R-Studio, Disk Drill, EaseUS, issues standard read commands through the operating system and relies on the controller to present contiguous logical sectors. None of them has a concept of NAND dies, planes, or the controller's internal mapping. When the controller is dead, stuck, or refusing to initialize, the card never registers in the OS, so the software has nothing to open.
Repeated read errors, a capacity that reads wrong, or a card that disconnects the moment a copy starts are all signs the controller is failing, not the filesystem. A sealed monolithic microSD that stops enumerating falls in the same bucket: it does not exist to the host PC, so no scan can reach it. That is the boundary. Past it, recovery means reading the flash directly.
Sending a failing card through more scan attempts, reinsertions, and repair prompts past this point only stresses a controller that is already going. If you have hit any of these signs, power the card down & ship it to us before the reads stop for good.
Why the Card Type Changes the Lab Path
Once a card needs to be read at the flash level, its construction decides how we get to the NAND. Full-size SD cards & microSD cards are built differently, and that gap sets the difficulty & the price.
- Discrete-controller full-size SD
- Many full-size SD cards use a small circuit board carrying a separate controller chip and one or more discrete NAND packages. Because the parts are distinct, the NAND package can sometimes be lifted and read on a dedicated NAND reader without grinding into a sealed block. It is the more forgiving of the two builds.
- Monolithic microSD
- Most microSD cards are monolithic. A separate NAND die and a separate controller die are wire-bonded and sealed together inside one epoxy package, with no separable chip to desolder. Reading it means abrading the epoxy to reach the factory test pads and landing micro-probes on the internal NAND bus. Our microSD data recovery page covers this build in depth.
How We Recover a Card That No Longer Shows Up
When a card has stopped enumerating, we work around the failed controller and read the raw NAND, then rebuild the data in software. A raw NAND dump is not a filesystem; it is a scrambled, interleaved binary matrix, so the reconstruction is where the files actually come back.
1. Confirm the controller is the fault
We first try to bring the card up read-only. If the controller enumerates, the problem is logical and we image it. If it refuses to initialize or reports the wrong capacity, the card moves to the raw NAND path.
2. Reach the NAND
On a discrete card we lift the NAND package onto a dedicated reader. On a monolithic microSD we grind the epoxy down to the factory test pads and land a spider-board adapter's micro-probes on the NAND bus, working on our 0.02 micron ULPA-filtered clean bench to keep particulate off the exposed die.
3. Read the raw NAND
We pull the unstructured flash contents off the die without the controller, since the controller is the part that failed. The dump that comes off is fragmented, scrambled, and stripped of any filesystem structure.
4. Reconstruct in software
We reverse the dead controller's encoding, applying ECC correction, XOR descrambling, and Flash Translation Layer reconstruction in the order that controller requires, by parsing the spare-area (OOB) metadata on every page to re-link the scattered pages back into the logical volume.
5. Extract and verify
Once the filesystem is rebuilt we pull the files, verify they open, and copy your data to fresh media. You only pay if we recover the data you needed.
Corrupted SD Card Recovery Pricing
Corrupted SD card recovery follows our published flash & SD card tiers, starting at From $200. Logical filesystem corruption on a card that still mounts sits in the file-system recovery tier, $300–$600. A card that no longer enumerates and needs its NAND read directly falls into the chip-off tier at $1,200–$1,500, which carries a 50% deposit because the raw read is destructive to the original card.
Rush handling is +$100 rush fee to move to the front of the queue. You get a firm quote after evaluation, before any paid work, and there is no charge if we recover nothing.
Low complexity
Simple Copy
Your flash drive or SD card works, you just need the data moved off it
Functional media; data transfer to new storage
Rush available: +$100
$200
3-5 business days
Low complexity
Most Common
File System Recovery
Your flash drive or SD card isn't showing up, but it's not physically damaged
File system corruption. Visible to recovery software (R-Studio, UFS) but not to OS
Starting price; final depends on complexity
$300–$600
2-4 weeks
Medium complexity
PCB Repair
Your flash drive or SD card has shorted components or won't power on
PCB issues: simple shorts, failed components on the drive's circuit board
May require a donor drive (additional cost)
$600–$900
3-6 weeks
High complexity
Chip-off Data Recovery
Your flash drive or SD card needs physical NAND chip extraction to recover the data
NAND chip extraction via soldering, pin-out identification, and raw data reconstruction
50% deposit required
50% deposit required
$1,200–$1,500
4-8 weeks
Hardware Repair vs. Software Locks
Our "no data, no fee" policy applies to hardware recovery. We do not bill for unsuccessful physical repairs. If we replace a hard drive read/write head assembly or repair a liquid-damaged logic board to a bootable state, the hardware repair is complete and standard rates apply. If data remains inaccessible due to user-configured software locks, a forgotten passcode, or a remote wipe command, the physical repair is still billable. We cannot bypass user encryption or activation locks.
No data, no fee. Free evaluation and firm quote before any paid work. Full guarantee details. Chip-off recovery requires a 50% deposit because the extraction process is destructive to the original media.
- Rush fee
- +$100 rush fee to move to the front of the queue
All prices are plus applicable tax.
Data Recovery Standards & Verification
Our Austin lab operates on a transparency-first model. We use industry-standard recovery tools, including PC-3000 and DeepSpar, combined with strict environmental controls to maintain drive integrity. This approach allows us to serve clients nationwide with consistent technical standards.
Open-drive work is performed in a ULPA-filtered laminar-flow bench, validated to 0.02 µm particle count, verified using TSI P-Trak instrumentation.
Transparent History
Serving clients nationwide via mail-in service since 2008. Our lead engineer holds PC-3000 and HEX Akademia certifications for hard drive firmware repair and mechanical recovery.
Media Coverage
Our repair work has been covered by The Wall Street Journal and Business Insider, with CBC News reporting on our pricing transparency. Louis Rossmann has testified in Right to Repair hearings in multiple states and founded the Repair Preservation Group.
Aligned Incentives
Our "No Data, No Charge" policy means we assume the risk of the recovery attempt, not the client.
Technical Oversight
Louis Rossmann
Our engineers review all lab protocols to maintain technical accuracy and honest service. Since 2008, his focus has been on clear technical communication and accurate diagnostics rather than sales-driven explanations.
We believe in proving standards rather than just stating them. We use TSI P-Trak instrumentation to verify that clean-air benchmarks are met before any drive is opened.
See our clean bench validation data and particle test videoCorrupted SD Card Recovery: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I fix an SD card that says it needs to be formatted?
Will formatting my SD card erase my data?
Is PhotoRec safe to run on a corrupted SD card?
Why is my SD card unreadable but shows the right size?
Does chkdsk fix a corrupted SD card?
How much does corrupted SD card recovery cost?
SD card says it needs formatting?
Free evaluation. No data, no fee. If your card still mounts, don't format it; ship it to our Austin lab, or read the safe read-only steps above first.