How to Recover Files from Corrupted Memory Card Using CMD?

Part 1. How can I recover data from a corrupted SD card?

The basis for memory card technology is flash memory. These cards are commonly used in digital portable electronic devices. Unlike USB drives, the memory card is usually contained within the device rather than externally. Therefore, you need to handle it with care.

Because improper use, accumulated bad sectors, manufactured defects, and physical damage are among possible reasons for corrupted memory cards.

Have you ever had a horrible corrupted SD card recovery experience? Are you seeking ways to recover files from corrupted memory cards? If it happens to be your case, please find targeted solution below.

 Recover files from corrupted memory card via Windows File Recovery 

Released by Microsoft, Windows File Recovery works to recover deleted/lost Word, Excel, PPT, ZIP, PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, and other files from (corrupted) HDD, USB sticks, memory cards, and SSD without paying.

Notes:✎...   

Windows File Recovery is only compatible with Windows 10 and later.

Resemble the basic command format winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches] based on your selected mode and switches because this utility interacts with users with a command-line interface.

Ensure the source drive (which saves your desired files before data loss) is different from the destination drive (which saves the recovered files after data recovery).

Four modes (Extensive, Regular, Segment, and Signature) can support four (NTFS, FAT, exFAT, and ReFS) file systems.

Let’s start with how to select the mode and switches you need.

Step 1. Press “Win + E” to open Windows File Explorer, then click This PC > right-click on the hard drive that includes your desired photos before data loss > Properties.

Step 2. Choose a recommended mode after figuring out the file system of your selected hard drive and data loss scenarios.

File system	Scenarios	mode
NTFS	Deleted recently	Regular
NTFS	Deleted for a while	Extensive
NTFS	Formatted disk	Extensive
NTFS	corrupted disk	Extensive
FAT and exFAT	Any	Extensive

Step 3. Choose some switches you want from the following form.

Switch	Description	Supported          modes
/y:	Recover specific extension groups, comma-separated	Signature
/p:	Saves a log file of the recovery operation in a different location than the default location on the recovery drive (for example, D:\logfile).	All
/a	Overrides user prompts, which is useful in a script file.	All
/u	Recovers undeleted files, for example, from the Recycle Bin.	NTFS Segment
/k	Recovers system files.	NTFS Segment​​​​​
/g	Recovers files without primary data streams.	NTFS Segment
/e	To keep your results manageable and focus on user files, some file types are filtered by default, but this switch removes that filter.	NTFS Segment
/e:	Specifies which file types are filtered.	NTFS Segment

Step 4. Click “Get” to download Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store. After installation, “Open” it on your Windows 10/11 computers.

Step 5. Let’s perform how to recover the recently deleted PDF file from the SD card (assume the drive letter is “F”) to the destination D drive.

the basic command format: winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]

the adjusted command line: winfr F: D: /regular /n*.pdf

Step 6. Press “y” to start the deleted photo recovery on Windows 10/11. If you want to stop the recovery process, press the “Ctrl + C” keys.

Part 2. Show hidden files from memory card using CMD

How to recover data from memory card? If you're not sure whether your desired files are deleted or not, you can try to show hidden files with these steps. 

Step 1. For Windows 10, press the “Windows + X” keys, and select the “Windows PowerShell (Admin)” option.

Step 2. In the command prompt window, type “chkdsk ‘drive letter’:/f” and hit "Enter" to start the process.

Notes:✎...

 drive letter: the certain drive containing your deleted files before errors. For example, it’s the G drive in the reference picture.

/f: Fixes errors on the locked disk. If the drive is in use by another process, the drive cannot be locked. If chkdsk cannot lock the drive, a message will appear that asks you to check the drive when you restart your PC.

Step 3. Press “Y” and wait patiently. Then type your drive letter again and hit “Enter” one more time. 

Step 4. Enter “attrib -h -r -s /s /d *.*” and press the “Enter” button. 

Part 3. Recover deleted files from SD card via data recovery software

 As you can see, the above two parts describe how to recover files from corrupted card using CMD and show hidden files from memory card using CMD. 

This part tends to help you recover deleted files from SD card via trustable data recovery tools like MyRecover.

Supposed that you've made a Disk Backup via free backup software for Windows, at the moment, there's no need for you to ask for help from any file recovery software. 

★Hightlights of MyRecover:   

Recover the deleted/lost Word, Excel, PPT, PDF, photos, videos, audio, folders, and other 200+ types of data from HDD, USB, SD cards, and other storage devices.

Judge the deleted files based on their original path, filenames, and format.   

During Quick Scan and Deep Scan, enter filenames in the search bar to access your desired shortcuts/files or wait to find all the deleted and other lost files on your PCs. 

Support NTFS, exFAT, FAT32, and ReFS file systems.

Download MyRecover on your Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, or Windows Server computers to get your deleted/lost files back! 

Step 1. Connect the memory card to the computer. Hover the mouse over the memory card saved deleted files before, and click Scan.

Step 2. Search or wait to view all the deleted and other missing files as you prefer.

Step 3. Go to the Deleted Files/Other Missing Files folder, and click “Recover x files” to get your selected files back. After recovery, please save them in a new location.

In conclusion

How to recover files from corrupted memory card using CMD? Windows File Recovery seems like the top choice for those computer-savvy users. Please pay attention to its notes before beginning the data recovery process. 

Apart from that, this passage also guides you to show hidden files or to recover deleted files from SD card. 

Moreover, it's time for you to develop a good habit of making regular backups because only regular backups are the best data loss prevention measure.