Summary: The blog explains the methods to resolve FujiFilm Finepix S2980 memory card error messages and make photos and other data accessible. It describes the reasons that call for a quick SD Card recovery and suggest a third-party application for a quick recovery.

Picture this! You recently went through a data loss situation while trying to access pictures from your FujiFilm Finepix S2980. When you connected the memory card to your Windows system, it displayed an error message “memory card error” and denied you access. Thus you were not able to access any of the images stored on the SD card. Now the question that arise is – Is there a manual repair or you need to employ a third-party photo recovery software?”

With the invention of advanced digital devices, memory cards have become a major storage for your data. They are considered as the most convenient medium to save and transfer data from one device to another. Due to higher storage requirement, memory cards are now available with high storage capacity.

In the due course of time, SD cards have improved to a notable extent, in terms of memory and speed. Present generation memory cards offer considerable read\ write speed, are available in all storage volumes and are compatible with all smartphones and other digital devices. They are portable and work on all major brands of tablets, cameras, and camcorders, to name a few.

Irrespective of improvements and advancements, memory cards are still prone to becoming corrupt. Even though SD Cards possess numerous benefits, one thing that makes them vulnerable is that they are least capable of fighting corruption. Yes, memory cards get affected quite easily due to which the data stored on them turns inaccessible. This calls for the need to recover photos from the corrupted media immediately.

Symptoms that show your Memory Card has become corrupt

When the SD card shows any of the following symptoms, possibilities are that the card gets corrupted. They are:

• When some of the images cannot be displayed, or you are unable to play the video clips stored on the memory card
• Any of the error messages gets displayed including “memory card error”, “card error”, “card locked”, “corrupt memory card”, etc.
• Card is recognized by computer, but system fails to display the saved content when you try to open it
• You get “write protected” error while attempting to copy the card contents to another device, but can access it on camera

Why SD Card Demands Quick Recovery?

One major reason to deal with the corrupt SD cards with quick consideration is that users normally have a habit to try the inaccessible card in one device or another. This causes more damage to the card and reduces the chances of photo recovery. Since this storage media stores photos, videos, and other multimedia files, it is immensely important to recover them quickly as it cannot be recreated. It is suggested to stop using the memory card immediately as it can lead to permanent loss of data.

Let’s look at the probable ways to recover data from memory card, in case it becomes inaccessible:

Tips to Recover Photos from Inaccessible Memory Card

Below are some useful tips to get access to the photos stored on the memory card:

#1: Check if Memory Card Port or Reader is working

Initially, try connecting the memory card to any other device to check if it works. Also, try connecting the SD card to another USB port on the same system as there could be an issue with current port. Alternatively, the memory card reader might not work appropriately.

#2: Ensure the Memory Card is NOT Write-Protected

The card might be write-protected as this prevents you from performing a read\write operation on the disk. Utilizing a disk diagnostic tool might help resolve this issue and recover deleted pictures.

#3: View Used Space Details

If none of the files can be read, but the system can recognize the card, then right-click on the drive letter being assigned to the memory card. Then select ‘Properties’ and view the occupied as well as space information. If it shows free volume more than expected, then the possibilities are that either the files are deleted accidentally, or the directory has been erased.

#4: Run CHKDSK to Recover Data from Corrupt SD Card

If your FujiFilm Finepix S2980 memory card is not displaying the photos, you can run CHKDSK to recover lost photos. All you need to do is insert the SD card to a memory card and then connect it to your PC or laptop. Run cmd.exe (Command Prompt) and then type ‘chkdsk /X /f drive letter assigned to SD Card’. Alternatively, you can type ‘chkdsk drive letter/f’.

#5 Install Third-party Free Photo Recovery software

If none of the manual attempts help recover photos from the FujiFilm Finepix S2980 digital camera, you can download and install Stellar Photo Recovery software, where its trial version allows you to preview your recoverable photos. The tool lists all the internal and external data storage devices and performs a scan to retrieve lost photos. It provides an exclusive option to select specific file formats for recovery, recovers selected image or video files, and performs batch processing on the files altogether.

To prevent data loss in case of future corruption, this photo recovery software also allows creating an image of the internal as well as external storage media including memory cards, USB drives, etc.

The way forward

Data loss is a serious issue, particularly when it is about multimedia files such as photos and videos as it is impossible to recreate the image files once they are deleted. Since, there is no built-in procedure available to recover deleted pictures, therefore, it is essential to employ a third-party recovery application.